USA Title 14 CFR Part 107 Waivers (Post your approved/rejected)

[Terry Power]

Today I received an email with a tracking number regarding a waiver I applied for early September. Thank you for submitting an application for a Certificate of Waiver to 14 CFR Part 107. Your waiver tracking number is 107W-2016-00XXX. Please use this number in all future communications. You will receive additional communication from us in the near future. Good to see something is happening.

I got that also. New 107 operator, no prior 333. Filed on September 1st. Still waiting for a reply.....

 

[Adam T]

Thanks for the info- very helpful. Now, what kind of anti-collision lights are available / practical for the Inspire 1 that are visible from 3SM?

Hi all, I know this should be in a different thread, but just wanted to respond to Jim Z.

Hi Jim, this may be of interest... I found this video of a bright strobe which was reviewed by shockwave199 in the PhantomPilots forum. It appears to be comparable to the ubiquitous anti-collision strobes seen on many civil aircraft and looks to be a viable solution for Part 107 night flights.

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

 

[Talon Six]

Not exactly a clean installation, but certainly promising...

 

[licensed pilot]

Now that Part 107 is live I thought it could be a good thing to gather some data on the waiver process and how long the approvals are taking. The form instructions (here) say that it can take up to 90 days for approval. However, I have heard on another forum that Airspace requests have been approved much faster (some say around 24 hours).

For those that don't know, the website to submit a request for waiver/airspace authorization is HERE.

As you receive responses on your waiver I think we would all appreciate it if you provided some basic information on your request, how long it took to get a response and if it was approved or rejected. It doesn't have to be much information, just something simple like:

Requested on: September 1st
Requested waiver for: 107.29 Daylight operations
or Requested waiver for certain airspace (please list the Class Airspace that you requested)
Received response on:
Approved: Y/N

Anyone received a night waiver who applied before 9/2/16? That's when I applied, still waiting.

 

[ringolong]

Will the night waiver expire?

 

[licensed pilot]

Will the night waiver expire?

they all do, looks like 4 yrs.

 

[ringolong]

Airman Certificate no

Do we have to wait on the permanent cert to submit waivers? Not sure where this would be located unless this is it? FTN: C1074750

 

[ADT]

Airman Certificate no

Do we have to wait on the permanent cert to submit waivers? Not sure where this would be located unless this is it? FTN: C1074750

You can submit for a waiver one you get your temporary certificate. In the Waiver and Airspace Authorization Application Instructions it says that, if you don't have your Cert # to put Pending in that field.

 

[Gregd7]

I got my Temporary Part 107 Certificate on Tempter 9th and requested multiple Class D Airspace Authorizations using the FAA online form and have never gotten an email, call, or anything.(It's now October 10th) Should I have received something by now? There is no way to check. The whole system seems a little wonky to me. So if I have a client who wants me to shoot something in a couple of weeks and it's in Class B,C,D, or E airspace I have to request authorization online but I have no idea when or if it will get approved. Seems like a sure way to lose business. In the meantime the client could call is 14 year old nephew who just has to call a tower and get permission. Seems wonky to me. Hopefully I'll get the approval soon.

 

[SanCap]

I received a reply today for two waivers I applied for to fly within 2 miles of a class airspace D airport. They didn't like my altitude and radius and suggested a fix which I accepted. Now I will wait for the FAA to give me the approved waiver. I do not remember the date I applied for them.

 

[ADT]

I received a reply today for two waivers I applied for to fly within 2 miles of a class airspace D airport. They didn't like my altitude and radius and suggested a fix which I accepted. Now I will wait for the FAA to give me the approved waiver. I do not remember the date I applied for them.

Congrats! At least someone is having some success.

I got a form response from them today that they were unable to process my request because I failed to give them at least 90 days notice. I guess that is going to be their way of clearing out the back log of requests.

 

[Talon Six]

Congrats! At least someone is having some success.

I got a form response from them today that they were unable to process my request because I failed to give them at least 90 days notice. I guess that is going to be their way of clearing out the back log of requests.

