LAANC basic questions

[aerialimagery]

I'm new to this and am not clear about how to access it and what it costs. I found a vendor (Skyward) but their annual fee is very high. Is there any way to do it for free? Does the request to fly need to be done live while on location or can it be done in advance from a desktop computer?

 

[BigAl07]

Have you checked out (cringes just typing this) Airmap.IO ?

 

[BigAl07]

This might help answer some of your questions:

FAA UAS Data Exchange

 

[Moosewax]

You can setup a free basic Skyward account. I did it recently and submitted and recieved a LAANC authorization through Skyward for free. If you want all the extra bells and whistles that will cost more.

 

[LUIS MARTINEZ]

I'm new to this and am not clear about how to access it and what it costs. I found a vendor (Skyward) but their annual fee is very high. Is there any way to do it for free? Does the request to fly need to be done live while on location or can it be done in advance from a desktop computer?

Getting a LAANC approval on Skyward is free. Just set up an account.

 

[aerialimagery]

Have any of you who used it been able to get immediate authorization in a zero cell? If so, how high could you go? Thanks for the responses.

 

[aerialimagery]

Would it be ok to file and not do the flight--just to test it out?

 

[Moosewax]

Would it be ok to file and not do the flight--just to test it out?

Yes you can immediately cancel afterwards on skyward.

That's what I did

 

[aerialimagery]

I suppose I should just go over there and work with it--but one more question. How big of a window of time can you set, and do you have to call the tower when you're on station?

 

[aerialimagery]

I tried it out and it works great!

One problem is that in an area I wanted to go it said:

• ATC has temporarily disabled LAANC requests for this area. Please try again later.

Has anyone else run into this and will it eventually be resolved. This was in the Los Angeles area.

 

[BigAl07]

I tried it out and it works great!

One problem is that in an area I wanted to go it said:

• ATC has temporarily disabled LAANC requests for this area. Please try again later.

Has anyone else run into this and will it eventually be resolved. This was in the Los Angeles area.

Yes several others have gotten similar messages. Some were resolved later the same day and some are still "Off" for whatever reasons.

 

[LUIS MARTINEZ]

I suppose I should just go over there and work with it--but one more question. How big of a window of time can you set, and do you have to call the tower when you're on station?

LAANC is ATC notification, no phone calls required.

 

[aerialimagery]

So how do you handle applying for "zero cell" areas? I tried filing one and they said they needed 2 to 30 days for ATC to review. I applied 2 days in advance and they didn't act on it and it was canceled. This makes it difficult to plan since who knows what the weather will be in 30 days, and since you can only file for a 12 hour window. I suppose one way around that would be to file for several consecutive days to have some room to schedule and work around weather, but would the FAA frown on that?

 

[LUIS MARTINEZ]

So how do you handle applying for "zero cell" areas? I tried filing one and they said they needed 2 to 30 days for ATC to review. I applied 2 days in advance and they didn't act on it and it was canceled. This makes it difficult to plan since who knows what the weather will be in 30 days, and since you can only file for a 12 hour window. I suppose one way around that would be to file for several consecutive days to have some room to schedule and work around weather, but would the FAA frown on that?

Keep us posted. I applied for a higher alt in a 100 ft cell 30 days ago, but not holding my breath.

 

[aerialimagery]

And what if you do get approval and on the day you requested it's raining? Is there any way to amend it or do you have to start over?

 

[Stephen Mann]

LAANC is ATC notification, no phone calls required.

... But appreciated.
The tower will receive notification that there will be drone activity in their airspace, and unless told otherwise, they will advise local traffic. If you notify them when finished (of if cancelled), then you reduce their workload slightly.

 

[Earnest Ward]

Have any of you who used it been able to get immediate authorization in a zero cell? If so, how high could you go? Thanks for the responses.

"Zero cells" aren't part of the original LAANC rollout. (You may see "Manual authorization available." in the AirMap app or its equivalent in Skyward.) "2 to 30 days" may eventually become a reality, but right now it seems to be taking well in excess of 90 days. (I reach the 120 day mark on my Airspace Authorization application July 6.) But these authorizations, when issued, aregenerally for months or years, not individual flights.

On the plus side, look at what AirMap is doing with the Swiss and U-space. If/when that reaches our airspace (or we get the IPP equivalent) we commercial operators are going to have some amazing tools at our disposal.