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Flight denial on LAANC?

A

Aerial

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I have an upcoming mission right at the base of Stewart Airforce Base. Only a small portion of it is in line with the run way. I have a wavier created on FAADroneZone already, but my question is this: when putting the area into drone zone, i am prompted with "Operations at airports where the Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) is active that do not require an operational waiver under 14 CFR 107.205 should use the LAANC automated capability. For a list of airports available for automated authorizations under LAANC, go to https://www.faa.gov/uas/getting_started/laanc.".
DRONEZONE.png


When i go to use Aloft, it tells me I need further clearance. I am going about this correctly by requesting the airspace?

Screenshot 2024-03-07 145551.png
 
I've had instances where I was caught in a Catch-22 where a LAANC grid existed but was not active yet, but the airspace authorization process through Drone Zone would tell me to use LAANC for that airport, I found that I could ignore that message and finish filling out the airspace authorization application, and simply include a note in the project description that LAANC was unavailable for that particular airport at the time. I received authorization within a couple of days.

btw.. If you are attempting to use LAANC to access a zero altitude cell, the only possible way to get authorization is to apply for airspace authorization through Drone Zone using the above mentioned procedure and include a note stating that you were unable to get LAANC authorization for a zero cell. My recommendation for a zero cell would to also keep your requested altitude under 100' AGL if you don't want to be rejected. It has been my experience that the FAA/ATC will never authorize a flight in a zero cell via LAANC, because they want to know your proposed operation in great detail due to its close proximity to the airport. So Aloft is not the route to take in this case. Good luck.
 
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A few things going on here.

First, you don't have a waiver, you have an airspace authorization. Two different things. But both come from the DroneZone. And if you already have an airspace authorization, why do you need another one? You're not clear on that. The FAA is even using the wrong language if that's the notification you're getting. I'll bring that up to them next week. I'll be seeing some of them at a conference.

Second, if you're including any part of the red area on LAANC, it won't work. Red areas mean you can't use LAANC at all.

Last, you can still apply for an airspace authorization when you get that notice. Just click through it and continue to fill out your application.

But you will need to use The Drone Zone.
 
I confirm what he said. I’ve had to get a lot of zero altitude autos and if you keep it under 100 feet you got a good chance of getting it..
If it’s real close to a runway, you may not get more than 50 that’s happened to me in which case the employer told me to do it manually my phone to which I replied yeah, no get a teenage mutant ninja turtle to do it
 
I frequently see "Keep it under 100ft" mentioned.Does that apply to 100ft over the structure you are trying to scan.I just applied for 200ft authorization request in a 0 grid. Building is 120ft and I requested fly 80ft directly over the building for a roof inspection. Fingers crossed.
 
TreeLineView said:
Does that apply to 100ft over the structure you are trying to scan.I
Click to expand...
Nope.

All of my authorizations in 0 grids have the following language.

"Operations under this certificate of authorization (COA) are limited to the maximum altitude listed
below. This altitude is an absolute value and it shall not be added to the height of any structures."
 

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Anyone submit one through DroneZone lately? Wondering the timeline. Mine has been two weeks today. I know it's not like the old days, but my last one a year ago was reviewed within two weeks.
 
I suppose it may depend on the airport. My understanding is the application first goes to the FAA and is then passed along to the airport's ATC guys for review and approval. Some airports may be slower to review than others. I've been lucky in the NY Metro area and have previously gotten a response back in 3 days or so. The last time I requested a zero cell was last year. What airport are you dealing with, if you don't mind me asking?
 
I have a renewal application still pending that just passed 30 days since filed. In past years, this renewal has taken less than 2 weeks. In this case, it is Navy controlled airspace. So, I don't know if the hang up is with the FAA or the Navy. But someone is behind in comparison to last year.
 
Aerial said:
I have an upcoming mission right at the base of Stewart Airforce Base. Only a small portion of it is in line with the run way. I have a wavier created on FAADroneZone already, but my question is this: when putting the area into drone zone, i am prompted with "Operations at airports where the Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) is active that do not require an operational waiver under 14 CFR 107.205 should use the LAANC automated capability. For a list of airports available for automated authorizations under LAANC, go to https://www.faa.gov/uas/getting_started/laanc.".
View attachment 4369


When i go to use Aloft, it tells me I need further clearance. I am going about this correctly by requesting the airspace?

View attachment 4368
Click to expand...
Does it give you the option for further coordination? If not you should note that in your DroneZone waiver because I have seen this happen with several of the airports I have needed to fly at. Usually Class D. If it is a grid cell, even 0 AGL it should be available for further coordination through LAANC.
 
Dave Pitman said:
Received this authorization today.
Click to expand...
I just got one authorized for a mission that I filed 4 times. The first was through DroneZone because it’s in a 0 grid but they came back saying I should use LAANC instead of just approving it. Then it failed two times with LAANC because they didn’t answer and protocol is to cancel if it hasn’t been answered 24 hours before flight time. I submitted a 3rd via LAANC and it was authorized in two days. Good grief.
 
In June, I had a 0 grid request via LAANC approved in 4 hours. I about fell over. Not much consistency. It leads me to believe that it is the particular airport's staff that is either on the ball or not.
 
Dave Pitman said:
In June, I had a 0 grid request via LAANC approved in 4 hours. I about fell over. Not much consistency. It leads me to believe that it is the particular airport's staff that is either on the ball or not.
Click to expand...
It is definitely airport related. Luckily I only have 4 of them I have to deal with in my work area. The one I mentioned was the last to adopt LAANC. I think it's two Veteran Pilots and an administrative person that run the whole thing.
 
Hopefully this gets worked out for you. I had a somewhat similar situation with overlapping airspace, I had to explain in detail to the FAA of the situation as they will quickly refer you to LAANC only. I had one part coming off the bowtie of a smaller airport that had a limit of 197 AGL, while the larger airport has the area as 400 AGL. It's all about the details when you submit your request. Once that was approved I had an issue with the DJI pilot 2 app wouldn't accept the unlock, restricting my flight to only 197 AGL. The real odd part was, if I flew in manual mode the unlock worked, but not when using the KML file. I have a M3M & M3E, both drones had some results. Now the real kicker is this, My Phantom 4 RTK has no issue with the unlock or my Mavic 2 Pro. I have two project in this area from the same builder and I have to use my Phantom 4 RTK to get the job done. DJI couldn't and didn't understand why either drone (Mavic enterprise series) wouldn't worked with the approved unlock.
 
I checked with my FAA resource who said my region, (Eastern) is 6+ weeks out on requests. I cancelled my request. Submitted same request through LAANC which bypasses the FAA review and goes directly to the ATC for approval. Note that the ATC only currently has the option to approve/deny where the DroneZone process being vetted by the FAA first, they have the option to modify your request say to a lower Alt to get approval. Used the same risk mitigation plan and it was approved in 72 hours.
 
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