New Drone TFRs: Charlotte–Rock Hill and Weatherford Thursday, NYC Marathon Zones and Revised Atlanta G20 Times

Since Tuesday, the FAA has posted two new VIP restrictions for Thursday, October 29, one around Charlotte and Rock Hill, SC and one near Weatherford, Texas. It also rewrote Atlanta’s G20 drone zones and published drone-only zones for the New York City Marathon. Here’s where things stand as of early Wednesday.

Tonight: World Series Game 5 in St. Petersburg

Tampa Bay won Game 4 in 12 innings, so Game 5 is tonight at Tropicana Field at 8 PM ET, with Milwaukee leading 3–1. The standard stadium TFR applies: no drones within 3 NM of the ballpark, up to 3,000 feet AGL, from one hour before the game until one hour after it ends. If the series continues, Milwaukee’s ballpark gets the same restriction. Today’s Kinston and Columbus TFRs, covered yesterday, still apply.

Thursday: Charlotte and Rock Hill (NOTAMs 6/3091 and 6/3092)

The President is scheduled to speak at [12:30] PM in Rock Hill. Local outlets say the rally is at Winthrop Coliseum. The same TFR is filed under two NOTAM numbers. Times are EDT:

• [10:15] AM to [12:30] PM: a 30 NM ring with a 10 NM inner core, centered on Charlotte Douglas International Airport.
• 11 AM to 3 PM: a second 30 NM ring with a 10 NM core, centered on Rock Hill near the Winthrop campus.
• [1:30] PM to 4 PM: another 30 NM ring around Charlotte Douglas.

Each ring runs from the surface to 17,999 feet MSL. The NOTAM lists UAS among the operations not allowed anywhere in the TFR, so drones are barred from the full 30 NM, not just the core. That covers most of the Charlotte metro, Gastonia, Concord, Fort Mill and much of York County. Plan to fly after 4 PM or reschedule.

Thursday: Weatherford and Fort Worth (NOTAM 6/2679)

The Vice President is due to speak around [1:50] PM CDT in Weatherford. The TFR uses four 5 NM circles from the surface up to, but not including, 5,000 feet AGL. Times are CDT:

• [10:00] AM to [12:15] PM and again [1:45] PM to [4:45] PM: centered on NAS Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base on the west side of Fort Worth.
• [10:45] AM to [2:15] PM: centered on a point north of Interstate 20 between Fort Worth and Weatherford (our reading of the coordinates).
• [12:30] PM to [3:30] PM: centered on the west side of Weatherford, near the rally site.

Friday and Saturday: Atlanta’s G20 zones were rewritten

Update any earlier Atlanta notes. The previous G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting NOTAMs (6/2101, 6/2102 and 6/2521) are off the FAA’s active list. Two new drone-only NOTAMs replace them, each a 1 NM circle from the surface to 400 feet AGL:

• 6/2948, Midtown: 7 AM to 6 PM EDT on Friday, October 30, then 3 AM to [10:30] AM EDT on Saturday, October 31.
• 6/2959, near the Georgia Aquarium: 5 PM to 9 PM EDT on Friday only. The earlier Saturday-evening Aquarium zone is no longer listed.

Saturday and Sunday: NYC Marathon drone bans

The marathon starts Sunday, November 1, at Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island. Two drone-only NOTAMs cover it:

• 6/2792: a 2 NM circle around the Fort Wadsworth start area, surface to 400 feet AGL, from noon to 5 PM EDT on Saturday.
• 6/2853: a box from the Staten Island start over the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge and across much of Brooklyn to the East River, surface to 2,000 feet AGL, 5 AM to 2 PM EST on race day.

The Atlanta and marathon NOTAMs allow Special Governmental Interest (SGI) waivers for public safety, event support or commercial work with a statement of work, through waivers.faa.gov.

What this means for drone pilots

• Read the drone language, not just the inner core. Thursday’s Charlotte TFR bans UAS across all 30 NM.
• Replaced NOTAMs mean new times. Atlanta’s Saturday window now starts at 3 AM. Check current NOTAM numbers on tfr.faa.gov.
• Watch the time change. Clocks fall back Sunday, so Saturday times are EDT and Sunday times are EST.
• Penalties are real. Violating national defense airspace can bring fines, certificate action, criminal charges, or federal agencies seizing or disabling the drone.

Reading NOTAMs and airspace quickly is a core skill for the FAA knowledge test. If you’re working toward your certificate, our Part 107 course covers TFRs and NOTAM decoding in detail.

Sources: FAA TFR NOTAMs 6/3092, 6/3091, 6/2679, 6/2948, 6/2959, 6/2792 and 6/2853; WIS; FOX 4 Dallas-Fort Worth; MLB.com; NYC Tourism

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