Did you know that International Drone Day was a thing? It is, and the next one happens on Saturday, May 7. Organized under the slogan "Drones are good," model aeronautics clubs across the country are hosting events to show the world the good side of their hobby. Celebrations are even taking place in the Washington, DC region—home to some of the least-hospitable skies for unmanned aerial vehicles.
Twenty different UAV clubs are holding events on Saturday, including several that were grounded as recently as February. DC's airspace has been subject to a 30-mile "Special Flight Rules Area" ever since 9/11, split into inner and outer zones. All UAVs are banned within the inner 15-mile zone, a restriction that companies are hard-coding into drone firmware. But in December 2015, the FAA closed the entire zone to all drone traffic, effectively shuttering 14 area flying clubs.
However, the clubs and the FAA were able to resolve their differences by February, when revised rules for the region were put into place. Drones and other unmanned aircraft can take to the skies above DC's outer suburbs once again, as long as they weigh under 55lbs (30kg) and remain below 400 feet (121m), among other restrictions.
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