Narrative:

I was told by FSS that there were 2 tfr's near my route, 1 in west virginia and 1 in indiana near champaign. Both were 5 mi wide and went to 5000 ft. I flew from manassas, va, to indianapolis, in, stopping short because of thunderstorms over champaign, il. The next day, at around XA00 hours on may/wed/03, I flew the remaining 95 mi from indianapolis, in, to champaign, il. I made the flight below the clouds at 3000 ft. After indianapolis instructed me to squawk VFR about 50 mi from champaign, I began to look for the tfr on my charts, which I later found out was called 'fdc 1/0661.' I could not find anything on my charts, and nothing was depicted on any of my GPS units, both with current databases, so I called champaign approach to avoid the tfr. When I contacted champaign approach, on a heading of 280 degrees, I was instructed to 'take an immediate heading of 350 degrees to avoid the tfr.' I complied with the instruction. Champaign approach then noted that I 'was just beginning to enter the tfr.' I took this to mean that I had not yet entered the tfr, but I was close to doing so. My calculations showed the tfr at 43 mi from champaign, and at the time that I was instructed to take the new heading by champaign, I was 45 mi out. Thus, I should have been approximately 0.5 mi from the tfr (the tfr should have started at 44.5 mi). After I had flown on the 350 degree heading for about 1 min, champaign informed me that I could resume my flight direct to the airport. The tfr issue was not mentioned again by champaign. My best intentions: I feel that I did everything that I could to avoid the tfr. In retrospect, when indianapolis instructed me to squawk 1200, I should have requested flight following. This would have made it less likely that I would have been so close to the tfr. However, because FSS told me that the tfr was not in my flight path, I had not thought that I would even be close. The only reason that I called champaign approach from 50 mi out (which is unusual) was that I saw a coal plant, and I was concerned that the tfr was for the coal plant. I only learned later that the tfr was for a munitions plant. If I had not seen the coal plant, I would not have even called champaign approach. Fortunately, I did, and I believe that I was able to avoid the tfr 'by sheer luck.' my recommendations: the tfr reporting system is insufficient. The fact that the tfr's do not appear on any of my databases is inexplicable. I pay over $1500 a yr for current database subscriptions for my GPS units. All of these monthly databases should have the tfr information graphically depicted for my reference in-flight. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter advised that the subject of tfr display on GPS has been a frequent subject of discussion in the publication of a national GA association. In partial response, the FAA has initiated the graphic display of tfr's on its web site, thus making available to users, for the first time, a picture of these areas. This is superimposed on an enlarged sectional chart. He feels this is a good step in the right direction and further feels that the availability of this data should make this an ideal time for the database manufacturers to initiate display of this information on their products.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OF UNIDENTED ACFT TYPE NARROWLY AVOIDED FLYING IN TFR (1-0661) NEAR NEWTON, IN. ALTHOUGH THIS TFR HAS BEEN IN EXISTENCE SINCE 9-21-01 IT IS NOT DEPICTED ON ANY OF THE 3 UP-TO-DATE GPS DATABASES ON BOARD THE RPTR'S ACFT.

