Drones already a problem at the Super Bowl

[tleedom]

I thought the comment is that this is a restricted area all the time. I was just clarifying that I believe this is only a restricted area when there is an active Tfr, typically on game day.

This is a standing/permanent (meaning in issued current directives) restriction that has a beginning and ending time for the listed events. TFRs (in the case of the Super Bowl) are issued when additional flight restrictions are implemented.

EDIT

Yes a TFR is issued when additional flight restrictions are implemented, but also when the events listed in FDC 9/5151 are active.

Stadiums
FDC 9/5151, issued under 14 CFR 99.7 on "Special Security Instructions," restricts flight over stadiums during major league baseball, National Football League, NCAA, and motor speedway events. The so-called “stadium TFR” prohibits all aircraft and parachute operations at or below 3,000 AGL within a 3 nm radius of any stadium with a seating capacity of 30,000 or more people when there is a major league baseball game, NFL game, NCAA division one football game, or major motor speedway event occurring. This TFR applies to the entire US domestic national airspace system, and takes effect from one hour before the scheduled event time until one hour after the event concludes.

 

[Bigbird48]

Does the FAA post a NOTAM every Sunday for every NFL football stadium thats hosting a game ? or is it just in the rules and generally understood (if your read the rules that is ) no flying around stadiums before during and after a game. I'm just curious if they actually post for every game at every stadium.

 

[JDawg]

Does the FAA post a NOTAM every Sunday for every NFL football stadium thats hosting a game ? or is it just in the rules and generally understood (if your read the rules that is ) no flying around stadiums before during and after a game. I'm just curious if they actually post for every game at every stadium.

Not sure but it should go without saying. It is surprising to me that anyone would not know that the Mercedes Benz Stadium would not be off limits this week.

 

[tleedom]

Does the FAA post a NOTAM every Sunday for every NFL football stadium thats hosting a game ? or is it just in the rules and generally understood (if your read the rules that is ) no flying around stadiums before during and after a game. I'm just curious if they actually post for every game at every stadium.

I don't know about actual posting to NOTAMS, but the regulation below makes it clear that the restriction is an actual TFR that goes into effect within the parameters of the regulation.

Stadiums
FDC 9/5151, issued under 14 CFR 99.7 on "Special Security Instructions," restricts flight over stadiums during major league baseball, National Football League, NCAA, and motor speedway events. The so-called “stadium TFR” prohibits all aircraft and parachute operations at or below 3,000 AGL within a 3 nm radius of any stadium with a seating capacity of 30,000 or more people when there is a major league baseball game, NFL game, NCAA division one football game, or major motor speedway event occurring. This TFR applies to the entire US domestic national airspace system, and takes effect from one hour before the scheduled event time until one hour after the event concludes.

 

[tleedom]

Stadiums
FDC 9/5151, issued under 14 CFR 99.7 on "Special Security Instructions," restricts flight over stadiums during major league baseball, National Football League, NCAA, and motor speedway events. The so-called “stadium TFR” prohibits all aircraft and parachute operations at or below 3,000 AGL within a 3 nm radius of any stadium with a seating capacity of 30,000 or more people when there is a major league baseball game, NFL game, NCAA division one football game, or major motor speedway event occurring. This TFR applies to the entire US domestic national airspace system, and takes effect from one hour before the scheduled event time until one hour after the event concludes.

This why you sometimes see aircraft flying over a a normal season game, but that changes with something like the Super Bowl security concerns hence the 30nm and 17999ft TFR.

Before anyone asks, parachute displays during these games get waivers to this restriction.

 

[Lapeer20m]

Yes. The faa creates a separate Tfr for every game over each open air stadium that meets the criteria.

The airspace over these stadiums is only restricted when during the times specified in the Tfr.

You can view all Tfr’s on a map at

www.skyvector.com

Red ones are Tfr’s currently in effect.

Orange ones are scheduled Tfr’s not currently in effect.

Below is an example from
The other day:

 

[Tony Kiburis]

After thinking about Tfr's & NOTAM's a question comes up: Which has the most complete information?
The "Stadium Tfr" covers: "...prohibits all aircraft and parachute operations at or below 3,000 AGL within a 3 nm radius of any stadium with a seating capacity of 30,000 or more people when there is a major league baseball game, NFL game, NCAA division one football game, or major motor speedway event occurring..."
This is the flight restriction my local college has when they have a football game (FYI, they never have 30,000 fans in attendance - stadium too small).

