Another day, another drone flying too close to the White House.
The Secret Service arrested another person for flying something near the Presidential residence Thursday afternoon. From the New York Times:
About 1 p.m., Secret Service uniformed officers saw a drone flying roughly 100 feet above Lafayette Park, across the street from the White House, the authorities said.
The man flying the drone complied with officers’ commands to land it, and he was arrested, they said. It is not clear whether the man intended to fly the drone over the White House.
They checked the drone and found it contained no explosives or other dangerous materials.
This is the second time in the last few months we’ve heard of unlawful drone activity near the White House. In January, a man crashed a drone into the White House lawn. He turned out to be a government employee, who happened to be inebriated at the time.
And just last month, a mailman from Florida flew a gyrocopter onto the West lawn of the Capitol building. According to authorities, he was carrying a letter for every member of Congress, calling for campaign finance reform.
Funnily enough, the Federal Aviation Administration just announced a new initiative – a “No Drone Zone” effort for Washington D.C.
“As hundreds of thousands of tourists flock to the Washington, D.C. area for their summer vacations and residents join them on city streets and at public gatherings, the Federal Aviation Administration has a clear message for everyone: Leave Your Drone at Home,” said the agency.
It’s illegal to fly drones inside D.C., as well as within a 15-mile radius of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
“Rules put in place after the 9/11 attacks establish “national defense airspace” over the D.C. area and limit aircraft operations – including unmanned aircraft – to those with an FAA and Transportation Security Administration authorization. Violators may face stiff fines and criminal penalties,” says the FAA.
Image via Cezary p, Wikimedia Commons