Narrative: I WAS TOLD BY FSS THAT THERE WERE 2 TFR'S NEAR MY RTE, 1 IN WEST VIRGINIA AND 1 IN INDIANA NEAR CHAMPAIGN. BOTH WERE 5 MI WIDE AND WENT TO 5000 FT. I FLEW FROM MANASSAS, VA, TO INDIANAPOLIS, IN, STOPPING SHORT BECAUSE OF TSTMS OVER CHAMPAIGN, IL. THE NEXT DAY, AT AROUND XA00 HRS ON MAY/WED/03, I FLEW THE REMAINING 95 MI FROM INDIANAPOLIS, IN, TO CHAMPAIGN, IL. I MADE THE FLT BELOW THE CLOUDS AT 3000 FT. AFTER INDIANAPOLIS INSTRUCTED ME TO SQUAWK VFR ABOUT 50 MI FROM CHAMPAIGN, I BEGAN TO LOOK FOR THE TFR ON MY CHARTS, WHICH I LATER FOUND OUT WAS CALLED 'FDC 1/0661.' I COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING ON MY CHARTS, AND NOTHING WAS DEPICTED ON ANY OF MY GPS UNITS, BOTH WITH CURRENT DATABASES, SO I CALLED CHAMPAIGN APCH TO AVOID THE TFR. WHEN I CONTACTED CHAMPAIGN APCH, ON A HDG OF 280 DEGS, I WAS INSTRUCTED TO 'TAKE AN IMMEDIATE HDG OF 350 DEGS TO AVOID THE TFR.' I COMPLIED WITH THE INSTRUCTION. CHAMPAIGN APCH THEN NOTED THAT I 'WAS JUST BEGINNING TO ENTER THE TFR.' I TOOK THIS TO MEAN THAT I HAD NOT YET ENTERED THE TFR, BUT I WAS CLOSE TO DOING SO. MY CALCULATIONS SHOWED THE TFR AT 43 MI FROM CHAMPAIGN, AND AT THE TIME THAT I WAS INSTRUCTED TO TAKE THE NEW HDG BY CHAMPAIGN, I WAS 45 MI OUT. THUS, I SHOULD HAVE BEEN APPROX 0.5 MI FROM THE TFR (THE TFR SHOULD HAVE STARTED AT 44.5 MI). AFTER I HAD FLOWN ON THE 350 DEG HDG FOR ABOUT 1 MIN, CHAMPAIGN INFORMED ME THAT I COULD RESUME MY FLT DIRECT TO THE ARPT. THE TFR ISSUE WAS NOT MENTIONED AGAIN BY CHAMPAIGN. MY BEST INTENTIONS: I FEEL THAT I DID EVERYTHING THAT I COULD TO AVOID THE TFR. IN RETROSPECT, WHEN INDIANAPOLIS INSTRUCTED ME TO SQUAWK 1200, I SHOULD HAVE REQUESTED FLT FOLLOWING. THIS WOULD HAVE MADE IT LESS LIKELY THAT I WOULD HAVE BEEN SO CLOSE TO THE TFR. HOWEVER, BECAUSE FSS TOLD ME THAT THE TFR WAS NOT IN MY FLT PATH, I HAD NOT THOUGHT THAT I WOULD EVEN BE CLOSE. THE ONLY REASON THAT I CALLED CHAMPAIGN APCH FROM 50 MI OUT (WHICH IS UNUSUAL) WAS THAT I SAW A COAL PLANT, AND I WAS CONCERNED THAT THE TFR WAS FOR THE COAL PLANT. I ONLY LEARNED LATER THAT THE TFR WAS FOR A MUNITIONS PLANT. IF I HAD NOT SEEN THE COAL PLANT, I WOULD NOT HAVE EVEN CALLED CHAMPAIGN APCH. FORTUNATELY, I DID, AND I BELIEVE THAT I WAS ABLE TO AVOID THE TFR 'BY SHEER LUCK.' MY RECOMMENDATIONS: THE TFR RPTING SYS IS INSUFFICIENT. THE FACT THAT THE TFR'S DO NOT APPEAR ON ANY OF MY DATABASES IS INEXPLICABLE. I PAY OVER $1500 A YR FOR CURRENT DATABASE SUBSCRIPTIONS FOR MY GPS UNITS. ALL OF THESE MONTHLY DATABASES SHOULD HAVE THE TFR INFO GRAPHICALLY DEPICTED FOR MY REF INFLT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR ADVISED THAT THE SUBJECT OF TFR DISPLAY ON GPS HAS BEEN A FREQUENT SUBJECT OF DISCUSSION IN THE PUB OF A NATL GA ASSOCIATION. IN PARTIAL RESPONSE, THE FAA HAS INITIATED THE GRAPHIC DISPLAY OF TFR'S ON ITS WEB SITE, THUS MAKING AVAILABLE TO USERS, FOR THE FIRST TIME, A PICTURE OF THESE AREAS. THIS IS SUPERIMPOSED ON AN ENLARGED SECTIONAL CHART. HE FEELS THIS IS A GOOD STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION AND FURTHER FEELS THAT THE AVAILABILITY OF THIS DATA SHOULD MAKE THIS AN IDEAL TIME FOR THE DATABASE MANUFACTURERS TO INITIATE DISPLAY OF THIS INFO ON THEIR PRODUCTS.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.