Drone operators must stay away from U.S. Navy vessels, take an aeronautical knowledge test and obey new procedures for flying their Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) near airports, under a new round of restrictions just announced by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The “special security instructions” issued by the FAA restrict drone operations in airspace up to 2,000 feet mean sea level (MSL) near U.S. territorial and navigable waters. These new restrictions specifically prohibit drone flights in this airspace within a stand-off distance of 3,000 feet laterally and 1,000 feet above any U.S. Navy vessel.