While the current Super Bowl NOTAM has two elements:

----------------------------------- Excerpt from current Atlanta Super Bowl NOTAM ---------------------------------------------
FDC 9/5231 - GA..AIRSPACE ATLANTA, GA..TEMPORARY
FLIGHT
INSTRUCTIONS, ALL AIRCRAFT FLIGHT OPERATIONS ARE PROHIBITED WITHIN
AN AREA DEFINED AS 30NM RADIUS OF 334520N0842404W (ATL018007.8)
SFC-17999FT MSL
EFFECTIVE 1902032230 UTC (1730 LOCAL 02/03/19) UNTIL 1902040459 UTC
(2359 LOCAL 02/03/19).

WITHIN AN AREA DEFINED AS 10NM RADIUS OF 334520N0842404W
(ATL018007.8) SFC-17999FT MSL
EFFECTIVE 1902032230 UTC (1730 LOCAL 02/03/19) UNTIL 1902040459 UTC
(2359 LOCAL 02/03/19).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To me the NOTAM has the best information on the airspace restrictions & they differ significantly in both radius size & operating altitudes from the standing Stadium Tfr.
Comments?

 

[Lapeer20m]

After thinking about Tfr's & NOTAM's a question comes up: Which has the most complete information?
The "Stadium Tfr" covers: "...prohibits all aircraft and parachute operations at or below 3,000 AGL within a 3 nm radius of any stadium with a seating capacity of 30,000 or more people when there is a major league baseball game, NFL game, NCAA division one football game, or major motor speedway event occurring..."
This is the flight restriction my local college has when they have a football game (FYI, they never have 30,000 fans in attendance - stadium too small).

While the current Super Bowl NOTAM has two elements:

----------------------------------- Excerpt from current Atlanta Super Bowl NOTAM ---------------------------------------------
FDC 9/5231 - GA..AIRSPACE ATLANTA, GA..TEMPORARY
FLIGHT
INSTRUCTIONS, ALL AIRCRAFT FLIGHT OPERATIONS ARE PROHIBITED WITHIN
AN AREA DEFINED AS 30NM RADIUS OF 334520N0842404W (ATL018007.8)
SFC-17999FT MSL
EFFECTIVE 1902032230 UTC (1730 LOCAL 02/03/19) UNTIL 1902040459 UTC
(2359 LOCAL 02/03/19).

WITHIN AN AREA DEFINED AS 10NM RADIUS OF 334520N0842404W
(ATL018007.8) SFC-17999FT MSL
EFFECTIVE 1902032230 UTC (1730 LOCAL 02/03/19) UNTIL 1902040459 UTC
(2359 LOCAL 02/03/19).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To me the NOTAM has the best information on the airspace restrictions & they differ significantly in both radius size & operating altitudes from the standing Stadium Tfr.
Comments?

I always view Tfr’s on skyvector.com. When you click on the Tfr it links directly to the specified notam.

Where do others find Tfr?

While there may be some blanket Tfr that covers all stadiums listed above, there is indeed a separate Tfr and notam created for each event.

Pilots don’t have to know there is a game next Sunday at a stadium in Cleveland with seating for 30k. All they have to do is see that there is a Tfr scheduled for that area next Sunday and check the appropriate notam.

*edit to add* the correct answer for the part 107 test is 1800wxbrief.com.....but reality is that this website is archaic and difficult to navigate.

 

[Tony Kiburis]

After thinking about Tfr's & NOTAM's a question comes up: Which has the most complete information?
The "Stadium Tfr" covers: "...prohibits all aircraft and parachute operations at or below 3,000 AGL within a 3 nm radius of any stadium with a seating capacity of 30,000 or more people when there is a major league baseball game, NFL game, NCAA division one football game, or major motor speedway event occurring..."
This is the flight restriction my local college has when they have a football game (FYI, they never have 30,000 fans in attendance - stadium too small).

