Fire in the Hole

[Weaponized]

Submitted my 1st air space authorization today. It's an interesting process to say the least. Where else does it take 90 plus days to get authorization just to conduct business? It's easy to understand the safety aspect of this and what's at stake but at the same time you realize the regulatory stranglehold this puts on business, and the ripe environment it creates for large entities such as dronebase to step in and exploit those that actually have the talent...the pilots.

Luckily for me I've been in business for 12 years and the drone is just a tool that makes my life a little easier, and allows me to expand into other areas. So the wait while annoying, doesn't hobble my operations.

Potentially hours worth of work and research can be shot down in a second, just because you left out one little detail, requiring you to start over again.

I feel quite good about my submission so hopefully it will be one and done.

 

[BigAl07]

I've always been baffled at how people feel like the authorization system is such a strangle point. Unless you just got your RPIC yesterday you simply missed the boat on getting your AA submitted. We submitted one for all of our "potential work area" well in advance. No sense waiting till the last minute and then stating regulations are strangling business.

If you factor the widespread use of LAANC now I'd guess about 85% of the US now has a reply to request (the normal ones) in less than 10 minutes.

 

[Weaponized]

I've always been baffled at how people feel like the authorization system is such a strangle point. Unless you just got your RPIC yesterday you simply missed the boat on getting your AA submitted. We submitted one for all of our "potential work area" well in advance. No sense waiting till the last minute and then stating regulations are strangling business.

If you factor the widespread use of LAANC now I'd guess about 85% of the US now has a reply to request (the normal ones) in less than 10 minutes.

I actually got my part 107 a few weeks ago and the decision to fly was not something I planned on. I flew multi-engine for years and was tired of aviation. I can do what I do without it but a vision came to me when I got a $70 toy drone stuck in a tree so this all happened pretty fast. Fate maybe.

I have 5 airports within my op area and only 1 is on LAANC so it is what it is. My profession is over-regulated as it is, so more of it always stings, particularly for someone that that's used to getting things done yesterday. It's a strangle point in the context of the time it takes.

If I provided a service and told my clients I'd get to it in 90 days, I wouldn't have any clients for long. Yes...LAANC will be everywhere soon but it likely wont be here any faster.