night flying waiver

[BigAl07]

Here's what the certificate looks like once you complete the course and pass the 28 question test:

I can tell you this much... the course is EXACTLY what I submitted to the FAA when I requested my 107.29 approval. It goes into detail for the items of interest with graphics and animations that really explain Night Flight limitations and HOW you are supposed to address them.

This course won't fill out the forms for you but they will give you the knowledge to complete the "hardest" portion of what the FAA is "Expecting" you to know. You'll also have to explain your "lighting" and other plans but those are easy to address.

 

[RocketBrew]

Why would you wait? Just because you have your 107 doesn't mean you can't also fly under hobby rules when you want. Just can't mix on the same flight.

Glad to see this info about night flying in this thread. And very glad to see that it's only taking a few weeks to get one through. I thought it was months it was taking. This has been the main reason I have not taken the 107 yet tbo. Want to get some night flying in before that. But a few weeks is not a big deal.

 

[hidiver808]

I have one. Technically, its a waiver for "Daylight Operations", and is good for 4 years. I submitted it late January, and it took a little more than two weeks to receive it.

I was told the FAA would not be doing blanket waivers (4 years lomg.) you could only get a waiver for a specific mission. Is my information false? Or did you have a special.cirxumstance?

 

[Richard R]

Actually, if you look on the FAA site, all of the waivers posted there are multiple-year. It's been authorizations that have been more localized and time specific. Mine was good for 60 days.

 

[KevMo Photog]

Why would you wait? Just because you have your 107 doesn't mean you can't also fly under hobby rules when you want. Just can't mix on the same flight.

Not what I have been told I guess. I thought if you had the 107 then you could not fly at night unless you get the night waiver. FAA told me that you are either or. You may not be flying for money on a job but he said that you are still bound by 107 regulations. Is that not right?

 

[Richard R]

Not what I have been told I guess. I thought if you had the 107 then you could not fly at night unless you get the night waiver. FAA told me that you are either or. You may not be flying for money on a job but he said that you are still bound by 107 regulations. Is that not right?

Nope, pilots choice as to which rules he will be flying under. Just have to decide prior to the flight and abide by the appropriate rules/law. FAA answered that here
Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Frequently Asked Questions

 

[FunN4lo]

Why would you wait? Just because you have your 107 doesn't mean you can't also fly under hobby rules when you want. Just can't mix on the same flight.

Not completely accurate. Commercial drones have a different registration than hobby drones. So if you registered your drone commercial, and it goes down at night, or some other issue causes the FAA to look at your registration during a night flight without waiver, you are going to lose your Part 107 license.

You can fly a different hobby resisted drone at night. (how dumb is that loophole?) Or maybe you could remove and change registration stickers?!?! But I am not sure how the FAA would view that?!?

 

[FunN4lo]

Nope, pilots choice as to which rules he will be flying under. Just have to decide prior to the flight and abide by the appropriate rules/law. FAA answered that here
Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Frequently Asked Questions

The post above I just replied the opposite to this. Where on the page in the link, do you see where a commercially registered drone can make choices of being hobbyist or commercial?

 

[KevMo Photog]

The post above I just replied the opposite to this. Where on the page in the link, do you see where a commercially registered drone can make choices of being hobbyist or commercial?

This is the way that I thought it would be FunN4lo! If you are a 107 I thought that they would basically want you to fly under all of their regulations for it at all times. Whether your flying for fun or for money. In fact I have seen guys on Youtube that have the 107 state that they could not go at night time until they got the waiver!

 

[Richard R]

Not completely accurate. Commercial drones have a different registration than hobby drones. So if you registered your drone commercial, and it goes down at night, or some other issue causes the FAA to look at your registration during a night flight without waiver, you are going to lose your Part 107 license.

You can fly a different hobby resisted drone at night. (how dumb is that loophole?) Or maybe you could remove and change registration stickers?!?! But I am not sure how the FAA would view that?!?

Why not? That would be no different than a manned aircraft pilot with a commercial ticket deciding to do a flight for fun or personal purposes. He can use the same aircraft for that or a commercial flight. FAA rules only require that the sUAS be registered. Just like the big boys.

 

[FunN4lo]

Why not? That would be no different than a manned aircraft pilot with a commercial ticket deciding to do a flight for fun or personal purposes. He can use the same aircraft for that or a commercial flight. FAA rules only require that the sUAS be registered. Just like the big boys.

Why not?

Lets go with your premise. The maned commercial pilot flies his craft for fun. Just because he is flying for fun, does not mean he can break any FAA rule that applies to his maned pilot license or his aircraft registration. But we BOTH digress from the subject.

The FAA does not have just one drone registration path. There is one for hobbyist, and one for commercial. I have 3 drones registered hobbyist. I have one drone registered commercial.

Now I do not have have a link that tells me I can operate my commercial registered drone differently than the Part 107 rules state. But I do have word from an FAA official that tells me I can NOT operate my commercially registered drone, differently than the rules state, on the whim that I am flying hobbyist at a certain moment.

I asked above, and you did not answer. So I will ask again, as if you can provide the answer, it would be beneficial to me. I could show your answer to my FAA official

Where in this link Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Frequently Asked Questions does it tell me I can fly my commercially registered drone at night without a Daylight Ops Waiver?

 

[Richard R]

Why not?

Lets go with your premise. The maned commercial pilot flies his craft for fun. Just because he is flying for fun, does not mean he can break any FAA rule that applies to his maned pilot license or his aircraft registration. But we BOTH digress from the subject.

