• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to secondary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • DroneRacingLife
  • DroneFlyers
  • Newsletter
DroneLife

DRONELIFE

Stay up to date on all the latest Drone News

  • News
  • Products
  • Industries
    • Agriculture
    • Construction
    • Delivery
    • Dual Use
    • Inspection
    • Public Safety
    • Surveying
  • Enthusiasts
  • Regulations
  • Business
  • Video
  • Podcasts

State Fair of Texas Will Prohibit All Drone Overflights, Even if They Have FAA Approval

September 1, 2023 by Miriam McNabb 7 Comments

Photo: Andreas Praefcke, CC BY 3.0 

State Fair of Texas drone policy prohibits overflights, even with FAA approval

By DRONELIFE Contributing Editor Jim Magill

The State Fair of Texas has posted a media policy that prohibits all drone overflight above the festival while the fair is in session, even those that are launched from a site off the fairgrounds, and even if those flights are approved by the Federal Aviation Administration.

A spokesman has said the policy is undergoing a review for a possible revision to comply with FAA regulations, but as of Friday, September 1, the old policy was still on the Fair’s website.

According to its Guidelines for Media Participation, Fair Park, in Dallas will be a “No Drone Zone,” during the duration of the Fair, which is set to run from Sept. 29 through Oct. 22.

“The Fair, Fair Park and the entire fairgrounds are a ‘No Drone Zone.’ Per FAA regulations, Small Unmanned Aircrafts (UASs), Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UVAs), or drones are restricted in Class B Airspace which encompasses the entire downtown Dallas area and beyond,” the policy states.”

The policy points out that “UVAs, drones, and model aircrafts with cameras attached are strictly prohibited in Class B Airspace unless granted a waiver from the FAA.” However, it goes on to say that “even if granted the waiver by the FAA,” drone pilots will not by allowed to conduct overflights above the fairgrounds.

“Leading up to and during the Fair, Fair Park is under lease by the State Fair and considered private property, therefore approval from the FAA does not guarantee the right to fly above Fair Park,” the policy states. “For the safety of our guests, the State Fair, in partnership with the Dallas Police Department, will not allow drones to fly above Fair Park during the Fair.”

This policy seems to challenge the authority of the FAA, which maintains it has complete jurisdiction over the regulation of all above-ground airspace.

“The FAA is responsible for the safety of our National Airspace System. This includes all airspace from the ground up. While local laws or ordinances may restrict where drones can take off or land, they cannot restrict a drone from flying in airspace permitted by the FAA,” spokeswoman Emma Duncan said in an email.

Duncan said all approved drone flights must comply with the small drone rule, which “permits operations over people, under certain circumstances, depending on the level of risk that a drone poses to people on the ground.”

In an Sept. 1 interview, Fair Security Director Jeffrey Cotner said the Fair was working with the FAA to update its media guidelines. “Nobody wants to violate anybody’s constitutional privileges. We don’t go into that,” he said.

A Dallas Police spokeswoman declined to comment on its enforcement of the State Fair’s media policy.

“You would have to reach out to the State Fair, it’s totally the state fair’s policy,” DPD Senior Corporal Melinda Gutierrez said in an interview. She said Fair officials on site have the primary responsibility for enforcing the Fair’s policies.

“If there’s an issue, they’re the ones that approach the individuals that are flying the drones. Last year we did have some drone fliers and their reps politely asked them to stop flying the drones and we’ve never had an issue with them complying,” Gutierrez said.

In an email statement, Cotner discussed how difficult it would be for a drone pilot to safely operate a drone, launched from a location off the grounds of Fair Park, to fly over the fairgrounds.

“The Fair environment is dynamic and constantly changing, evolving,” he said. Cotner noted that such drones typically “circle, hover and do not transit point-to-point to avoid flyovers,” putting them at risk of having sustained flight over people within an open-air assembly such as the Fair.

“The State Fair is an overwhelmingly dense, outside event with limited cover,” he said. “Even though the remote pilot may have FAA clearance to operate in the airspace, the UAV are overflying non-participants in a manner not compliant with Part 107 in regards to safety or taking a risk-based approach toward their protection.”

Established in 1886, the State Fair of Texas is the longest-running fair in the nation, as well as one of the largest.  Located in Fair Park near downtown Dallas, home to the iconic Big Tex statue and Cotton Bowl Stadium, 25 miles from the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport, the Fair lies within one of the most heavily regulated airspaces in the country.

