LAANC approval and contacting airports before takeoff.

[Ansia]

I was having a discussion with a coworker earlier today about having or not having to contact airports once you get authorization from LAANC.

According to him, once you get approved and authorization code is given, the app sends that same data to registered airports and notify them of your presence.

UAS Data Exchange (LAANC)

www.faa.gov

I say that even if you have authorization, you must contact all airports within 5nm and notify them of your presence and provide them with your authorization code.

I have looked around, but have gotten mixed results.

Which is the correct method?

 

[BigAl07]

With LAANC they are notified. Nothing else is required unless the approval states otherwise.

That "contact within 5nm" is for HOBBY operations. You're mixing requirements

 

[Ansia]

With LAANC they are notified. Nothing else is required unless the approval states otherwise.

That "contact within 5nm" is for HOBBY operations. You're mixing requirements

When I wrote this thread, I was hoping you would answer, knowing you had it. Thanks for that.

Before LAANC had the automatic authorization, I would get the permission with the FAA webpage and had to call the airports to notify them exactly when I would be flying.

I have another question. If I'm flying in a 100' ceiling area, but I'm doing an inspection of a building that is aprox. 180', am I allowed 100' over the building like normal?

 

[BigAl07]

When I wrote this thread, I was hoping you would answer, knowing you had it. Thanks for that.

Before LAANC had the automatic authorization, I would get the permission with the FAA webpage and had to call the airports to notify them exactly when I would be flying.

I have another question. If I'm flying in a 100' ceiling area, but I'm doing an inspection of a building that is aprox. 180', am I allowed 100' over the building like normal?

Negative .... authorizations are MAX height period!

 

[BigAl07]

I was half asleep when I typed that.... I wanted to add that LAANC heights are "absolute" and can not be combined with any other circumstances or "deviations". For those things you'll need to get an approval from ATC.

 

[Ansia]

I was half asleep when I typed that.... I wanted to add that LAANC heights are "absolute" and can not be combined with any other circumstances or "deviations". For those things you'll need to get an approval from ATC.

So if I wanted to fly up to the height of the building (not go above it) I will have to ask the ATC? Correct?

 

[BigAl07]

So if I wanted to fly up to the height of the building (not go above it) I will have to ask the ATC? Correct?

Yes exactly. If you are "approved" in LAANC to say 200' AGL (that's an absolute) and you want to fly up & over a building that's 300' then you have to get approval. While that makes no sense (at least to me) it's how the rules are currently written for LAANC.

 

[2edgesword]

So if I wanted to fly up to the height of the building (not go above it) I will have to ask the ATC? Correct?

If you want to fly above the building you put in the height you want to fly at in your LAANC request.

 

[Ansia]

Yes exactly. If you are "approved" in LAANC to say 200' AGL (that's an absolute) and you want to fly up & over a building that's 300' then you have to get approval. While that makes no sense (at least to me) it's how the rules are currently written for LAANC.

Well that crippled my flight a bit. Guess I'll do the flight for the 3D rendering for the first 100' now, while I wait for permission to fly the other 80'. Thanks for the info. It's been a while since I've flown in controlled airspace and the new LAANC authorization system started recently, so it's all new to me.

 

[2edgesword]

Yes exactly. If you are "approved" in LAANC to say 200' AGL (that's an absolute) and you want to fly up & over a building that's 300' then you have to get approval. While that makes no sense (at least to me) it's how the rules are currently written for LAANC.

Why doesn't it make sense to you? If you want approval to fly at 300' that's the altitude you put in your LAANC request. Why doesn't that make sense?

 

[Ansia]

Why doesn't it make sense to you? If you want approval to fly at 300' that's the altitude you put in your LAANC request. Why doesn't that make sense?

If you are in a 100' ceiling area, you won't get approved for 300'.

 

[BigAl07]

Why doesn't it make sense to you? If you want approval to fly at 300' that's the altitude you put in your LAANC request. Why doesn't that make sense?

It would make sense that if there is a 200' building in a grid that the lowest portion of that grid would be at least 200' AGL. When I'm flying in manned aircraft I always note the highest thing depicted in that quadrant of the sectional and use that to determine my entire flight. It doesn't make sense to me to have a 100' grid with a 180' building/structure in it. At some point someone is going to need/want to shoot that structure. It just seems like the grid altitude would encompass anything within that grid from the start.

Just my simple 2 cents

 

[Ansia]

《------ Needs to shoot that structure.

I do find funny that DJI's Geofencing allows for 198', instead of the FAA approved 100'.

 

[2edgesword]

If you are in a 100' ceiling area, you won't get approved for 300'.

O.k., maybe I'm missing something but if you're in an area where you need authorization to fly above a 100' ceiling I'm assuming flight below that ceiling isn't required. So if you requesting authorization to fly above the 100' ceiling the request would be for the highest altitude you'll need to fly at to accomplish the mission. What am I missing?

I'm looking at this from the standpoint of the upside-down wedding cake where controlled airspace that is not controlled down to the surface (outside the 5 mile radius of an airport) has a base that is 100', 200', etc. You can fly under that ceiling without authorization. To fly above that ceiling you request authorization for the maximum altitude you need to fly at to accomplish the mission.

 

[Ansia]

O.k., maybe I'm missing something but if you're in an area where you need authorization to fly above a 100' ceiling I'm assuming flight below that ceiling isn't required. So if you requesting authorization to fly above the 100' ceiling the request would be for the highest altitude you'll need to fly at to accomplish the mission. What am I missing?

