FAA, county bar drones from flying near U.S. Open grounds
Amateur drone operators, take note: You need to avoid the air space this week around Oakmont Country Club.
A Temporary Flight Restriction has been put in effect above the historic country club while the U.S. Open golf championship makes its 10th visit to the Allegheny Valley, officials announced Monday.
The event is set to bring thousands to the Pittsburgh area and ends Sunday.
Restrictions are in place for one nautical mile around — and up to 1,000 feet above — the course, an Allegheny County spokeswoman said in a news statement. County officials are coordinating with the Federal Aviation Administration on the restriction.
Though the 191-acre course, which sits north of Hulton Road, is named after Oakmont, its grounds sit almost entirely in Plum. A small section of two buildings extend into Oakmont.
The operation of drones or any unmanned aircraft systems is strictly prohibited during the U.S. Open, officials said. Drone pilots should expect active enforcement of the restriction.
More than 1 million drones — about 420,000 of them operating for commercial purposes — had been registered with the FAA as of April 1, the federal agency said on its website.
The FAA can warn or fine pilots who violate TFRs and also suspend or revoke their right to operate drones or unamanned vehicles, officials said.
For more information, visit faa.gov/uas.
Justin Vellucci is a TribLive reporter covering crime and public safety in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. A longtime freelance journalist and former reporter for the Asbury Park (N.J.) Press, he worked as a general assignment reporter at the Trib from 2006 to 2009 and returned in 2022. He can be reached at jvellucci@triblive.com.
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