FAA Night Waiver HELP

[Kaifect]

I did take the Gold Seal Night Operations class, it was excellent. I applied without that and got rejected, now I am APPROVED. Thanks to everyone for all the help, and thanks to Gold Seal. I was a little skeptical about paying for an online course but I learned a lot and it helped get the waiver.

 

[Russ Still]

I did take the Gold Seal Night Operations class, it was excellent. I applied without that and got rejected, now I am APPROVED. Thanks to everyone for all the help, and thanks to Gold Seal. I was a little skeptical about paying for an online course but I learned a lot and it helped get the waiver.

That's great news! Glad we were able to grease the tracks for you. Good job!

 

[Kaifect]

I was finally approved. They pretty much asked questions like what I would do to see the sUAS at night and how I would handle seeing another aircraft. I used a bunch of fancy word and told them I would look for other aircraft and land if I saw any. I didn't think that bit of logic needed to be written down.

 

[RNCotton]

I didn't think that bit of logic needed to be written down.

Yeah, I ran into that several times. They would come back and ask for information that wasn't specific to night ops. "What do you do if ... " To which I wanted to say, "the same thing I do if that happens during daylight, which is part of 107 and not something required to be waived." There were a lot of other common sense things. "How will you mitigate the situation if a manned aircraft enters your operational area?" ... Ummm, we de-a*s the area.

Of course, y'all realize this all tongue in cheek. It was just frustrating to be asked for the obvious.

 

[Dave Pitman]

Of course, y'all realize this all tongue in cheek. It was just frustrating to be asked for the obvious.

Not to mention that it is terribly unprofessional on the FAA's part.

I have spoken to several of the subcontractor employees doing the reviews and unfortunately they do not have much aeronautical knowledge. They must just be working off of a script. On the other hand, they are not consistent from one person to the other. I'm not saying they are bad guys. Just that they are out of their depth. Many of these odd questions prove this out.

It's just too bad the FAA doesn't just finish the job of filling out the Part 107 framework with an entire regulation that doesn't need authorizations and waivers at every turn.

How much extra do you guys think all of this is costing the taxpayers when a proper regulation would eliminate 99% of it?

 

[Hardhat068]

That's great news! Glad we were able to grease the tracks for you. Good job!

I took the Gold Seal course as well, after I received a response from the FAA requesting additional information:

• Detailed list of subjects covered by any night operations training course to be used.
  
  
• What method is used to assure that the training received has been absorbed and verified? Where is evidence of that verification retained?

I responded with the Gold Seal certificate and a further explanation of the topics covered in the course.

Today, I got my rejection notice. I am waiting for the explanation on why I was rejected.

 

[Russ Still]

Hey there, Hardhat. People are using the Gold Seal certificate and getting accepted nearly every day. Possibly you got an inspector who was unfamiliar or perhaps you didn't document your Gold Seal training adequately. Shoot me an email at [email protected] and we'll see if we can get this sorted out for you. Include any correspondence with the FAA.

 

[Hardhat068]

Hey there, Hardhat. People are using the Gold Seal certificate and getting accepted nearly every day. Possibly you got an inspector who was unfamiliar or perhaps you didn't document your Gold Seal training adequately. Shoot me an email at [email protected] and we'll see if we can get this sorted out for you. Include any correspondence with the FAA.

Thanks Russ. I just sent you a detailed e-mail.

 

[LUIS MARTINEZ]

I took the Gold Seal course as well, after I received a response from the FAA requesting additional information:

• Detailed list of subjects covered by any night operations training course to be used.
  
  
• What method is used to assure that the training received has been absorbed and verified? Where is evidence of that verification retained?

I responded with the Gold Seal certificate and a further explanation of the topics covered in the course.

Today, I got my rejection notice. I am waiting for the explanation on why I was rejected.

"I responded with the Gold Seal certificate ..."
They want to see specific responses to specific questions. A certificate is fine but the waiver requires affirmative, detailed responses and methods that you will use to lessen or mitigate the risks. I have two 107.29 waivers, both required two or three responses so don't sweat it. Denial of first attempt appears to be SOP with the FAA/contract vendors.