Fighting the dreaded TFR

[Smoot]

Saw this and thought it was interesting:

 

"Dear Just Helicopters Members, We're trying to get some support for our Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) petition from pilots like you. This is really important to ALL pilots and does not pertain only to helicopter operations. We are all faced with increasing flight restrictions - most of which are without notice and without the knowledge of ATC. All it takes to get violated is the President deciding to make a last minute visit to a place where you are flying, or a sporting event to reschedule. It has happened to thousands of pilots since 2003 and I personally know several of them. They went through all kinds of headaches for what was a simple, honest mistake. From a business standpoint, our company alone has lost an estimated $1 million in revenue due to TFRs since 2003. We're probably low-balling that number by the way. This is because TFRs not only cancel work for us related to events like aerial photography of a sports venue, but they also cancel air operations for totally UNRELATED events like car and boat races, which may fall inside of the TFR's geographic footprint. I find it pathetic that we are forced to incorporate checking ESPN.com into our pre-flight actions. Perhaps that doesn't bother some pilots... Those are the same guys that feel that the Presidential TFR is fine at it's current size of 2,800 square miles of airspace. AOPA and HAI feel this is a dead issue and it is clear they will not pursue a remedy. Our only option is to work together and gather enough signatures on a petition. This will open up a dialogue in Washington to discuss REAL change in the system that has been hurting us for almost 10 years now. It's still a long shot. If you care to participate, here is the link: http://wh.gov/Vexj Click on "Create New Account". You only need to provide your Name and Email address (zip code is optional). They will send you a verification email with a link back to the page. Click on that link. The "Sign the Petition" button will be active now. Click the button and that's it. The whole process start to finish takes all of about 30 seconds depending on how fast you receive the email. Only your initials are displayed on the page. Your name and email are not. Your support would be greatly appreciated! Thank you! Nick McMahon Director of Operations McMahon Helicopter Services, Inc. Twitter: @realnickmcmahon"