Recently, the Fair amended its policy regarding bringing drones onto the fairgrounds. The old policy posted on its website prohibited “the use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), commonly known as drones, within the 277 acres of Fair Park without prior written approval of State Fair’s Public Relations Department.”

In addition, the policy prohibited “the use of all remote-controlled devices of any type, including, but not limited to, aircraft, drones, quad-copters, cars or trucks, on or above (italics added) property owned, leased or controlled by the Fair.”

The policy further stated that drone operations conducted “without prior written consent of the State Fair of Texas or proper law enforcement authority will result in the confiscation of all related materials, you being removed from Fair property, and/or prosecution under Texas law.”

In April 2022, a federal judge struck down the principal Texas law prohibiting certain drone operations over private property on the grounds that some of its provisions violated First Amendment freedoms.

In late August of this year, the Fair amended the posting regarding drone operations on the fairgrounds to reflect the change in the law. The new post states that “drones, quad-copters and other remote-controlled devices are not allowed on the fairgrounds, unless granted a waiver from the FAA.”

The Fair makes one exception to the rule regarding carrying drones onto the fairgrounds. “Registered vendors can sell these types of devices on the fairgrounds without their battery packs.”

Unlike the former regulations, the new rules don’t make a direct reference to prosecution under state law, instead stating that “individuals violating State Fair rules are subject to ejection from the grounds and/or criminal enforcement of applicable statutes.”

Read more:
FAA Updates Fact Sheet on State and Local Drone Regulations

Jim Magill is a Houston-based writer with almost a quarter-century of experience covering technical and economic developments in the oil and gas industry. After retiring in December 2019 as a senior editor with S&P Global Platts, Jim began writing about emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence, robots and drones, and the ways in which they’re contributing to our society. In addition to DroneLife, Jim is a contributor to Forbes.com and his work has appeared in the Houston Chronicle, U.S. News & World Report, and Unmanned Systems, a publication of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International.

 

Miriam McNabb

Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, a professional drone services marketplace, and a fascinated observer of the emerging drone industry and the regulatory environment for drones. Miriam has penned over 3,000 articles focused on the commercial drone space and is an international speaker and recognized figure in the industry.  Miriam has a degree from the University of Chicago and over 20 years of experience in high tech sales and marketing for new technologies.
For drone industry consulting or writing, Email Miriam.

TWITTER:@spaldingbarker

Subscribe to DroneLife here.

Filed Under: DL Exclusive, Drone News, Drone News Feeds, Drones in the News, Featured, News Tagged With: drone rules, Dronelife, Jim Magill, No Drone Zone, recreational drones, State Fair of Texas

Reader Interactions

Trackbacks

  1. State Fair of Texas Will Prohibit All Drone Overflights, Even if They Have FAA Approval - Miltek Technology News says:
    September 3, 2023 at 10:32 am

    […] Source link […]

    Reply
  2. State Fair of Texas Will Prohibit All Drone Overflights, Even if They Have FAA Approval - UAV FL says:
    September 1, 2023 at 7:16 pm

    […] post State Fair of Texas Will Prohibit All Drone Overflights, Even if They Have FAA Approval appeared first on […]

    Reply
  3. State Honest of Texas No Drone Zone - techwithtrends.com says:
    September 1, 2023 at 6:45 pm

    […] Supply hyperlink […]

    Reply
  4. State Fair of Texas No Drone Zone - Fantastin says:
    September 1, 2023 at 4:50 pm

    […] Source link […]

    Reply
  5. State Honest of Texas No Drone Zone – Best Life From Home says:
    September 1, 2023 at 4:33 pm

    […] Supply hyperlink […]

    Reply
  6. State Fair of Texas Will Prohibit All Drone Overflights, Even if They Have FAA Approval – WELCOME ON Dronestag Blog says:
    September 1, 2023 at 3:29 pm

    […] More… […]

    Reply
  7. State Fair of Texas No Drone Zone – Game Up News says:
    September 1, 2023 at 3:03 pm

    […] Source link […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

LATEST

DJI Announces FlightHub 2 On-Premises and Updated Security White Paper Amid Ongoing U.S. Security Debate

