Politics & Government
Are Drones Flying over Montgomery County?
New data from the Federal Aviation Administration shows the possibility.
Drones have been making headlines nationally as part of President Obama's international security force.
Are drones roaming the skies in the United States? What about here in Montgomery County?
The Electronic Frontier Foundations' website tracks the list of organizations who have applied for a "drone certificate of authorization" from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) via a map.
Find out what's happening in Gaithersburgwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The most recent report, dated Oct. 12, 2012, lists two entities in Montgomery County as having applied for drone authorization: the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg and the U.S. Navy, with offices in Bethesda, MD.
In regards to the U.S. Navy, the linked map states that "the FAA has only confirmed that the Navy is flying drones" but did not give a specific flight location.
Find out what's happening in Gaithersburgwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
NIST's entry on the map also states that the flight locations are unknown, but apparently the agency applied for the authorization sometime between July 2011 and August 2012.
