While many in the general aviation community worry about drones flooding the National Airspace System — and wreaking havoc — drone pilots operate under rigorous requirements to obtain authorization before taking flight in controlled airspace.
And a new FAA program is making the authorization system more efficient and speedy.
It’s known as LAANC (pronounced lance), which stands for Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability.
Before the nationwide implementation of LAANC in 2018, pilots of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) — commonly known as drones — who wanted to fly in controlled airspace had to file a request on the FAA’s DroneZone website.
This process, which is still available, involves filling out a very detailed form describing the nature of your request. For drone pilots it wasn’t the hassle of filling out the form that was exasperating, but the extremely long delays in processing each request. While 90 days was considered the “normal” processing time to receive a yay or nay, many cases took even longer.
That led the FAA to introduce LAANC, which provides almost instantaneous processing of airspace authorizations in controlled airspace.
The benefit to professional drone pilots was a huge leap forward. If they have a client requesting an aerial mission in controlled airspace and they need the flight performed tomorrow, there was almost no way you could get a manual authorization processed in time. But with LAANC, you can get the job done.
How LAANC Works
Under the FAA UAS Data Exchange umbrella, the federal agency has contracted with a number of companies to handle the authorizations.
Many popular drone apps have been approved to provide LAANC services. Some of these include AirMap, Kittyhawk, Skyward, DJI, AltitudeAngel, and more. There are other companies approved for LAANC as well, with more in the works.
When you submit a request through an app, it checks your request against various information, including NOTAMs, facility maps, and Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs). If your request is approved, you will get your authorization to fly — and an approval code — within a few minutes.
LAANC is available at nearly 500 airports at 300 air traffic facilities across the U.S. You can find the full list of airports on the FAA’s website.
Take note there are still some airports not covered by LAANC and those still require the manual approval process.
Where is This Heading?
LAANC could be considered one of the early, evolving steps in the development of better traffic management for drones.
Effective, efficient approvals is a key to encouraging proper operation in the National Airspace System. It also accelerates the safe integration of drones into the system.
As we see more industries adopt drones into their workflow, long delays are minimized by this technology. This translates not only into safety and better drone traffic management, but also increases the ability to expand business with the quicker turnaround of aerial projects in countless areas.
Be a better informed pilot.
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I’m befuddled. I fail to see what substantive difference this LAANC idea provides (other than providing a revenue stream for the companies referenced). Just how does LAANC … “accelerate the safe integration of drones into the system?” LAANC is a process; what is it doing to make it safer for me?
Does it limit the number of drones authorized to operate within — say — the area around MCO Class B airspace? Does it stop them from climbing above 400′ AGL? What does it do for the pilot of an airliner going down the slot into an airport? Is the tower going to announce that drones are operating so as to interrupt their concentration looking for them as they descend? And does LAANC work at non-towered airports? Finally, do you think anyone with nefarious intentions or those who just don’t care going to use this process? What? Seems to me it just makes the paperwork process for the FAA simpler and automated. At least the “old” process slowed them down IF they bothered with it or cared. Only a person who possesses an FAA certificate has any skin in the game to act in accordance with. All others … not so much.
I looked at the LAANC airport list. Just how does an LAANC authorization top operate near an uncontrolled airport like — say — Blythe, CA make it safer for the pilot landing there. There isn’t even a tower. IF geofencing works properly keeping the things below 400′ AGL, that airspace will soon become primordial “soup” in some areas and not much more.
Unless and until all drones have some sort of ADS-B equipage with ID aboard, this is nothing more than an Administrative process aimed to make everyone feel better. If I’m wrong, please send me to school, Terry.