Two Men Were Busted for Flying a Drone in the Most Restricted Airspace in America

A word of caution to drone-owners: Don’t fly your UAV near the White House. Early this morning (Oct. 9), two men were cited for flying a drone around the Washington Monument and landing it on the Ellipse, the park just south of the White House, according to a report by the Washington Post.

The men were not arrested for their high-flying stunt, but they did receive criminal citations and had their drone seized by the police.

US federal authorities have started a campaign to clamp down to drone usage in the nation’s capital. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) declared Washington, DC a “no-drone zone” in May, urging visitors to “leave your drone at home,” and prohibiting the use of unmanned aircrafts within the city, its surrounding towns, and a 15 mile (24km) radius of Ronald Reagan National Airport.

In @washingtondc to see #PopeFrancis ? Leave your drone at home. #NoDroneZone #PopeInDC http://t.co/zVaLPIMB4t pic.twitter.com/ZpfQYYmo6H

— The FAA (@FAANews) September 23, 2015

“The airspace around Washington, D.C. is more restricted than in any other part of the country,” the FAA said in a report earlier this year, citing post-9/11 national defense rules. Last month, the agency also estimated that one million drones would be sold this holiday season.

(Image via Andrea Izzotti/Shutterstock.com)