FAA restricts drone operations over military bases

The Federal Aviation Administration is using its existing authority under
Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) § 99.7 – “Special
Security Instructions” – to address national security concerns about
unauthorized drone operations over 133 military facilities, including
Marshall Army Air Field at Fort Riley, Kansas.

This is the first time the agency has instituted airspace restrictions that
specifically apply only to unmanned aircraft, popularly known as “drones.”
The authority under § 99.7 is limited to requests based on national security
interests from the Department of Defense and U.S. federal security and
intelligence agencies.

U.S. military facilities are vital to the nation’s security. The FAA and the
Department of Defense have agreed to restrict drone flights up to 400 feet
within the lateral boundaries of these 133 facilities. The restrictions will
be effective April 14, 2017. There are only a few exceptions that permit
drone flights within these restrictions, and they must be coordinated with
the individual facility and/or the FAA.

Operators who violate the airspace restrictions may be subject to
enforcement action, including potential civil penalties and criminal
charges.

To ensure the public is aware of these restricted locations, the FAA has
created an interactive map at http://uas-faa.opendata.arcgis.com. The link
to these restrictions is also included in the FAA’s “B4UFLY” mobile app,
available at https://www.faa.gov/uas/where_to_fly/b4ufly. The app will be
updated within 60 days to reflect these airspace restrictions. Additional
information, including frequently asked questions, is available at
https://www.faa.gov/uas/where_to_fly/airspace_restrictions.

Section 2209 of the FAA Extension, Safety and Security Act of 2016 also
directs the Secretary of Transportation to establish a process to accept
petitions to prohibit or restrict UAS operations over critical
infrastructure and other facilities. The Department of Transportation and
the FAA are currently evaluating options to implement such a process.

The FAA is considering additional requests from federal security and
intelligence agencies for restrictions using the FAA’s § 99.7 authority as
they are received.