Latest on airspace waivers

[wolfwill23]

Pardon what may be a newbie question but I heard some talk a while back about the FAA's waiver system getting streamlined and authorizing waivers in 24-48 hours. Does anyone know if that's happened yet? And if not, if it ever will happen?

Thanks

 

[BigAl07]

Pardon what may be a newbie question but I heard some talk a while back about the FAA's waiver system getting streamlined and authorizing waivers in 24-48 hours. Does anyone know if that's happened yet? And if not, if it ever will happen?

Thanks

I believe you're talking about the LAANC system where participating entities (not all participate yet) can grant approvals/denials in a matter of minutes.

Here's some reading for you:

FAA UAS Data Exchange

and of course a listing

FAA Facilities participating in LAANC


It's not without "Hiccups" though. Read this one as well:
LAANC Being temp turned off on select locations . . .

 

[RNCotton]

Yeah, LAANC was supposed to go live today. I was testing the process in Skyward and received this lovely message:

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

 

[wolfwill23]

Thanks for the info on LAANC. It looks like it's moving along.

Until that is up and running, let's say you wanted to shoot a house for real estate, would you go about getting permission to fly by submitting a waiver? And does it really take 90 days to get approval?

Again, pardon the newbie questions. New to the biz side of all this.

Thanks

 

[R Martin]

Thanks for the info on LAANC. It looks like it's moving along.

Until that is up and running, let's say you wanted to shoot a house for real estate, would you go about getting permission to fly by submitting a waiver? And does it really take 90 days to get approval?

Again, pardon the newbie questions. New to the biz side of all this.

Thanks

It takes about 90 days to get authorization; not a waiver. Waivers take a lot longer.
If you want to fly in controlled airspace before LAANC goes live then you want to file for a certificate of authorization (COA) which will give you authorization to fly in controlled airspace. You still have to follow all the regs; you just have permission to operate in controlled airspace. A waiver is for people who need to deviate from the regs. A waiver grants you authority to operate outside a specific regulation provided that you can prove to the FAA that you can do so safely. That last segment (..."prove that you can do so safely...") is why the waiver process takes so long to get through.

 

[wolfwill23]

It takes about 90 days to get authorization; not a waiver. Waivers take a lot longer.
If you want to fly in controlled airspace before LAANC goes live then you want to file for a certificate of authorization (COA) which will give you authorization to fly in controlled airspace. You still have to follow all the regs; you just have permission to operate in controlled airspace. A waiver is for people who need to deviate from the regs. A waiver grants you authority to operate outside a specific regulation provided that you can prove to the FAA that you can do so safely. That last segment (..."prove that you can do so safely...") is why the waiver process takes so long to get through.

Thanks for the info.
So, how are people conducting business with a 90 wait on authorizations? For example, if you want to shoot a house for real estate are people even trying to get authorization or just conducting biz on the DL and hoping that nothing happens??

Also, how do you think the LAANC will affect the industry? Thanks again for the info.

 

[Levitated Media]

So, how are people conducting business with a 90 wait on authorizations? For example, if you want to shoot a house for real estate are people even trying to get authorization or just conducting biz on the DL and hoping that nothing happens??

This is the million dollar question... it took me over a year to get a **** approval. Absolutely ridiculous! My area is riddled with airspace requirements so I've been struggling to land jobs.

 

[Roger A. Ford]

125 days and counting for my authorization application...

 

[R Martin]

Thanks for the info.
So, how are people conducting business with a 90 wait on authorizations? For example, if you want to shoot a house for real estate are people even trying to get authorization or just conducting biz on the DL and hoping that nothing happens??

Also, how do you think the LAANC will affect the industry? Thanks again for the info.

They think ahead. Instead of waiting for a job file for an area that you are likely to be using. I've got a colleague that has filed for enough to cover the I-35 corridor between the TX/OK border and San Antonio (cell tower inspections). How will LAANC affect the industry? When it does what it is supposed to do then it "should" streamline the process. We aren't there yet.

 

[AerialCS]

I used the LAANC in Destin Florida for a few shots around a condo and across the water for a building owner. The airmap app used the LAANC and I was flying within 5 minutes! You simply turn everything on and connect to the internet. Once your system recognizes the airspace, it will alert you to the class and regulations. From there you can fill out some quick information then they text you (instantly) a verification code that unlocks the DJI app to allow the drone to fly. Very cool

 

[BigAl07]

Thanks for the info.
So, how are people conducting business with a 90 wait on authorizations? For example, if you want to shoot a house for real estate are people even trying to get authorization or just conducting biz on the DL and hoping that nothing happens??

Also, how do you think the LAANC will affect the industry? Thanks again for the info.

Like mentioned you don't wait for the NEED to arise to plan ahead. You competition probably has a book full of authorizations etc already to go and you should too.

Allen

 

[wolfwill23]

They think ahead. Instead of waiting for a job file for an area that you are likely to be using. I've got a colleague that has filed for enough to cover the I-35 corridor between the TX/OK border and San Antonio (cell tower inspections). How will LAANC affect the industry? When it does what it is supposed to do then it "should" streamline the process. We aren't there yet.

Ah, that's smart to file before you have the gig. Didn't know that was possible. I thought the the airspace authorization was for only a one-time use. Didn't know it was a blanket authorization. Interesting.

 

[wolfwill23]

Like mentioned you don't wait for the NEED to arise to plan ahead. You competition probably has a book full of authorizations etc already to go and you should too.

Allen

Yeah, I didn't know his was possible (just starting out.) Great tip. Thanks

 

[R Martin]

Ah, that's smart to file before you have the gig. Didn't know that was possible. I thought the the airspace authorization was for only a one-time use. Didn't know it was a blanket authorization. Interesting.

Be proactive about the business. I always ask for two years and get what I get. Each round seems like I get a bit more time tacked on. I maintain three COAs that cover our property and all the outliers that we will conceivably fly. Luckily, the newest addition falls in Class G airspace and will not require yet another COA. If you are going to blanket a city, then review the Facilities map the FAA maintains and see where you need authorization and where you can operate without one. The carve the controlled airspace up into smaller chunks and start filling out paperwork.
Once you have the COAs DO NOT let them expire. Renew them a minimum of one month before they expire to keep them current....less paperwork and less time to turn them around (30 days tops).
Once LAANC gets all the bugs ironed out and the Federal contract towers are included in the mix, then the approval process will be a lot faster than the current system. Until then, learn the paper-pushing and get comfortable with it. It's not as bad as it seems. I spend about 30 minutes on a COA app as of the last round.