CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — The Federal Aviation Administration has imposed large temporary flight restrictions over Chillicothe and the Columbus area for Wednesday, Oct. 28, as President Donald J. Trump visits the Shoemaker Center on the Ohio University Chillicothe campus, according to a notice to air missions issued by the FAA.
The restrictions, filed as NOTAM FDC 6/2268 and issued Monday, Oct. 26, cite “temporary flight restrictions for VIP movement” under federal regulation 14 CFR 91.141. In all, six restriction areas take effect in windows running from Wednesday afternoon into late Wednesday night, from the surface up to and including 17,999 feet, the FAA notice states.
The Chillicothe restriction
The restriction centered over Chillicothe is in effect from 5:15 p.m. to 9:45 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, according to the FAA. It has two parts: a 30-nautical-mile outer ring and a 10-nautical-mile inner core, both centered on a point over the city.
Inside the 10-mile inner core, all aircraft operations are prohibited, with narrow exceptions: approved law enforcement flights, military aircraft directly supporting the U.S. Secret Service and the Office of the President, approved air ambulance flights, and regularly scheduled commercial passenger and all-cargo carriers operating under TSA-approved standard security programs into and out of Part 139 airports, according to the notice. Emergency and life-saving flights — medical, law enforcement and firefighting — must coordinate with air traffic control before departing to avoid delays, the FAA states.
Between the 10-mile core and the 30-mile outer ring, flights are limited to aircraft arriving at or departing local airfields, the notice states. Aircraft in the outer ring must be on an active IFR or filed VFR flight plan with a discrete transponder code assigned by air traffic control, must transmit that code at all times inside the restricted area, and must remain in two-way radio contact with controllers. Loitering is not permitted, and controllers may authorize transit operations workload permitting, according to the FAA.
Drones are grounded
The notice lists the operations that are not authorized anywhere inside the restrictions: flight training, practice instrument approaches, aerobatic flight, glider operations, parachute operations, ultralights, hang gliding, balloon operations, agriculture and crop dusting, animal population control flights, banner towing, sightseeing, maintenance test flights, model aircraft, model rocketry, utility and pipeline survey flights — and unmanned aircraft systems, meaning drones.
For drone operators, the FAA notice carries a pointed warning: under federal law, the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security or the Department of Justice may take security action — including interference, disruption, seizure, damaging or destruction — against an unmanned aircraft deemed to pose a credible safety or security threat to protected personnel, facilities or assets.
Columbus-area restrictions bookend the visit
A matching pair of restriction areas centered south of Columbus is in effect from 4:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. EDT Wednesday, and again from 8:01 p.m. to 10:45 p.m. EDT, on either side of the Chillicothe window, according to the notice. Those areas carry the same structure — a 30-nautical-mile outer ring and a 10-nautical-mile inner core with the same operating rules — and bring the overall restricted period to 4:30 p.m. through 10:45 p.m. across the two locations.
Trump is scheduled to deliver remarks at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Shoemaker Center, with doors opening at 3:30 p.m. The visit has already brought a parking ban and street and park closures in Chillicothe from noon to 9 p.m. Wednesday, and the Ross County Job and Family Services office in Chillicothe will close at noon that day because of the expected traffic.
The FAA recommends that all aircraft operators check NOTAMs frequently for possible changes to the restrictions before operating. The full official notice — NOTAM FDC 6/2268, including the exact coordinates of each restriction area — is posted on the FAA’s Graphic TFR website at tfr.faa.gov.
Source: Federal Aviation Administration, NOTAM FDC 6/2268 (issued Oct. 26, 2026).
