FAA: Enjoy the holiday, but leave your drone at home
If you are among the half a million people expected to descend on Washington, D.C. to watch the fireworks and celebrate the Fourth of July in the nation's capital, make sure to leave your drone at home. This friendly reminder comes from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) with a video announcing Washington D.C. and surrounding areas are a "no drone zone" for the holiday.
The prohibition against flying a drone includes the District of Columbia and cities and towns within 15 miles of Ronald-Reagan Washington National Airport.
Rules put in place after the 9/11 attacks established "national defense airspace" over the area, limiting aircraft operations to those with an FAA and Transportation Security Administration authorization.
The FAA's 15-second video advises viewers to "enjoy the nation's capital and leave your drone at home," and it contains a reminder that violators will face "still fines" and "criminal penalties."
The FAA sent a reminder out via Twitter.
There have been a few drone incidents in Washington, including one in January in which a quad copter crashed on the southeast side of the White House complex during pre-dawn hours.