Droneists planning to capture some of the 50th Super Bowl excitement would be wise to think again, because that's super illegal. The FAA is declaring the sky above Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California off-limits for unauthorized aircraft, in two huge sweeping circles of overlapping sky. They did the same thing for last year's Super Bowl in Phoenix, Arizona.
At a site the FAA set up for the event, complete with a GeoCities-era animated reflective logo and a “fly2sb50” url, people can find information about where not to fly. The “Notices to Airmen” specify that flights up to 17,999 feet and within a 37-mile radius of Levi's Stadium are off-limits for aircraft from 2pm to midnight on February 7th, the day of the game. There's also an inner core with an 11.5-mile radius from the stadium where the FAA has particularly advised against flying. These notices are subject to change as the event gets closer.
Rules like this are designed to protect the sky above the game (and, presumably, the people in the stadium) from rogue aircraft, including drones. The FAA depends on local police forces to catch violations like this, and police knowledge of unmanned aircraft law is often dependent on whatever information they're provided by the FAA. The prohibition means people miles and miles and miles away who want to simply fly their drones on a Sunday may be violating the law when they do.