I'm looking at this from the standpoint of the upside-down wedding cake where controlled airspace that is not controlled down to the surface (outside the 5 mile radius of an airport) has a base that is 100', 200', etc. You can fly under that ceiling without authorization. To fly above that ceiling you request authorization for the maximum altitude you need to fly at to accomplish the mission.

I can get instant LAANC to fly in that area up to 100', but the building in said area is 180-200' high.

Since Part 107 is allowed to fly 400' over objects, my question was if it also applied in this area where it clearly was stated that the max allowed ceiling for authorization was 100'.

If I want to finish my inspection, then I have to use the old method of authorization that may take up to 90 days.

 

[2edgesword]

I can get instant LAANC to fly in that area up to 100', but the building in said area is 180-200' high.
View attachment 110227

Since Part 107 is allowed to fly 400' over objects, my question was if it also applied in this area where it clearly was stated that the max allowed ceiling for authorization was 100'.

If I want to finish my inspection, then I have to use the old method of authorization that may take up to 90 days.

Excuse my terrible wording but I think I understand now what you were getting at. As BigAl07 said the LAANC authorization is only up to the height made in the authorization request. There are no add-ons allowed for structures in the area similar to the allowance to fly higher than 400' if you stay within 400' of a particular structure.

My experience with LAANC is in areas that require authorization from the surface up to 400'. Theoretically you can get authorization up to 400' but the FAA will decide based on airport operations the maximum height of the authorization they will provide. I wasn't aware that there are situations where you could get authorization up to a certain height (100') via LAANC but some other route would have to be taken to get authorization say from 101' to 400'.

 

[Ansia]

Excuse my terrible wording but I think I understand now what you were getting at. As BigAl07 said the LAANC authorization is only up to the height made in the authorization request. There are no add-ons allowed for structures in the area similar to the allowance to fly higher than 400' if you stay within 400' of a particular structure.

My experience with LAANC is in areas that require authorization from the surface up to 400'. Theoretically you can get authorization up to 400' but the FAA will decide based on airport operations the maximum height of the authorization they will provide. I wasn't aware that there are situations where you could get authorization up to a certain height (100') via LAANC but some other route would have to be taken to get authorization say from 101' to 400'.

As you are aware, there are areas where the ceiling is 0' and you cannot fly there at all. If you get the proper authorization from FAA, you can fly legally in those places. Just imagine yourself flying through a runway in an international airport. I know that there is a 0.000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000001% of you getting approval there, but if you do, it can be done. Next topic is DJI's Geofencing 2.0, but we will need another thread for that one.

 

[Deleted member 29014]

It would make sense that if there is a 200' building in a grid that the lowest portion of that grid would be at least 200' AGL. When I'm flying in manned aircraft I always note the highest thing depicted in that quadrant of the sectional and use that to determine my entire flight. It doesn't make sense to me to have a 100' grid with a 180' building/structure in it. At some point someone is going to need/want to shoot that structure. It just seems like the grid altitude would encompass anything within that grid from the start.

Just my simple 2 cents

The FAA silliness hopefully will level of, eventually. I had a construction site job in a 100 ft grid. Cranes all over the place, tallest one at least 250 ft. Wanted 300 but was granted 250 but had to :

• The UAS shall not fly higher than the tallest crane, 250 feet, at any time.
• The UAS will remain within a 500 foot radius of the tallest crane.

We are both manned pilots and you know how silly that restriction was. Is a chopper pilot going to come weaving between cranes, below 250? I got the job done, but really...

 

[Ansia]

The FAA silliness hopefully will level of, eventually. I had a construction site job in a 100 ft grid. Cranes all over the place, tallest one at least 250 ft. Wanted 300 but was granted 250 but had to :

• The UAS shall not fly higher than the tallest crane, 250 feet, at any time.
• The UAS will remain within a 500 foot radius of the tallest crane.

We are both manned pilots and you know how silly that restriction was. Is a chopper pilot going to come weaving between cranes, below 250? I got the job done, but really...

In reality, for what I want, I don't need to fly above the building's height, since I'm focusing on the walls (precast panels, plaster, windows, etc). I am currently writing the request in the FAA's website. It usually takes me a while, since I have to provide coordinates, radius, height, blah blah. I take a long time writing this stuff, to make it as perfect as possible so I don't get denied. I have been denied before and it's a pain to reapply and wait another 90 days (42 in my case).

 

[BigAl07]

As you are aware, there are areas where the ceiling is 0' and you cannot fly there at all. If you get the proper authorization from FAA, you can fly legally in those places. Just imagine yourself flying through a runway in an international airport. I know that there is a 0.000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000001% of you getting approval there, but if you do, it can be done. Next topic is DJI's Geofencing 2.0, but we will need another thread for that one.

Last fall we did get approval to fly across a runway for a "simulated" aviation disaster we were responding to on the State Emergency Services level. It's wasn't easy and required several face to face meetings and more paperwork than the law should allow but we got it and it went off without a hitch.

Disclaimer: This runway was CLOSED at the time and NOT an ACTIVE runway but it was directly beside an active runway. We had constant ATC Comms and an Entourage with us the entire time "just in case".

The FAA silliness hopefully will level of, eventually. I had a construction site job in a 100 ft grid. Cranes all over the place, tallest one at least 250 ft. Wanted 300 but was granted 250 but had to :

• The UAS shall not fly higher than the tallest crane, 250 feet, at any time.
• The UAS will remain within a 500 foot radius of the tallest crane.

We are both manned pilots and you know how silly that restriction was. Is a chopper pilot going to come weaving between cranes, below 250? I got the job done, but really...

Yes I totally agree. It should get easier and more "logical" as times goes by.