Drone TFRs This Week: Veterans Day Parade Zone in Manhattan, VIP Airspace in Virginia and North Carolina, and a New Starbase TFR

It is Veterans Day, and the FAA’s temporary flight restriction list reflects it. A drone-only security zone covers part of Manhattan during today’s parade, a VIP TFR closes airspace northwest of Washington, D.C. this afternoon, and another VIP TFR arrives in eastern North Carolina tomorrow evening. Add an air show, weekend event bans and a new TFR at SpaceX’s Starbase, and there is plenty to check this week. Times below come from the FAA NOTAM text, in local time.

Veterans Day: Manhattan and Sterling, Virginia

New York, NY (FDC 6/6997) bans drones today, Wednesday, Nov. 11, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. EST inside a four-sided area of Manhattan around the Veterans Day parade, from the surface to 1,000 feet AGL. It is a UAS-only restriction under 14 CFR 99.7. Only event support, public safety and commercial flights with a valid statement of work can be approved, and each needs a Special Governmental Interest (SGI) waiver. The NOTAM warns that federal agencies may disable or seize drones deemed a threat.

Sterling, VA (FDC 6/6741) is a VIP TFR today from 12:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. EST. It is a 5 NM radius from the surface to 9,999 feet MSL, and under 14 CFR 91.141 it prohibits all aircraft, remote-controlled aircraft included, with narrow exceptions such as law enforcement, air ambulances and scheduled airlines. The FAA lists it under Sterling, but the center point sits just across the Potomac, so check the map rather than the town name.

New Bern, North Carolina VIP: Thursday evening

New Bern, NC (FDC 6/6990) brings a series of 5 NM VIP rings on Thursday, Nov. 12, each from the surface to 4,999 feet AGL. A ring centered southeast of New Bern, near Havelock, runs [5:00] to 6:15 p.m. EST and again [9:00] to 10:45 p.m. A second ring centered close to the New Bern airport runs [5:45] to 10:00 p.m.

Air shows and weekend event TFRs

• Las Vegas, NV (6/6739): the Nellis AFB Friends and Family Airshow has two more windows, Thursday and Friday from [7:30] to 9:00 a.m. PST, covering a 5 NM radius up to 17,999 feet MSL.
• Stuart, FL (6/6283): the Stuart Airshow closes a 5 NM radius up to 15,000 feet MSL Friday from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. EST, then Saturday and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
• Orlando, FL (6/6537): a drone-only TFR protects the Vans Warped Tour, 0.5 NM up to 400 feet AGL, from 11:00 a.m. Saturday through 11:59 p.m. Sunday EST.
• Raleigh, NC (6/6536): drones are banned within 0.8 NM, up to 400 feet AGL, for the NC State vs. Syracuse tailgate on Saturday from [7:00] to 11:00 a.m. EST.

Next week, and a new TFR at Starbase

• Brownsville, TX (6/6928): a 3.5 NM TFR from the surface to 11,000 feet AGL around SpaceX’s Starbase site for “high energy testing” begins Thursday and runs through Dec. 4.
• Huntsville, AL (6/7083): a 1 NM drone-only security TFR, surface to 1,000 feet AGL, near Redstone Arsenal, runs Nov. 17-19 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. CST each day.
• Santa Rosa Island, FL (6/7075): a munitions-test TFR from the surface to unlimited altitude runs Nov. 16-20, daily from 8:00 a.m. to 5:59 p.m. local time.

Fire, hazard and test TFRs

• Martinsburg, WV (6/7098): Kessel Lane Fire, 10 NM up to 4,000 feet MSL, today 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. EST.
• Speedwell, VA (6/6894): hazard area up to 5,000 feet, today 9:00 a.m. to 7:15 p.m. EST.
• Custer, SD (6/6765) and Buffalo, WY (6/6323, Foot Creek Fire): daily from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. MST, through Thursday and through Nov. 20, respectively.
• Atoka, OK (6/6253): DHS counter-UAS testing, 2 NM up to 4,000 feet AGL, daily 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. CST through Sunday.
• Also today: Hibbing, MN mine blasting (10:00 a.m. to noon CST), the Wild River Fire near Berlin, NH (ends 5:00 p.m. EST) and four Mississippi hazard TFRs ending this evening.

What this means for drone pilots

If you are planning to film a Veterans Day event, check the TFR list first. Drone-only security zones like Manhattan and Huntsville can only be entered with an SGI waiver, even for paid jobs. VIP TFRs cover every aircraft, can appear with less than a day’s notice, and violations can bring certificate action, fines and criminal charges. LAANC will not get you into any of them.

Check tfr.faa.gov or an FAA-approved app on the day you fly, because times and boundaries change. Reading NOTAMs and sectional charts is core material on the Part 107 exam. If you want to fly commercially, Drone U’s Part 107 test prep course walks you through it, and students have been known to take the online course in 3 days and pass the test.

To every veteran in the drone community: thank you for your service.

Sources: FAA Temporary Flight Restrictions list; FAA NOTAMs 6/6997, 6/6741, 6/6990, 6/6739, 6/6283, 6/6928, 6/7083, 6/7075.

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