BELL 206 HELI PLT INVESTIGATED BY THE FAA FOR OPERATING A NEWS MEDIA FLT UNDER FAR PART 135 IFR INSTEAD OF A FAR PART 91 VFR INTO A TEMPORARY AIRSPACE RESTR AREA THAT PERMITTED ONLY PART 135 AND PART 121 IFR FLTS ONLY.

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IN ACCORDANCE WITH ISSUED NOTAMS; I FILED AN IFR FLT PLAN TO CONDUCT A PART 135 VFR AIR TAXI CHARTER. AFTER THESE FLTS OF 09/TUE/01 I WAS CONTACTED BY ZZZ FSDO AND TOLD THAT THESE FLTS WERE PART 91. I; OF COURSE; DISAGREE BECAUSE I WAS CARRYING PAX AND LANDED AT A DIFFERENT ARPT THAN I DEPARTED FROM. DURING THE FLT; VIDEO WAS TAKEN AND BROADCASTS WERE MADE. THESE FLTS WERE CONDUCTED AND COMPLIED WITH PART 119 AND PART 135. IT IS THE POS OF THE ZZZ FSDO THAT I WAS IN VIOLATION BECAUSE I SHOULD HAVE CONDUCTED THESE FLTS TO THE LOWER STANDARD OF PART 91 AND NOT THE HIGHER STANDARD OF PART 135. AN IFR FLT PLAN WAS FILED WITH THE REMARKS SECTION VFR. COMPANY FLT FOLLOWING WAS IN EFFECT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THAT HE HAD RECEIVED NOTICE OF AN INVESTIGATION OF THIS MATTER FROM THE FAA; BUT THAT THE FAA SENT A SECOND LETTER THAT ADVISED THAT THERE HAD BEEN NO FINDING OF A VIOLATION OF THE ORIGINAL ALLEGATIONS. HE FURTHER STATED THAT AIR TFC WAS BURDENED BY THE NEED TO MAKE RADAR VECTORS FOR THE FLT SINCE IT WAS UNDER AN IFR FLT PLAN. THEREFORE; THE TEMPORARY AIRSPACE RESTRS WERE AMENDED TO INCLUDE NEWS MEDIA FLTS.