While the current Super Bowl NOTAM has two elements:

----------------------------------- Excerpt from current Atlanta Super Bowl NOTAM ---------------------------------------------
FDC 9/5231 - GA..AIRSPACE ATLANTA, GA..TEMPORARY
FLIGHT
INSTRUCTIONS, ALL AIRCRAFT FLIGHT OPERATIONS ARE PROHIBITED WITHIN
AN AREA DEFINED AS 30NM RADIUS OF 334520N0842404W (ATL018007.8)
SFC-17999FT MSL
EFFECTIVE 1902032230 UTC (1730 LOCAL 02/03/19) UNTIL 1902040459 UTC
(2359 LOCAL 02/03/19).

WITHIN AN AREA DEFINED AS 10NM RADIUS OF 334520N0842404W
(ATL018007.8) SFC-17999FT MSL
EFFECTIVE 1902032230 UTC (1730 LOCAL 02/03/19) UNTIL 1902040459 UTC
(2359 LOCAL 02/03/19).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To me the NOTAM has the best information on the airspace restrictions & the Super Bowl NOTAM differs significantly from the standing Stadium Tfr in both radius size & operating altitudes.
Comments?

 

[kadras]

After thinking about Tfr's & NOTAM's a question comes up: Which has the most complete information?
The "Stadium Tfr" covers: "...prohibits all aircraft and parachute operations at or below 3,000 AGL within a 3 nm radius of any stadium with a seating capacity of 30,000 or more people when there is a major league baseball game, NFL game, NCAA division one football game, or major motor speedway event occurring..."
This is the flight restriction my local college has when they have a football game (FYI, they never have 30,000 fans in attendance - stadium too small).

While the current Super Bowl NOTAM has two elements:

----------------------------------- Excerpt from current Atlanta Super Bowl NOTAM ---------------------------------------------
FDC 9/5231 - GA..AIRSPACE ATLANTA, GA..TEMPORARY
FLIGHT
INSTRUCTIONS, ALL AIRCRAFT FLIGHT OPERATIONS ARE PROHIBITED WITHIN
AN AREA DEFINED AS 30NM RADIUS OF 334520N0842404W (ATL018007.8)
SFC-17999FT MSL
EFFECTIVE 1902032230 UTC (1730 LOCAL 02/03/19) UNTIL 1902040459 UTC
(2359 LOCAL 02/03/19).

WITHIN AN AREA DEFINED AS 10NM RADIUS OF 334520N0842404W
(ATL018007.8) SFC-17999FT MSL
EFFECTIVE 1902032230 UTC (1730 LOCAL 02/03/19) UNTIL 1902040459 UTC
(2359 LOCAL 02/03/19).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To me the NOTAM has the best information on the airspace restrictions & they differ significantly in both radius size & operating altitudes from the standing Stadium Tfr.
Comments?

A Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) is a type of Notices to Airmen (NOTAM). A TFR defines an area restricted to air travel due to a hazardous condition, a special event, or a general warning for the entire FAA airspace. Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs) are issued as Flight Data Center (FDC) NOTAMs. There are other types of NOTAMs.

To find NOTAMS and TFRs
TFR search
Federal Aviation Administration - Graphic TFR's

NOTAM search
PilotWeb: Home
Defense Internet NOTAM Service

The list of all NOTAMs is published every 28 days
Notices to Airmen

 

[NetDep]

I'm crossing my fingers that we get through Sunday's Super Bowl without any major incidents, but this doesn't leave me optimistic:

A deluge of drones fly over Super Bowl stadium, despite ban

A deluge of drones fly over Super Bowl stadium, despite ban
By JEFF MARTIN



1 of 4
The sun sets behind Mercedes-Benz Stadium ahead of Sunday's NFL Super Bowl 53 football game between the Los Angeles Rams and New England Patriots in Atlanta, Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2019. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

ATLANTA (AP) — The sky above the stadium that will host Sunday’s Super Bowl is being “inundated” with an alarming number of drones, raising the specter of injuries to tourists or others — or a possible collision with aircraft, the FBI said Friday.

That’s despite an ongoing restriction that bans the use of drones in the area of Mercedes-Benz Stadium downtown.

Officers on Thursday confiscated a half-dozen drones that were flown near the stadium, FBI spokesman Kevin Rowson said Friday at the agency’s Atlanta field office. The cases will be referred to federal prosecutors for possible charges; the drone pilots could face jail time and fines, Rowson said.

“If these drones go out of control — if a pilot loses control of one — they can go into a crowd and cause serious injuries,” Rowson said.

The potential for terrorism is also a concern.