The FAA does not have just one drone registration path. There is one for hobbyist, and one for commercial. I have 3 drones registered hobbyist. I have one drone registered commercial.

Now I do not have have a link that tells me I can operate my commercial registered drone differently than the Part 107 rules state. But I do have word from an FAA official that tells me I can NOT operate my commercially registered drone, differently than the rules state, on the whim that I am flying hobbyist at a certain moment.

I asked above, and you did not answer. So I will ask again, as if you can provide the answer, it would be beneficial to me. I could show your answer to my FAA official

Where in this link Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Frequently Asked Questions does it tell me I can fly my commercially registered drone at night without a Daylight Ops Waiver?

Check out this post, especially #14 Flying as Hobbyist after getting Part 107 certificate

 

[KongWerks]

Wow... This is confusing. What is a commercially registered drone? I thought when you register with the FAA that that you are registering yourself, not the drone (assuming that the drone meets hobbyist weight limits, size, etc.)? Dont I use the same FAA number on all my AC?

Seeing this discussion makes me totally realize how impossible it is for LEO, the general public and hobbyists to understand the rules around any of this stuff.

I can see that a "drone" that weighs 200 lbs or that can carry a 50 lb payload would be a "commercial" drone and couldn't be flown as a hobby flyer AND a commercial AC and would be registered differently but seeing this is a Phantom forum I assume that we are talking Phantoms not the 8 motors behemoths used to fly full sized movie equipment or weaponized Army AC.

Wow...so confused

 

[FunN4lo]

Check out this post, especially #14 Flying as Hobbyist after getting Part 107 certificate

A bunch of random speculation?!?! Yea...cool... that is the link I'll show to the FAA to get me out of trouble.

So.... in other words you have NOTHING

 

[FunN4lo]

Wow... This is confusing. What is a commercially registered drone? I thought when you register with the FAA that that you are registering yourself, not the drone (assuming that the drone meets hobbyist weight limits, size, etc.)? Dont I use the same FAA number on all my AC?

Seeing this discussion makes me totally realize how impossible it is for LEO, the general public and hobbyists to understand the rules around any of this stuff.

I can see that a "drone" that weighs 200 lbs or that can carry a 50 lb payload would be a "commercial" drone and couldn't be flown as a hobby flyer AND a commercial AC and would be registered differently but seeing this is a Phantom forum I assume that we are talking Phantoms not the 8 motors behemoths used to fly full sized movie equipment or weaponized Army AC.

Wow...so confused

When you go on to register your drone, the first thing you do is set up an account. Or if you already have an account (you are here, I guess you would have an account) put in your login info. After that you will see a screen like the screen capture I have attached.

As a hobbyist, you click on the left and register YOURSELF. You can apply one registration to any and all drones you own that you own and fly.

As a commercial operator you would click on the right to register your DRONE. You have to have a unique registration for every drone you fly commercial.


Clicking on the left as a hobbyist, you enter info about YOURSELF

Clicking on the right as a commercial operator you enter info about your DRONE

The difference in the two (along with having/not having the Part 107 license) is what makes the difference in what you can and can not do with the drone as registered

 

[mikesher]

I was told the FAA would not be doing blanket waivers (4 years lomg.) you could only get a waiver for a specific mission. Is my information false? Or did you have a special.cirxumstance?

No, nothing special in my request. My 'daylight operations' waiver is good for 4 years.

 

[KevMo Photog]

No, nothing special in my request. My 'daylight operations' waiver is good for 4 years.

How long is your nightime waiver good for mikesher?

 

[mikesher]

How long is your nightime waiver good for mikesher?

4 years.

The waiver states:

OPERATIONS AUTHORIZED

Night small unmanned aircraft system (sUAS) operations.

LIST OF WAIVED REGULATIONS BY SECTION AND TITLE
14 CFR § 107.29 Daylight operation

"This Certificate of Waiver is effective from February 8, 2017 to February 28, 2021 and is subject to cancellation at any time upon notice by the Administrator or an authorized representative."

 

[SRJ_Phantom_4_Pro]

Yea looks like 4 years to me!!

 

[BigAl07]

Why not?

Lets go with your premise. The maned commercial pilot flies his craft for fun. Just because he is flying for fun, does not mean he can break any FAA rule that applies to his maned pilot license or his aircraft registration. But we BOTH digress from the subject.

The FAA does not have just one drone registration path. There is one for hobbyist, and one for commercial. I have 3 drones registered hobbyist. I have one drone registered commercial.

Now I do not have have a link that tells me I can operate my commercial registered drone differently than the Part 107 rules state. But I do have word from an FAA official that tells me I can NOT operate my commercially registered drone, differently than the rules state, on the whim that I am flying hobbyist at a certain moment.

I asked above, and you did not answer. So I will ask again, as if you can provide the answer, it would be beneficial to me. I could show your answer to my FAA official

Where in this link Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Frequently Asked Questions does it tell me I can fly my commercially registered drone at night without a Daylight Ops Waiver?

Have your FAA guy contact Kevin Morris (aUAS liaison with FAA). Kevin did a live webinar several months ago and this topic came up and it was clearly explained exactly how Ricard R explained. A commercially registered sUAS can be flown as either Commercial or Hobby but a Hobby sUAS can only be flown for hobby/recreational.

I think I DL'd his write up from the webinar and IF I can locate it (either online or physical) I'll post it back here. I realize you can't/wont take my word for it but Richard R is spot on and knows his stuff.