PRESS HELI PENETRATES TEMPORARY RESTR AREA.

Narrative

PROB: RESTR AIRSPACE IN THE WACO; TX; AREA. ON MAR/SUN/93 A SIT AROSE WHERE A 5 MI RADIUS RESTR AREA WAS PUT INTO EFFECT. DURING THE FIRST 3 DAYS OF FLYING ALL HELIS WERE WORKING WITH APCH CTL AT WACO REGIONAL. ANYTIME WE WOULD LIFT OFF; APCH WOULD AUTOMATICALLY GIVE EACH ACFT A CODE. THIS WAS SETTING A PRECEDENT THAT SHOULD HAVE CONTINUED. THIS IS WHAT WE WERE BECOMING USED TO. ON WED; THE NOTE THAT THE TWR WAS TAKING A LOT OF HEAT AND PEOPLE INVOLVED ON THE GND WERE NOT TOO HAPPY WITH THE PRESS; I TOOK OFF AND ASSUMED I WOULD GET A CODE; BUT INSTEAD TWR ASKED IF I WANTED FLT FOLLOWING OR VFR FLT. WHEN TWR ASKED THIS; I THOUGHT THAT MAYBE THEY DIDN'T WANT TO CTL US BECAUSE WE HAVE ALL BEEN THERE A FEW DAYS AND WERE USED TO THE RESTR AREA. BY THE TIME THEY ASKED; I WAS ALREADY CLOSE TO TSTC TWR; STILL THINKING THAT WACO REGIONAL WOULD STILL CTL ME. THE NIGHT BEFORE; WHEN TALKING TO THE TWR; I ASKED WHY REGIONAL CTLED THE AIRSPACE AROUND TSTC; AND WAS TOLD THAT TSTC WAS A NFCT AND THEY CTLED THAT AIRSPACE. ANYWAY; BACK TO THIS STORY. I MADE A SW TURN AND FLEW THE SAME RTE THAT I'VE BEEN FLYING FOR 3 DAYS AND TWR SAID TO CALL WHEN I LANDED. DURING THE REST OF THE DAY; MANY CONVERSATIONS WERE HAD WITH APCH CTL ABOUT THE CHANGES THAT WERE BEING MADE EVEN AS WE FLEW. WE DON'T MIND OBEYING THE RULES; JUST DON'T CHANGE THEM ON US AND THEN TRY TO GET US IN TROUBLE. IF THIS RAID BY THE ATF WOULD HAVE BEEN PULLED OFF AND THEY LOOKED GOOD; THE PRESS WOULD HAVE BEEN WELCOMED WITH OPEN ARMS. ON THE MOST PART; WACO APCH DID A GREAT JOB. I REALIZE THAT APCH DIDN'T HAVE TO CTL US AT ALL; BUT THEY WERE AND SET A PRECEDENT. THEY SHOULD HAVE STAYED WITH THE SAME GAME PLAN. WE REALLY ONLY HAD 1 DAY THAT WAS A LITTLE CONFUSING. I KNOW I AM PUTTING SOME PERSONAL FEELING DOWN HERE BUT I TAKE MY JOB AND FLYING SERIOUSLY.