Hey APC,
Today I partook in yet another hour-building solo cross-country flight (trying to build up 50 hrs for IFR). The flight went fine, it's what happened afterwards that bothers me.
After taxiing into the FBO, getting ready to hop out and tie-down, a Miami-Dade Airport truck pulls in front of me, and informs me that (apparently) the Department of Homeland Security has been looking for "my" (a rental) aircraft. When I asked what in the hell for (not exactly in those words ), he said "Something about flying over a power-plant". He want on to tell me that they had decided against sending anyone out, and that I shouldn't worry about it (he was real cool about it, thanks whoever you are ). He was right, I didn't have any agents come knocking on my door, and everyone at the FBO just kinda laughed it off.
Here's what I'm puzzled about: after he informed me of my folly, I went over my charts a dozen times, looking for anything that denoted a power-plant. My route of flight was clearly drawn out on the sectional, and there was no power plant anywhere near it (I didn't even see one on the map). I also filed a VFR flight plan to the destination, and another one on the return trip, and got a full weather/NOTAM briefing each time, neither mentioned anything about any TFRs or restricted airspaces. And to top it all off, I've lived here my entire life, and was never aware of any power plants on my route, and if there was, I must have had my head up my ass because how the hell do you miss two huge beaker-shaped smokestacks billowing steam into your route of flight?
My question is: how do I know where these things are? And how do I avoid them? I assume they're marked on the map. I'd hate to have a repeat incident.