Drone operators are frequently receiving news from governments and regulatory bodies about further restrictions on drone usage.
So alas, some good news for drone users. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), based in the United States, has today announced that it is expanding tests of an automated system that will allow for real-time processing of airspace authorization requests nationwide. Under the current policy (FAA’s Part 107) small drone operators must have approval from the agency in order to operate in any space that is already controlled by an air traffic facility. Now, while this still remains the case, under the new changes the agency created a prototype entitled Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) that will allow air traffic facilities to evaluate the fully automated solution by data sharing. For the drone operator, this will mean that when using LAANC they will be able to receive real-time airspace authorizations. In turn, this is likely to significantly reduce wait times for pilots waiting for approval, who have, up until now, been using a manual authorization process. This is not only beneficial to the drone operator but it is also for air traffic controllers. Controllers are now able to see where and when planned drone operations will take place. From April 16, the FAA will consider expanding LAANC to a number of different services provides. Currently, there are four - Project Wing, Rockwell Collins, AirMap, and Skyward.
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