LAANC airspace approval in the USA

Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC)

In the last few years, airspace authorization has gotten much easier with the rollout of the LAANC program. Not every airport has LAANC yet, but the ones that do make airspace authorization easy. Most International airports around the country have LAANC available; the full list of airports can be found here

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How do I know if I am in LAANC airspace?

LAANC airspace will be noted in the grid section you are flying with the demarcation “Automated authorization available.” This means you can get instant approval at that altitude or lower by filing a LAANC application.

Here are two of the most popular LAANC providers for airspace authorization/approval:

B4UFLY/Aloft

AirMap

Example:

You need to fly the Strawberry farms golf club for a potential solar array in their parking lot. You notice that the airspace in Airmap looks like there might be some restrictions. How do you proceed?

• Click on the area you intend to fly. Notice if it says “Automated Authorization at or below 200' "
• Using a LAANC application, you can apply for immediate approval, assuming the operation is below the ceiling of the airspace you are flying.

What if the application shows airspace but does not say "Automated authorzation available?"

If you plan on flying in an area with no automatic authorization, and there is no phone number listed in AirMap, please use SkyVector, which is more in-depth since it includes the aeronautical charts and a list of airports with detailed information on each airport. Best practice is to call the airport manager first before calling the tower directly. Contact info can be found in the airport chart supplement and ownership info. Please see this example.

Most likely you will need to login to your FAA Dronezone account and apply for an airspace authorization. This can take anywhere from a days to 90 days to approve. Please contact hello@scanifly if you need assistance with an operation that is in airspace that is not covered by LAANC.