FAA Gives Pilots Thumbs Up To Fly Rude Banners Over Chargers Home Games

Dean Spanos and the Los Angeles Chargers recently asked the Federal Aviation Administration to grant what is called a temporary flight restriction over StubHub Center on Chargers game days, arguing that an airplane flying over an arena packed with NFL fans is an inherently dangerous proposition. Of course, that’s not the real issue. The real issue is that one of the planes doing the flying over StubHub Center—owned by disgruntled Chargers fan Joseph McRae—is towing banners carrying anti-Dean Spanos messages:

Unfortunately for Spanos, the FAA has now reportedly denied the request, meaning disgruntled San Diego fans and fans of high comedy can now fly taunting banners over StubHub Center just as often as existing air traffic laws will otherwise permit. Most embarrassing of all is the FAA’s reasoning for declining to issue the restriction, per FOX 5 San Diego:

However, the FAA only grants TFRs for stadiums and arenas that hold 30,000 or more, and since the StubHub Center capacity is under 30,000 — the Chargers announced a sellout at 25,386 during their game with the Kansas City Chiefs last Sunday — the FAA will not grant the TFR.

This is great. Here’s a look at that announced sell-out of a stadium that is several thousand seats shy of the capacity required to enforce a temporary flight restriction over their stadium:

Dear rabble-rousing small craft pilots of southern California: Please continue flying anti-Dean Spanos banners over Chargers home games for as long as you are able. This will no longer be an option once those few thousand sad Chargers fans are spread across a mostly empty Los Angeles Stadium at Hollywood Park. Enjoy it while you can.

h/t Henry