Drone regulations are an issue that is relatively new in aviation. In fact, the FAA in June of 2016 published new regulations regarding unmanned aircraft systems (also known as a drone.)

Drones today are capable of many things, from personal flight to recording video and even pre-programmed aerial performance. Lady Gaga’s halftime performance at Superbowl LI included hundreds of drones. Check out the video here!

There are new regulations today however that made this performance a difficult one to perform. In fact, it was not actually performed live. The stunt was a joint effort between the NFL and the FAA. Normally drones are limited to a maximum flight height and have restrictions on where they’re allowed to fly based on proximity to certain buildings. In this case drones are forbidden to fly within 34.5 miles of the NRG Stadium. Performing stunts overhead of many people is also not allowed. Here is the complete list of drone regulations. The Superbowl proved worthy of a few exceptions however, so Intel and the NFL were able to pre-record the spectacle to pair with Lady Gaga’s performance,

Although many people only fly recreationally. The rules are much more lax when flying for fun. These regulations include flying under 400 feet, being 13 years old or older, registering the drone as well as adhering to local airspace requirements.