Prepare for landing: No drones allowed at Phoenix Open in Scottsdale
Feb 1, 2018, 5:05 AM
(Flickr/Andrew Turner)
(Flickr/Andrew Turner)
PHOENIX — Leave your drones at home: That’s the message Scottsdale police are telling people who are attending the Waste Management Phoenix Open this week.
“Obviously drones over a major event where there’s a large population of people are dangerous,” said Scottsdale Police Sgt. Ben Hoster.
He said officers from Scottsdale Police Department’s intelligence team will be working with two aerial surveillance companies, Dedrone and Aerial Armor, to detect drones in the airspace of the tournament. He said they’re doing it for safety reasons.
“Drones in certain airspace can down or cause airplanes and other emergency aircraft to not fly in that zone,” he said. “That’s why it’s obviously a hindrance to us.”
Hoster said it’s also illegal to fly drones at the TPC Scottsdale, where the Phoenix Open is taking place, due to its proximity to the Scottsdale Airport.
The golf complex is about two miles from the airport. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, it’s forbidden to fly drones within five miles of an airport unless notice is given to the airport operator and the air traffic control tower.
The first of four rounds of the Waste Management Phoenix Open kicks off Thursday. The fourth round is on Sunday.
