Drones, Model Aircraft Grounded in Most of Montgomery County

The FAA reminded local hobby groups of its recent ban on flying the remote-controlled aircraft within 30 miles of Washington National Airport

By Andrew Metcalf

Gude Drive Flying Site via CASA on Facebook

Thinking about taking that new drone out for a test flight? Better wait a few weeks.

The Federal Aviation Administration is reminding local drone and model aircraft clubs that they’re not permitted to fly the remote-controlled aircraft within 30 miles of Washington National Airport as the agency works through new regulations.

In September, the regulatory agency issued an advisory that noted model aircraft were subject to the flight ban. On Christmas day, the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) sent an email to more than a dozen clubs in the Washington, D.C., region warning them about the FAA ban and asking them to stop using fields where they typically fly if they are inside the ban area.

“You will not need to close the field, only cease operations temporarily, no flying of anything, until mid-January when we expect to get permission to continue operations for all fields,” the notice from the AMA reads.

For Dom Perez, the coordinator of the Rockville-based Capital Area Soaring Association, the no-fly zone put a damper on his holiday. The local model aircraft group typically flies at a field off of Gude Drive—the former site of a now closed Montgomery County landfill—in Rockville, which is inside the ban area. The Germantown resident said he got a new plane for Christmas and with the recent nice weather, he’s been “itching to fly it.”

“There’s plenty of us in the same boat,” Perez said. “A lot of us are building rather than flying right now.”

He said the field they use in Rockville is safe, open and a nice place for the club, which has more than 100 members, to gather.

“We have rules that work and we’ve been incident free,” Perez said. “I’d rather see people fly at our field than at other parks where they may encounter people who aren’t supportive.”

He said having the field and the club enables the remote-controlled aircraft enthusiasts to teach more novice flyers the rules and regulations that help keep people and aircraft safe.

The 30-mile radius around Washington National Airport where drone and model aircraft flights are currently prohibited

The FAA began tightening restrictions surrounding model aircraft and drone usage as the devices have become more accessible to the public and fears about them being used in dangerous or illegal ways have grown. As of Dec. 21, 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.

The reminder to local flying groups came amid concerns by the FAA that some groups may still be flying the small planes and drones within the 30-mile ban radius.

“We are asking for your help in spreading the word to the National Capital Region model aircraft community that such activity is subject to enforcement action,” Brian Throop, manager of the FAA’s security group, wrote in an email to the AMA.

Jay Marsh, the AMA vice-president for the D.C. area, wrote in an email to clubs that the order to cease operations is only temporary and that the group expects to receive permission to continue flights at area fields in mid-January. Marsh wrote there are a total of 36 flying sites within the 30-mile radius of the ban.