Date: 201304
Local time of day: 0601-1200
Location: TCY.Airport, CA
Flight conditions: VMC
Light: Daylight
Aircraft: M-20 Series Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operator: Personal
Operating under: Part 91
Flight plan: IFR
Mission: Training
Flight phase: Final Approach
Airspace: Class E NCT; Special Use AEROBATICS BOX
ATC / advisory: TRACON NCT
Reporter organization: Personal
Reporter function: Pilot Flying; Trainee
Reporter qualification: Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Private
Anomaly: Airspace Violation All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Detector: Person Flight Crew
When detected: In-flight
Result: General None Reported / Taken
Contributing factors: Airspace Structure
Primary problem: Airspace Structure

Narrative: My flight instructor and I were completing my instrument proficiency check for the year. We were on an IFR flight plan flying the RNAV Runway 26 approach into TCY. Our announced intent was to fly the approach to 26 with a circle to land on Runway 30; the runway favoring the current winds (ASOS reporting winds 300 at 7 KTS).About 3 miles from the airport we canceled our IFR clearance and continued the approach as planned VFR; self announcing our position. Altitude was stabilized at 600 FT and I executed the circle to land southeast of the airport to Runway 30.As I was descending for landing; an aircraft holding short of the runway queried (somewhat testily) if we knew of the aerobatics box NOTAM in that area and that we may have entered. We replied that we were not aware of the box; and apologized for potentially entering it. There were no other aircraft in the air in the vicinity of the aircraft at this point; no loss of separation or other operational issues; just a potential entry into the 'box'.Neither my instructor; who has thousands of hours flying in this region; nor I who have hundreds; were aware of an aerobatics area near TCY nor that it was active at this time. Nor did NCT Approach indicate any airspace activity. I had briefed the flight (three legs; including multiple practice approaches) at roughly three hours earlier on DUATS.com and did not see any indication; nor did I see anything on tfr.faa.gov. Nor did any of our in-flight information systems (iPads and Garmin portable units using XM data) show any special use temporary airspace active.Issues that come to mind in this potential entry into the box;Information. Two experienced (one very experienced) pilots had no idea this NOTAM existed. I don't know how we failed to be aware of this. ATC did not indicate anything was wrong with our planned actions. Most importantly; the potential that the aerobatic 'box' can be entered by an aircraft on an IFR approach ending with a circle-to-land seems very wrong. A circle-to-land at TCY Runway 30 can only be accomplished to the southeast of the airport; the approach procedure specifically notes that 'Circling NA southwest of Runway 12-30'; so if the appropriate runway based on safety factors is Runway 30; then the circle can only be performed to the southeast. Our circle was 'by the book' distance from the runways.I really have no idea if we entered the 'box' since my subsequent web searches can't find any representation of the charted area. But if we did during a normal approach and circle to land; then the box is not positioned appropriately.




Synopsis: An M20 pilot on an instrument proficiency check took exception to being chastised by another pilot for having entered a NOTAM'd aerobatic box while circling to land out of an RNAV Runway 26 approach at TCY. Multiple pre-flight briefing efforts plus on board digital avionics resources provided no indication of such an active area.