As a remote pilot, the most important regulation you will follow while flying your drone has to do with the National Airspace System — specifically, understanding whether or not you’re in controlled or uncontrolled airspace.
In this article, we’ll be walking through airspace authorization, the LAANC system, and the differences in rules for hobbyists vs. FAA-licensed drone pilots.
The Purpose of LAANC
LAANC, or the Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability, was created as a means for the FAA to work more directly with the private drone sector to authorize and monitor the flights of remote pilots.
Prior to LAANC, drone operators needing airspace authorization for their flights in Class B, C, D, and some Class E airports would need to submit a request via the website FAADroneZone, which could take anywhere from a week to several months to receive authorization for a flight.
The system was inefficient at best, for both pilots and regulatory bodies, and with how rapidly drones are being registered and integrated into commercial industries the process needed streamlining.
Now, pilots have the exciting liberty to create a flight plan in controlled Class B, C, D, or Class E airspace and receive authorization for that flight the same day, often within a few minutes.
It’s worth noting that LAANC is available for both commercial / Part 107 regulations, but also for hobbyists looking to operate in controlled airspace.
Smart Software Integration
LAANC is powered by a small group of dedicated application providers that act as the medium between flight planning and approvals from the appropriate Air Traffic Control.
Using either the drone controller, your smartphone, tablet, or desktop PC you are able to submit a request to fly in controlled airspace, and often within minutes, the controlling body will be able to approve your flight or justifiably deny it.
Aside from the common rules surrounding airspace, the applications will also filter your request using your GPS location and determine if there are extenuating factors for the time you want to fly such as NOTAMS (Notices to airmen) or TFRs (Temporary Flight Restrictions). The applications are always updating so it will not be uncommon for you to be submitting a request and see your flight is automatically denied based on current holds in place.
There are several software options when it comes to utilizing the LAANC which we will outline below.
Understanding the Gridded Numbers
In the photo below, we’ve selected a location to fly using our Part 107 certification, and when flying in the yellow outlined grid, our flight will be approved automatically when flying 100 feet AGL (above ground level) or below.
If you need to fly higher than 100 ft. in that part of the map, you’d still apply for authorization through LAANC.
Because you’re asking to fly over the UAS Facility Maps max gridded-altitude, your request may still be approved but would need coordination with the local airport and additional FAA safety analysis. This process typically takes 1-2 weeks, and it’s important to know that these situations are very much looked at on a case-by-case basis.
If you apply or authorization to fly your drone smack-dab off an LAX airport runway, odds are that’s not going to get approved in 1-2 weeks, probably at all without some serious back-and-forth and regulatory counsel.
It is also worth mentioning that in this example, the flight grid we selected immediately becomes 0 ft AGL one quadrant to the right. And one and two quadrants to the left, you’ll see max altitudes of 100 ft. AGL and then 300 ft. AGL.
In the 0 ft. AGL grid, you wouldn’t be able to get near-instant authorization through LAANC. But you’d still apply through that system, knowing that you’ll eventually be asked to provide more information.
Leading LAANC Software For Fast Flight Authorizations
There are a handful of private companies that facilitate LAANC authorizations — and many of these companies offer web, mobile, or tablet applications that are great for airspace research and mission planning.
With the abundance of jobs that require quick scheduling within controlled airspace, being able to say yes to a project and get it approved the same day has changed everything.
Aloft
Aloft (formerly Kittyhawk) has been praised by drone professionals for its all-in-one utility capabilities and is the #1 provider of LAANC services according to their marketing materials.
Beyond requesting flight authorization via LAANC, useful features include:
- Comprehensive VFR Sectional Charts for in-depth flight planning
- Real-time NOTAMS, TFRs and METARs you can view prior to submitting a flight plan which is unique to this app.
- Synchronization to the DJI app to keep track of flight logs, UAV performance, battery health and your entire fleet of drones.
Aloft is an excellent choice if you’re running a drone operation with multiple team members by allowing you to customize flight restrictions and best practices under individual profiles. This includes automated flight restrictions on your drone fleet like flight ceilings, maximum distances from the pilot, and no-fly zones. These settings will be applied automatically so your pilot can fly without having to worry about restrictions.
Sometimes there is no time to wait and see what a drone saw after the fact. Aloft is built to provide live video stream of what a drone is seeing to team members. Complete with conference-call audio., this is a powerful tool for incident response, training, and safety.
Aloft has both free and paid plans, with subscription tiers based on feature sets and which target serious drone operators, commercial teams, and large-scale enterprise operations.
Get Started Today
Without question, the best application of your drone education is becoming familiar with the airspaces you intend on flying in. Beyond the airspace, what kind of additional challenges will come with your intended flight? Are there a lot of people who frequent the area? Is your line of sight obstructed by buildings and trees?
While the LAANC has revolutionized the ability to access locations for flight, it doesn’t make complex assignments any easier. If you feel nervous about flying your drone you are always welcome to look into our hands-on drone flight training in an area near you.
