No drone zone around DC grows; unmanned aircraft is banned within 30 miles of national airport

WASHINGTON – The Federal Aviation Administration's no drone zone around the nation's capital has grown.

The FAA warned this summer that unmanned aircraft, such as drones and model aircraft, were prohibited within 15 miles of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, just south of Washington. But its online guidance now says they're banned from Washington's special flight rules area, a ring with a 30-mile radius encircling much of southern and central Maryland and northern Virginia. The development was first reported by WUSA-TV.

The FAA maintains unmanned aircraft are subject to FAA rules and must comply with the requirements, including maintaining two-way radio communication and transmitting a beacon code.

Academy of Model Aeronautics spokesman Rich Hanson said in a statement his group disputes that they are aircraft subject to FAA rules.