By Allison Keyes, special to wtop.com
WASHINGTON– Thinking of using a drone to capture sweet pictures of the blooms during the National Cherry Blossom Festival? Don’t. It’s against the law.
In a video released on Friday, The Federal Aviation Administration warned people to leave their drones at home, because much of the area is a no -drone zone. The ban on any type of drone without specific approval includes all of Washington, D.C., as well as cities and towns within a 15 mile radius of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
“Flying a drone in any of these areas is against the law,” warns the video.
The agency notes that the airspace around D.C. is more restricted than any other part of the nation, due to rules put in place after the September 11th attacks. Aircraft operations are limited to those with FAA and Transportation Security Administration authorization. If you don’t have it, you face stiff fines and criminal penalties.