“When we look up into the air and see a drone flying in the air, we have no idea if it’s friendly, or if it’s someone who has nefarious plans and it’s weaponized,” he added.

In recent days, multiple helicopters have been patrolling the air space above the stadium and surrounding area, often swooping below the tops of Atlanta’s downtown buildings as part of a massive security operation.

“A drone impact with a fixed-wing aircraft or a helicopter would be catastrophic,” FBI Special Agent John Cronier said.

Moreover, policing illegal drones is pulling officers away from other duties, Rowson said.

“It has taken up a lot of time for our agents and for law enforcement officers to be targeting these drones when they could be working on other security measures,” he said.

In December, hundreds of flights were canceled and more than 100,000 people were stranded or delayed after drones were spotted near the runway at Gatwick Airport outside London.

Last month, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines pilots encountered a drone around 3,500 feet (1,000 meters) above Teterboro, New Jersey. That resulted in dozens of delays at nearby Newark Liberty International Airport.

Surprised actually that there were really ANY drones seized. Want to know? Do an FOIR or contact the Atlanta PD PIO and ask for the case numbers associated with the property seized by their officers. Ask politely and then follow up and report here. What will you find? Likely, nothing.

Just found and wrote Atlanta PD (very informative and helpful website for the Director of Public Affairs) and asked for the case numbers associated with the seizure of drones on or about 2/1, including the article, and he informed me (by rather quick e-mail reply) that APD did not seize any drones and the contribution of APD was to:

"As you may know, airspace is regulated by the federal government. We did not seize drones; my understanding is that our only involvement was to assist in spotting them. You may want to check with the local FBI office."

I plan on doing so follow up - just for my own curiosity but know the FBI can be a little more complex to deal with. Color me curious, with a dash of skeptical.

 

[Bigbird48]

Good Luck with that the FBI has very little respect for our Constitutional rights. Their Bullies with badges.

 

[Mr. Salty]

Good Luck with that the FBI has very little respect for our Constitutional rights. Their Bullies with badges.

What constitutional rights do you mean? Please be specific.

 

[Bigbird48]

What constitutional rights do you mean? Please be specific.

1st 2nd 4th 5th shall I go on.

 

[sar104]

1st 2nd 4th 5th shall I go on.

Sure - can you cite some actual examples of those rights being trampled?

 

[Bigbird48]

Gessh do you watch the news.

 

[sar104]

Gessh do you watch the news.

So as expected this is the just usual trolling game - make completely unsupported assertions and then, when asked to back them up, try to hide the fact that you are completely devoid of arguments by suggesting it was stupid to ask. Do you think that anyone buys that, or do you just not care?

 

[Maviac]

So as expected this is the just usual trolling game - make completely unsupported assertions and then, when asked to back them up, try to hide the fact that you are completely devoid of arguments by suggesting it was stupid to ask. Do you think that anyone buys that, or do you just not care?

Thank you. This sort of paranoia and faux-expertise in supposed Constitutional knowledge isn’t helping anyone (I’m referring to the prior poster’s statement, not yours, sar).

I do know some local law enforcement officers and while this is by no means first-hand knowledge, I understand several of these folks were just standing around flying and LEOs saw them and asked them to bring them down. It’s not exactly rocket science how they got caught.

For what it’s worth, I was at the game (if you can call it that) and didn’t see any drones, other than the one that was an obviously approved one flying tethered near the entry area for at least 6 hours straight. It looked to be a big industrial one, though it was just a quad. I should have taken a pic to post.

 

[Maviac]

Gessh do you watch the news.

I do. I’m also a Constitutional lawyer. What are you referring to exactly?

 

[julius13]

I live 15 miles west of Mercedes Benz stadium in Atlanta. The air traffic in the area has been unbelievable over the past week. I’ve spotted several aircraft at low altitudes that I know were below 400 feet. There’s a heliport where they do a lot of maintainence/inspections about a mile from me and they have been very busy as well. I also got to watch the Thunderbirds doing maneuvers before their flyover.

When the NOTAM was issued I complied as we all should. I really don’t understand why so many people on this board complain about rules set by the FAA. Do you as a drone operator (I don’t believe you are pilots) really think you are above the law and therefore don’t have to listen to any warnings? Because of reckless behavior of some I think this industry as a whole is suffering dearly. Those of us who are trying to scratch out a living doing drone work are being stifled because of the callous actions of a large number of idiots.