--- title: "The FAA Declared a “No Drone Zone” During the Super Bowl in Atlanta" description: "The FBI had to reiterate the FAA's decision to declare a \"no drone zone\" around the Super Bowl stadium in Atlanta. Six drones were confiscated already." date: "2019-02-02" modified: "2019-02-02" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/faa-no-drone-zone-atlanta-super-bowl" categories: - "Drones" - "Robotics" - "Robots and Machines" tags: - "drone" - "FAA" - "super bowl" - "the digest" --- # The FAA Declared a “No Drone Zone” During the Super Bowl in Atlanta ![The FBI had to reiterate the FAA's decision to declare a "no drone zone" around the Super Bowl stadium in Atlanta. Six drones were confiscated already.]() *\Image: Matthew Simmonds/Victor Tangermann\* ## No Drone Zone FBI agents had to officially reiterate their message: no drones near Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium where Sunday's Super Bowl will take place. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) [declared a "no drone zone"]() on Thursday, placing a three-day Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) within a 30-nautical-mile radius around the stadium and up to 18,000 feet in altitude — well below the typical altitude of commercial airliners. The news comes in the aftermath of chaos erupting at London's Gatwick and Heathrow airports in December. [Over 100,000 passengers]() were stranded after unidentified drones showed up near the airports' runways. ## Confiscations The FAA also warned that any drone operators who enter the TFR without permission could face penalties "that exceed $20,000 and potential criminal prosecution." But it seems like their warnings fell on deaf ears. According to a [tweet by FBI Atlanta](), six drones were confiscated for violating the TFR. Details about the confiscations and perpetrators remain unknown. ## Drone Radar The FAA might have a new weapon in its arsenal. [*The Guardian* reported]() that a Bill Gates-funded startup called Echodyne asked for permission to test a new type of drone detector at this year's Super Bowl. The detector could alert local law enforcement of illegal flights by scanning the skies with a specialized radar. The offending drone could then be taken down by jamming its control signals or forcing it out of the sky with a net. But Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium still has an ace up its sleeve. If the weather takes a turn for the worse on Sunday, it might just end up shutting its retractable roof anyway. **READ MORE:** [Drones are already being confiscated near the Super Bowl]() \[*The Verge*\] ***More on drone chaos: [We Have No Idea How to Deal With Unexpected Drones at Airports]()*** ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()