The 5 mile rule only applies to hobbyist, The airports are looking to keep hobbyist away from airports. If you have a 107 certification,You must have approval in all class B,C,D,E airspace.
107 Certification Question
- Thread starter Ryan Hanscom
- Start date
As I understand the Airspace waivers, you still need to contact ATC and inform them of the flight. It makes sense because how else would they be able to maintain a safe airspace without knowledge of the flight? I believe the point of the waiver is that you don't have to go to the FAA portal and wait 3 months before flying, you just contact the tower and let them know.
I just got my first waiver for class D airspace. It took 2 weeks. I was very conservative in my parameters, <100 ft agl, and a very small area of operation, and I was very detailed in my explanation of how I would make certain that missions were conducted safely. The waiver is for 6 months. A stipulation of the waiver is that I contact the tower 30 minutes before flying.
So, when you get a waiver, you may or may not have to contact ATC depending on what the waiver says.
So, when you get a waiver, you may or may not have to contact ATC depending on what the waiver says.
What, lively discussion.
Under 107, as others have said, you don't need to call when within five miles of an airport in Class G as you do under Part 101 (the hobbyist rules.) You do need a waiver, which can take up to 90 days but seem to be taking much less. The waiver will be for a specific geographic area within an airspace (e.g. I have two different waivers under one class D). Some of these waivers require you to call ATC, many do not. (None of mine do but as you have seen, some do.) Theoretically, these can be good for up to four years, but so far I've only heard of six months. Applying is pretty easy but if you get greedy they can and will be denied or take longer.
If you are using your UAS commercially then you need to register each drone, but all drones require a registration number (for hobbyists you can use the same number.) As others have said, it's five dollars and a few minutes per registration. It's not a big investment to just register them.
I'll also argue that operating under FAR 107 also provides you with a bit of insurance. The way that the rules are written, if you violate 101, then you are legally operating under FAR 107, even if you are violating those rules (it's confusing and annoying.) Taking the time to take the exam will help you learn more about the rules and what you can and shouldn't do. It's just a start but it will give you more information than flying under FAR 101. I'd argue it's worth the investment if you are flying anywhere near airspace or other aircraft.
You can find out more about applying for airspace waivers here and here. If it helps, you can find a discussion on the hobbyist rules here. Sadly, it's far more confusing than it should be.
Good luck in your flying. Hopefully over time this will become less confusing.
Under 107, as others have said, you don't need to call when within five miles of an airport in Class G as you do under Part 101 (the hobbyist rules.) You do need a waiver, which can take up to 90 days but seem to be taking much less. The waiver will be for a specific geographic area within an airspace (e.g. I have two different waivers under one class D). Some of these waivers require you to call ATC, many do not. (None of mine do but as you have seen, some do.) Theoretically, these can be good for up to four years, but so far I've only heard of six months. Applying is pretty easy but if you get greedy they can and will be denied or take longer.
If you are using your UAS commercially then you need to register each drone, but all drones require a registration number (for hobbyists you can use the same number.) As others have said, it's five dollars and a few minutes per registration. It's not a big investment to just register them.
I'll also argue that operating under FAR 107 also provides you with a bit of insurance. The way that the rules are written, if you violate 101, then you are legally operating under FAR 107, even if you are violating those rules (it's confusing and annoying.) Taking the time to take the exam will help you learn more about the rules and what you can and shouldn't do. It's just a start but it will give you more information than flying under FAR 101. I'd argue it's worth the investment if you are flying anywhere near airspace or other aircraft.
You can find out more about applying for airspace waivers here and here. If it helps, you can find a discussion on the hobbyist rules here. Sadly, it's far more confusing than it should be.
Good luck in your flying. Hopefully over time this will become less confusing.
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