FAA bans drones, banner towing and flight training within 30 nautical miles of Fort Myers airport from 12:15 to 5:15 p.m. Friday for the presidential visit
On Friday, October 23, 2026, from 12:15 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. Eastern time, the FAA bans drones, model aircraft, banner towing, flight training, sightseeing flights and several other kinds of flying within 30 nautical miles of a point next to Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers, from the surface up to 17,999 feet. Inside the inner 10 nautical miles only law enforcement, military, approved air ambulance and regularly scheduled airline and cargo flights may fly.
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The Federal Aviation Administration has closed the sky over Fort Myers to drones and most private flying for five hours on Friday, October 23. Under FAA notice FDC 6/1244, issued October 21, the restriction runs from 12:15 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. Eastern time and covers a circle with a 30 nautical mile radius around a point next to Southwest Florida International Airport, from the ground up to 17,999 feet.
The FAA classifies the notice as a VIP restriction, and it lists exceptions for military aircraft supporting the U.S. Secret Service and the Office of the President. WGCU reported that Florida Gulf Coast University's president confirmed a visit by President Trump and a Friday rally at Alico Arena, which sits about 3 nautical miles from the center of the restricted area.
What is banned in the Fort Myers flight restriction
Across the whole 30 nautical mile area, the notice does not allow drones, model aircraft, model rockets, banner towing, sightseeing flights, flight training, practice instrument approaches, aerobatics, gliders, parachute jumps, ultralights, hang gliders, balloons, crop dusting, animal control flights, maintenance test flights, or utility and pipeline survey flights.
The FAA warns that pilots who break the rules may be intercepted and detained, may lose their certificates or face civil penalties and criminal charges. For drones, the notice says the Defense Department, Homeland Security or the Justice Department may disrupt, seize or destroy any unmanned aircraft judged to be a safety or security threat.
Who can still fly
Inside the inner 10 nautical miles, which takes in the airport, the FGCU campus and Page Field, only approved law enforcement, military aircraft supporting the Secret Service, approved air ambulance flights, and regularly scheduled airline and all-cargo flights operating under TSA security programs may fly. Emergency medical, law enforcement and firefighting flights are told to coordinate with air traffic control before departure at 239-416-1024.
Between 10 and 30 nautical miles out, a ring that reaches as far as the Naples area, aircraft may only arrive at or depart from local airfields, or pass through if controllers allow it. Every pilot there needs a flight plan, an assigned transponder code set before takeoff, and constant radio contact with air traffic control, and no aircraft may circle or loiter.
The notice does not bar scheduled airline service at RSW, but travelers flying Friday afternoon should check flight status with their airline. More news for the area is on the Fort Myers page.
Questions readers are asking
When are the Fort Myers flight restrictions on October 23?
Can I fly a drone in Fort Myers or Cape Coral on October 23?
Are airline flights at RSW affected by the restriction?
Where we read it: WGCU Staff at WGCU. Read their story.
The document: Federal Aviation Administration, NOTAM FDC 6/1244, temporary flight restrictions, Fort Myers, Florida, October 23, 2026.
