Authority votes to ban drones, other devices from 2015 Georgia National Fair

The Georgia Agricultural Exposition Authority voted unanimously Wednesday to make the 2015 Georgia National Fair a no-fly zone for drones and other remote-controlled flying devices.

“All we’ve done at this point is get the OK from the authority to file the application with the (Federal Aviation Administration), and that’s been done,” said Stacy Campbell, director of marketing and media relations for the Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter. “(The FFA) has not given us any timetable” on when the application might be approved.

Prohibited devices would include drones, lightweight aircraft, hang gliders and other devices that can fly under 500 feet.

The safety measure is becoming more widely implemented for large events because of the increasing popularity of the flying devices, Campbell said.

“(The new rule) doesn’t really mean anything for the fairgoer other than you may not fly a drone while on campus during the event,” she said.

No other new rules are being considered for this year’s fair, which will run Oct. 8-18.

To contact writer Laura Corley, call 744-4334 or follow her on Twitter @Lauraecor.

This story was originally published September 10, 2015 at 5:07 PM with the headline "Authority votes to ban drones, other devices from 2015 Georgia National Fair ."