Drones are becoming one of the biggest risks faced by American sports stadiums.  Recently a drone flying over two San Francisco Bay area stadiums dropped leaflets during an NFL game. The good news is that no one was hurt. However, the risk is becoming more evident when situations like these occur.  The drone did not have a dangerous payload, but if it did, the damage could have been extensive and lives could have been harmed.

The bad rep that drones are getting over these types of incidents is unwarranted. Mostly because there are a lot of benefits that drone technology brings to the table.  Stadium operators know the risks, but don’t know what to do or what policies to put in place to help reduce these threats.

Drones may go down in history as one of the greatest inventions of the 21st century. The FAA also continues to monitor the industry and roll out new laws and regulations to protect lives and property. But just like stadium operators, most people are clueless about what protocols to use when addressing these hazardous situations.  There are already many Federal, State and Local laws that limit the way drones are flown. For example, drones are not permitted to fly within 500 feet of one of the stadiums involved in the recent leaflet dumping accident, but unfortunately that doesn’t stop people from doing so.

And those who do fly over stadiums may not have malicious intentions. They may be unfamiliar with the laws, or just curious to see what kind of video they can film. Unfortunately this doesn’t help solve this dilemma.

But there are some new things coming to the market to help reduce these risks such as sensors for drones, sensors on the drone’s controls and even electronic fences that can jam or stop drones from crossing into.

High-end sensors are one tool that are used to detect drones about to fly into no-fly-zones. These sensors can be used by stadium security to accurately pinpoint a pilot’s location, so that law enforcement agencies can take action. This type of measure may help them apprehend those who are about to fly their drones into no-fly-zones, but doesn’t always stop the threat before it’s too late. Some drone companies are building in sensors to the actual drones that prevent them from flying in certain areas such as airports, or restricted airspace near our Capital.  As time goes on, more technology and regulations will be put into place to help keep people safe from the potential harm that drones can cause.

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