In preparation for the visit of Pope Francis to Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and New York City, the U.S. government erected a massive Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) over the areas where he will be greeted by millions of people. The same as those used whenever President Obama travels or goes on vacation, the TFRs affect a number of airports and flight operations and seek to ground every drone and radio-control aircraft within a 30-mile radius and up to 17,999 feet. Likely reflecting growing concern about security for high-level visitors, the Pope Francis TFRs are far larger than the 2,999-foot, three-nautical-mile-radius TFRs that followed Pope Benedict in 2008, the last time a pope visited the U.S. before this tour by Pope Francis.

Vice president Joe Biden’s travel apparently doesn’t warrant security concerns as great as those for President Obama and Pope Francis. A September 16 trip to Los Angeles by Biden entailed three smaller 2,999-foot, three-nautical mile-radius TFRs.

Explaining the Pope Francis TFRs, the FAA said in a flight advisory, “The restrictions are designed to provide a safe and secure environment for the event but also ensure fair and equitable access to all airspace users to the greatest extent possible.” The FAA has banned all types of radio-control model and drone flights within these TFRs, and other prohibited operations include aerobatics, gliders, parachutes, ultralights, balloons, agricultural, banner towing, pipeline patrol, maintenance flights, flight training and practice approaches.