Starting Wednesday, drone owners can legally fly their aircraft in some parts of Montgomery County.
The Federal Aviation Administration announced Tuesday it was lifting a temporary ban on drone and model aircraft flights within a 30-mile radius of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, D.C.
The new regulation allows hobbyists and recreational drone operators to fly aircraft weighing less than 55 pounds anywhere beyond 15 miles from the airport as long as the aircraft are registered and marked. The operators must also fly the aircraft lower than 400 feet and in the operator’s line of sight, and only fly in clear conditions, according to the FAA’s rules.
The 15-mile ban has been in effect since shortly after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, but was extended by the FAA to 30 miles in September as drones and other remote-controlled aircraft became more popular among consumers. The extended ban area included almost all of Montgomery County.
The 15-mile ban area. Google Maps
The Indiana-based Academy of Model Aeronautics said Tuesday the lifting of the ban means all 14 of its chartered local clubs that were previously affected by the larger ban can resume flights at the fields they use. That includes the Capital Area Soaring Association, which flies aircraft at a field off of Gude Drive in Rockville.
However, many parts of southern Montgomery County, such as Bethesda and Silver Spring, still fall within the 15-mile area where unmanned aerial flights are banned without specific FAA authorization.
The federal agency now requires pilots of unmanned aircraft that weigh less than 55 pounds to register before they fly their aircraft outdoors. The registration process costs $5 and can be done online.