90 days is not going to work for clients who are looking to schedule a week or so in advance. I put in an airspace authorization request two weeks ago for 10 Oct (yep...yesterday) and still haven't heard squat. My aviation lawyer is urging me to just put in a waiver request. I told her that I wanted to feel out the authorization system first before going down that road. In my opinion this process is too new to judge long term prospects.

Minor gripe, but I wish the airspace authorizations were in decimal degrees instead of degrees, minutes, seconds.

 

[licensed pilot]

You got me on this one, what's the difference between "an airspace authorization request " and a waiver? Are you referring to a COA?

 

[Talon Six]

So the authorization is just that - an authorization for one flight. The waiver would be a waiver from having to request airspace authorizations (based on what I don't know but that's why I have an aviation lawyer).

Essentially the waiver would exempt me from having to request authorization for each flight, as she explains it. Not sure if I want to go that route since I'm not eager to poke the bear what with my operating area being almost entirely Class D.

 

[licensed pilot]

So the authorization is just that - an authorization for one flight. The waiver would be a waiver from having to request airspace authorizations (based on what I don't know but that's why I have an aviation lawyer).

Essentially the waiver would exempt me from having to request authorization for each flight, as she explains it. Not sure if I want to go that route since I'm not eager to poke the bear what with my operating area being almost entirely Class D.

OK, so you are saying you can get authorization for a one time flight in a class D airspace w/o going the waiver route? Calling the tower?

 

[Talon Six]

OK, so you are saying you can get authorization for a one time flight in a class D airspace w/o going the waiver route? Calling the tower?

No, as of 3 October it's an online form here: Request a Waiver/Airspace Authorization – Small Unmanned Aircraft System (sUAS) The FAA has directed tower operators to refer all airspace requests to the website. Here's the reference on Page 8 of this document: http://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Order/FAA_JO_7200_23_2.pdf

On the online form, note that down in the Waiver/Airspace Authorization section, the first check box is "Regulation subject to airspace authorization". The remainder of the check boxes are all "Regulations subject to waiver".

Looking at the waivers approved page, it doesn't look like the FAA has granted any airspace waivers yet.

 

[William Gaddy]

You can still get a long-term airspace authorization in the airspace you wish to fly in, if this is an ongoing requirement. However it requires a full-on 333 waiver, and the scrutiny will be higher. You will need a very organized log, and a full Operations Manual for your company describing how you would ensure safety in that airspace (emergency radio comms, procedures for training VO's, etc). You still will need to get ATC/FAA clearinghouse acceptance to my understanding, but with a 333 you would not have to wait 90 days, it could/should come at a moment's notice. Anyone correct me if I'm wrong, I'm in the middle of several airspace and operational waivers, so I haven't tested this "theory" yet.

 

[licensed pilot]

No, as of 3 October it's an online form here: Request a Waiver/Airspace Authorization – Small Unmanned Aircraft System (sUAS) The FAA has directed tower operators to refer all airspace requests to the website. Here's the reference on Page 8 of this document: http://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Order/FAA_JO_7200_23_2.pdf

On the online form, note that down in the Waiver/Airspace Authorization section, the first check box is "Regulation subject to airspace authorization". The remainder of the check boxes are all "Regulations subject to waiver".

Looking at the waivers approved page, it doesn't look like the FAA has granted any airspace waivers yet.

OK, semantics, both can take up to 90 days. Thanks.

 

[Talon Six]

OK, semantics, both can take up to 90 days. Thanks.

True, but eventually the FAA wants to go to an automated system where if the request is within the air traffic authority's boundaries for safe operation, the approval should be instantaneous. I emailed uasfm.gov to see if I can get our local airspace map so I can try to operate within the established bounds.

 

[licensed pilot]

True, but eventually the FAA wants to go to an automated system where if the request is within the air traffic authority's boundaries for safe operation, the approval should be instantaneous. I emailed uasfm.gov to see if I can get our local airspace map so I can try to operate within the established bounds.

Yeah, that would be great. Just lost a job today in a class D airspace, and a few in last 90 days.