Cities hosting Pope Francis temporarily ban drone flights

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), a branch of the U.S. Department of Transportation, recently reminded the cities hosting the upcoming papal visit that they are closed to drones during the visit.

The No Drone Zones will last from Sept. 22 to Sept. 27 in Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and New York. These cities and their nearby communities will all be included in the No Drone Zones.

People who intend to be at the events surrounding the papal visits are asked to leave their drones at home. People who fly their drones inside the designated spaces during the visit will be punished with civil and criminal charges.

Due to this No Drone Zone, any flight of a drone near Pope Francis and his visiting locations will be considered against the law. All unmanned aircraft (UAS), even radio-controlled model aircraft/UAS, are to meet all FAA requirements.

Washington, D.C. airspace has more restrictions that any other region within the U.S. A regular prohibition against UAS without having approval inside the towns, cities, District of Columbia and airports currently exists. These additional restrictions include College Park, Potomac Airfield and Washington Executive/Hyde Park airports.

In addition, the FAA has updated its guidelines for all model aircraft operators in order to emphasize the current laws that restrict hobby as well as recreational drone flights.