Back in October, when Santa Clara, Calif., imposed a drone ban over Levi's Stadium for Super Bowl 50, not many details were announced beyond the ruling.
Well, a Wall Street Journal blog post Thursday is shedding light about just how extensive this no-fly zone for drones this Sunday will be.
The Journal is reporting that the Federal Aviation Administration is so serious about maintaining the security for Super Bowl 50 that its drone ban prohibits any aircraft from flying under 18,000 feet within an estimated 36 miles of Levi's Stadium on Super Bowl Sunday.
Not only does that ban address Levi's Stadium, but it also encompasses Berkeley, downtown San Francisco and Santa Cruz, not letting a drone in sight over the entire Silicon Valley area.
Furthermore, the Journal reports that the ban will be instituted Sunday at 2 p.m. Pacific time, stretching until midnight. Those who choose to ignore the ban and try their luck flying a drone or unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) will be fined, although the amounts haven't been announced.
To put the Super Bowl 50 no-fly zone drone ban into perspective, it's several times larger than the 3.5-mile, five-hour ban imposed during regular-season NFL games. But then again, this is the Super Bowl and a landmark one at that, with this year's big game being the 50th in NFL history.
The last thing the FAA, NFL, Super Bowl teams (Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos) or millions watching at home would want to see is a drone-related incident that affects the game.
