On many afternoons, the skies above Gude Drive Field in Montgomery County are dotted with a mix of model electric airplanes and gliders, small drones and remote-controlled helicopters. The home field of the Capital Area Soaring Association, 16 nautical miles north of Reagan National Airport, provides open spaces and a safe haven where hobbyists can fly their machines.
Last week, the leaders of the 130-member group were advised by their parent organization that their safe haven is now a no-fly zone.
The Federal Aviation Administration sent out a memo to dozens of model aircraft sites in the Washington area telling them that they needed to halt activity because some users were flying within the “special flight rules area.” In other words, too many drones had been crossing into airport territory.
“We are asking for your help in spreading the word to the National Capitol Region model aircraft community that such activity is subject to enforcement action, and could damage our efforts to secure the interagency concurrence that is critical to this effort,” read the email from Brian Throop, manager of the FAA’s special operations security group.
The memo was what area drone hobbyists had feared for months.
Airspace restrictions were put into place in the Washington area shortly after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. In the ensuing years, model aircraft were prohibited from flying within 15 miles of Reagan National Airport.
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In September, the FAA announced that drones were subject to a