Company Highlights Data Privacy Efforts as Lawmakers and Critics Raise Concerns Over National Security and Supply Chain Dependence DJI Introduces…

Continue Reading DJI Announces FlightHub 2 On-Premises and Updated Security White Paper Amid Ongoing U.S. Security Debate

Choctaw Nation Launches Cutting-Edge Aviation Technology Center in Southeastern Oklahoma

New Facility Will Support Drone Innovation, Job Creation, and Rural Healthcare Solutions The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma (CNO) marked a…

Continue Reading Choctaw Nation Launches Cutting-Edge Aviation Technology Center in Southeastern Oklahoma

Low-SWaP Radars Bring Mobile Drone Detection to the Tactical Edge

New radar technology enables rapid, high-performance drone detection for security teams on the move Compact Solutions for Evolving Threats As…

Continue Reading Low-SWaP Radars Bring Mobile Drone Detection to the Tactical Edge

How Can Ground Robots Solve the Toughest Challenges in Industrial Inspections?

Don’t miss Arix Technologies on the Drone Radio Show! Crain Malloy, CEO of Arix Technologies talks with host Randy Goers…

Continue Reading How Can Ground Robots Solve the Toughest Challenges in Industrial Inspections?

Fortem Technologies Expands Manufacturing to Meet Global Demand for Counter-Drone Systems

New Utah Facility Doubles Production Capacity for DroneHunter®, TrueView™ Radar, and Drone Interceptors As the threat from small drones continues…

Continue Reading Fortem Technologies Expands Manufacturing to Meet Global Demand for Counter-Drone Systems

Terra Drone and MODEC Renew Partnership to Advance Offshore Oil Tank Inspections

Japan’s Terra UT drone delivers safer, faster, and more accurate non-destructive testing for FPSO crude oil storage tanks by DRONELIFE…

Continue Reading Terra Drone and MODEC Renew Partnership to Advance Offshore Oil Tank Inspections

Drones on Demand: How Automated Systems Are Transforming Emergency Response

Public safety agencies, industry rely on drone-in-a-box systems By DRONELIFE Features Editor Jim Magill A multi-vehicle accident snarls traffic on…

Continue Reading Drones on Demand: How Automated Systems Are Transforming Emergency Response

Voliro Raises $23M to Expand Aerial Robotics for Infrastructure Inspection

With growing demand for safer, faster, and smarter inspections, Voliro’s tiltable-rotor drones lead the shift toward autonomous industrial maintenance Voliro…

Continue Reading Voliro Raises $23M to Expand Aerial Robotics for Infrastructure Inspection

Teledyne FLIR OEM Supports Secure U.S. Defense Innovation with NDAA-Compliant Thermal Imaging

Expanded lineup of U.S.-built camera modules aligns with federal call to strengthen domestic drone supply chains In the wake of…

Continue Reading Teledyne FLIR OEM Supports Secure U.S. Defense Innovation with NDAA-Compliant Thermal Imaging

Apian Expands NHS Drone Delivery Network with Matternet Partnership

Urban Drone Pioneer Matternet Makes UK Debut as Apian Scales Medical Logistics Across London Hospital UK healthcare logistics startup Apian…

Continue Reading Apian Expands NHS Drone Delivery Network with Matternet Partnership

Secondary Sidebar

Footer

SPONSORED

Inspired Flight Gremsy IF800 VIO F1 drones geo week

What Will It Take to Strengthen U.S. Drone Manufacturing? A Conversation with Inspired Flight’s CEO

Global Mapper Mobile data collection

Collection Ground Control Points with Global Mapper Mobile

Military Drone Mapping Solutions

How SimActive’s Correlator3D™ is Revolutionizing Military Mapping: An Exclusive Interview with CEO Philippe Simard

Photogrammetry Accuracy Standards

SimActive Photogrammetry Software: Enabling Users to Meet Accuracy Standards for Over 20 Years

NACT Engineering Parrot ANAFI tether indoor shot

Smart Tether for Parrot ANAFI USA from NACT Engineering

Blue Marble, features global mapper, features Blue Marble

Check Out These New Features in Global Mapper v25 from Blue Marble

About Us | Contact Us | Advertise With Us | Write for Us | Privacy Policy | Terms of Service

The Trusted Source for the Business of Drones.

This website uses cookies and third party services. By clicking OK, you are agreeing to our privacy policy. ACCEPT

Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT