Secret Service To Carry Out Drone Flights Over DC Area

WASHINGTON, DC — The U.S. Secret Service will be conducting drone flights “in the greater Washington, D.C. area” over the next two weeks, the agency announced Monday.

The Secret Service said it will conduct the drone flights in coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration. The drone flights will take place from Monday, May 17 through Monday, May 31.

When possible, the Secret Service said it strives to offer public notification ahead of any operations that may be especially visible. However, the agency did not say at what time of the day the drone flights will take place.

The D.C. area is governed by a Special Flight Rules Area within a 30-mile radius of Reagan Washington National Airport. The flight rules area is divided into a 15-mile radius inner ring and a 30-mile radius outer ring.

The public is prohibited from flying drones or other unmanned aircraft within the 15-mile radius inner ring without specific FAA authorization.

The FAA allows the flying of a drone between 15 and 30 miles from National Airport under certain operating conditions, including:

• Aircraft must weigh less than 55 pounds (including any attachments such as a camera)
• Aircraft must be registered and marked
• Fly below 400 feet
• Fly within visual line-of-sight
• Fly in clear weather conditions
• Never fly near other aircraft

“It is standard practice for the Secret Service to work in conjunction with the FAA and other federal, state and local partners to accomplish our protective mission,” the Secret Service said Monday.

The airspace around D.C. is more restricted than in any other part of the country. Rules put in place after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks established a "national defense airspace" over the area and limit aircraft operations to those with FAA authorization.

The Secret Service has carried out drone flights over the D.C. area in the past as part of a program to find ways to counter rogue drones that could threaten sensitive buildings in the region. These flights were conducted over the D.C. area to defend against unmanned aerial vehicles being flown over the area, according to reports.

With these previous drone flights, the Secret Service decided to make the public aware of their plans to test drones above the skies of the D.C. area to ensure there would be no panic if the public saw the drones.

In Monday's announcement, the Secret Service did not say how many drones would be used or over which parts of the D.C. area they would travel.