It should go without saying, the area around Sunday’s Super Bowl LVIII will be a strictly enforced no-fly zone, but recent drone intrusions of National Football League (NFL) games has led the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to announce not only a broad flight ban in host city Las Vegas – but also a multi-day order starting today.
The FAA announced the no-flight drone prohibition around Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas will begin this afternoon, and expand in the run-up to and follow through of Sunday’s NFL Super Bowl match-up between the San Francisco 49ers and reigning champion Kansas City Chiefs. Those tight measures are in part a reflection of the rising rate of UAV flight violations during games over the past couple of years.
The most recent of those occurred during the Chiefs’ January playoff contest in Baltimore, when a drone was detected at M&T Bank Stadium during the first quarter, causing a brief pause. That followed two NFL rule-required delays during a November 16 Baltimore Ravens game when, as it was later learned, eight different UAV flights violated the area’s no-flight ban.
The most recent incident involved a craft launched outside the stadium – a spot that, like the pilot, was quickly identified and reached by authorities using the facility’s counter-drone tech.
The NFL and FAA ban on drone operation within three miles of stadiums from the period an hour before games start to sixty minutes after they end. Those restrictions are being considerably expanded ahead of Sunday’s Super Bowl, according to the recent FAA notification. The no-flight orders starting today area as follows:
Before Game Day, Feb. 5-9
- Restrictions around Allegiant Stadium on Feb.5, for one nautical mile up to an altitude of 1,000 feet from between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.
- Restrictions around Resorts World on Feb. 8, for one nautical mile up to an altitude of 1,000 feet from between 2 p.m. and 10 p.m.
- Restrictions around Allegiant Stadium on Feb.9, for one nautical mile up to an altitude of 1,000 feet from between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
- Restrictions around Wynn Casino on Feb. 9, for one nautical mile up to an altitude of 1,000 feet from between 5 p.m. and 11:30 p.m.
Game Day, Sunday, Feb. 11
- Restrictions begin at 11 a.m. PST within two nautical miles around the stadium up to 2,000 feet in altitude.
- The restrictions expand between 2:30 until 8:30 p.m. PST to a 30-nautical-mile radius and up to 18,000 feet in altitude.
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