C172 DEP FROM RDU IS CONCERNED WITH ATC VECTORS NEAR TFR.

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I DEPARTED RDU ON THE MORNING OF FEB/WED/04 ON A FLT TO LHZ WITH A SAFETY PLT TO PRACTICE APCHS. THE DEP FROM RDU TOOK US NEAR A TFR LOCATED WITHIN THE RDU CLASS C AIRSPACE. I OBTAINED A WX BRIEFING ABOUT XA30. WX WAS VFR WITH NOTHING SIGNIFICANT IN THE AREA. AROUND XD45; ABOUT 15 MINS BEFORE DEP; I CALLED FSS AND REQUESTED A STANDARD BRIEFING. THE BRIEFER STARTED BY SAYING THAT A TFR HAD JUST POPPED UP. HE PROCEEDED WITH THE STANDARD BRIEFING. WHEN HE RETURNED TO THE TFR; HE GAVE THE FOLLOWING DETAILS. CLRNC DELIVERY SPECIFIED A DEP ALT OF 3000 FT INSTEAD OF THE USUAL 2000 FT. WE ASSUMED ATC HAD THE TFR INFO BASED ON THIS CHANGE. WE WERE CLRED TO DEPART RWY 23L WITH A DEP HDG OF 180 DEGS. WE FLEW THIS HDG WHILE CLBING TO 3000 FT. DEP CTL INSTRUCTED US TO PROCEED TO LHZ. I INFORMED DEP OF OUR REQUEST FOR THE APCHS AND REQUESTED FLT FOLLOWING. RDU DEP CTL PROVIDED ASSISTANCE WITH THE APCHS AT LHZ. WE FLEW SEVERAL APCHS AT LHZ AND JNX BEFORE RETURNING TO RDU. I LOOKED AT THE GRAPHICAL VERSION OF THE TFR AFTER RETURNING TO RALEIGH. THE TFR APPEARED FURTHER S THAN THE VERBAL DESCRIPTION INDICATED. IN REVIEWING THE FLT; I BELIEVE THE CTLR; WHILE KEEPING US OUT OF THE TFR; PLACED US VERY CLOSE. GIVEN THE SIGNIFICANCE OF A TFR; I THINK IT WOULD BE USEFUL FOR ATC TO COMMUNICATE THAT THEY ARE IN FACT PROVIDING VECTORS AROUND A TFR; ESPECIALLY IN TERMINAL AREAS; WHILE ON AN IFR FLT PLAN OR VFR WITH FLT FOLLOWING. THIS WOULD ALSO HELP PLTS AVOID A TFR ISSUED WHILE INFLT.