UNIVERSITY PARK -- Nittany Lions fans need only worry about the outcome of this Saturday's game after low-flying planes were banned indefinitely Wednesday from the skies above Beaver Stadium.

The renewed ban by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration was met with relief from officials in the Big Ten, National Football League and Major League Baseball, who protested waivers being handed to pilots known to the FAA. At Penn State's season opener, a lone advertising banner plane brought numerous calls of complaint, university officials said.

"We're very pleased and very supportive of it," Penn State spokesman Bill Mahon said. "I think fans have found them a nuisance for years. The ban is under different circumstances after Sept. 11, but we're glad (the planes) are gone."

Under the new TSA restriction, planes will have a no-fly zone in a 3-mile radius to an altitude of 3,000 feet around a stadium. Also, 700 waivers issued to pilots in the past year have been rescinded.

The waivers brought a flurry of protests from several college officials, all of whom said the banner-towing planes reminded fans of terrorist attacks.

Tom Harmon, director of Penn State police, said the sky above Beaver Stadium hasn't been as crowded by banner planes as urban areas, but even one plane is one too many for some fans.

"We certainly think they are a legitimate safety concern, being that close to the stadium," Harmon said. "It's not that people think they are being flown by terrorists but that they're so close by. This restriction, while I think it enhances safety and certainly makes people feel less uncomfortable, it really would not protect us from a terrorist attack."

That's exactly what State College resident Ken Manno thought when he wrote a letter to Penn State sports officials after the Nittany Lions first game against the University of Central Florida. In an interview Thursday, Manno said the banner plane on that day appeared to be directly over the stadium at one point.

"I can't say that terrorist attacks didn't cross my mind, but that was not the most prominent thought," he said. "(A ban) only makes good sense. Not even considering the times we're living in and concerns about terrorist attacks, why would you take a chance of flying a plane over a stadium that has so many people in it?"

Warren Morningstar, spokesman for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, which represents 385,000 pilots, said the banner-towing pilots don't pose a security threat.

"Until (Tuesday) night they were operating with specific waivers and were known to FAA and TSA officials," he said. "We certainly understand the sensitivity and emotions that are out there. But these are hard-working small-business owners trying to make a living."