US Aviation Administration Denies Use of Drones During Pope Francis Visit

People who intend to be at the events surrounding the papal visits are asked to leave their drones at home. He added that anyone tempted to send their unmanned gadgets into the heavens during the banned period could face “civil and criminal charges”. Drone operators are also prohibited under the FAA proposal from conducting flights that take the devices out of their line of vision, which is a big blow to companies, like Amazon, that have touted the possibility of using the technology to conduct deliveries.

Those areas have been designated as “No Drone Zones”. Congress gave the agency until the end of this month to finalize new the rules for the unmanned aircraft, but the agency released a draft of the new regulations in February.

Although passengers will still be able to fly, heavy security restrictions in and around the airports will be in place.

There are also general flight restrictions for all of the cities, with the airspace being most restricted in the Washington, D.C. area, where President Barack Obama will greet Pope Francis upon his arrival at Andrews Air Force Base. The Pope will speak September 24 to a joint session of Congress.

Under two large, igloo-shaped tents planted in a square near the White House, six Global Catholic Climate Movement activists are fasting for 10 days to raise awareness about climate change and to back Pope Francis’s efforts on the issue.

The Pope begins his USA visit on September 22.

A Philadelphia global Airport spokeswoman told USA Today that the Pontiff will arrive and depart from Atlantic Aviation, which services private aircraft, but noted that “Due to security protocol, there will be no arriving or departing flights while Pope Francis is at Atlantic Aviation”.