Smaller Stadiums Ask For Flyover Bans

Its a tough time to be in the banner-towing business. No one wants anything that scary flying over a bunch of crazed, hairy-chested and painted patrons. The FAA recently released a new ruling that said flights would not be allowed over stadiums with more than 30,000 people unless a waiver was granted. Thats not too comforting to some of the smaller venue officials, including some of the lesser-attended college events and lackluster professional teams. "We don't understand how the business interests of these pilots outweigh the safety of the tens of thousands of people in these stadiums," Mike Waring, a lobbyist for the University of Michigan, told the Associated Press. Even the big dogs arent all that happy with the new system. Complaints about banner towers over Pac Bell Park and Edison Field during the World Series have been flying around like mad since the FAA and the TSA granted waivers for them.