The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has declared the upcoming Super Bowl XLIX between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks a "No Drone Zone."
The FAA made the announcement through a 15-second video clip that was uploaded to YouTube, urging attendees of the massive annual football event to be held on Feb. 1 to leave their drones at home.
Prior to the uploaded public service announcement, the FAA released a flight advisory earlier in January for the Super Bowl, stating that there will be a 10-mile no-fly zone implemented around the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., which is the location for Super Bowl XLIX.
All violators of the no-fly zone at the event could be intercepted, detained and interviewed by authorities and could face penalties that include time in jail and civil penalties for reckless and careless operation of aircraft, the FAA stated.
The flight restriction over the site of the Super Bowl is not new, as drones or any other kind of aircraft flying over huge crowds have been categorized as possible risks. Most of the massive sporting events such as the Super Bowl, which is expected to draw over 30,000 attendees, establish no-fly zones during the day of the events.
The implementation of no-fly zones during these events is for the safety and security of all attendees. However, due to the increase in popularity of drones among consumers, restrictions on flights of such devices are becoming more difficult to implement.
Several models of consumer drones that are popular in the market, which are sometimes too small in size to be detected by radar systems, are capable of flying hundreds of feet over the clearance of stadiums. While being up in the sky will pose no threat, it is the risk of possible crashes of drones because of weather conditions or pilot error that can lead to injuries to attendees of events.
The implementation of a no-fly zone by the FAA aims to prevent similar incidents such as the one that happened in Virginia's Great Bull Run back in 2013, when a drone crashed into spectators on a grandstand, injuring five people.
However, all that the FAA can do is to make a plea to the public to cooperate with the No Drone Zone that it is looking to implement for Super Bowl XLIX.
Supporters of the drone industry are also worried of possible drone accidents at public events. Such incidents would not help the burgeoning industry as it seeks regulation within the United States and in the rest of the world.
