Going to Super Bowl 50? Don't Take Your Drone With You!

As drones have become increasingly popular we have seen more and more regulations aimed at preventing users from flooding the skies. While we have seen them banned in the past from major events, we have never seen a ban set forth as strict as the ones we are seeing for Super Bowl 50!

In a rather unprecedented move the Federal Aviation Administration has banned all drones from flying anywhere within a 32-mile radius of Levi's Stadium as part of a complex and strict set of rules for all air traffic. That's an area that includes all of Silicon Valley, San Jose, Oakland and most of San Francisco.

The ban includes any personal and seemingly commercial use of drones, model aircraft, model rockets, hang gliding, crop dusting and parachuting (of course). Essentially all none approved aviation activities are banned from 2 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. on Sunday. The game coverage begins at 5 p.m. ET.

"With so many drones being sold for recreational use, we want to do everything we can to get the word out that the game is a No Drone Zone," FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said in a statement.

What does that mean and what happens if the rules are ignored?
FAA regulations state: "The United States government may use deadly force against the airborne aircraft, if it is determined that the aircraft poses an imminent security threat."

That doesn't specifically mean that they will shoot your drone out of the sky, however if you happen to be in compliance with the new drone registration regulations and have your drone registered you may face sever fines if they track the drone back to you. If you aren't in compliance with said regulations you may face even stiffer penalties for not only ignoring the no fly rules but also for ignoring the registration rules.

So it seems your best option here is to simply leave your drones at home! And I should note, we aren't just talking about your unmanned, camera armed, recording machine. We are talking about every for of drone including that pint sized toy you want to buzz around at your tailgate party.