We have a job that will require a short, 12-15 minute flight (a Pix4d grid) at 180 ft. AGL and is within Class E Surface of a non-towered town airport. This flight will occur on a weekly basis, one day per week, for a few weeks or more. The administrator of the town airport encompassed by the Class E said that he can give clearance for this as needed (without FAA involvement).
However, upon looking at the DroneZone, it has two choices to start this process, "airspace waiver" and "airspace authorization" (we are not seeking an operational waiver). The DroneZone seems to want to direct us to the LAANC system which is active for the airport we will be near, but the quad for our proposed flight area lists a zero elevation, so I don't think we can do that. Has anyone here gone through this process, and if so, is an "authorization" through the DronzeZone going to be enough for us, or do we need to go through the more lengthy process of obtaining the "waiver"? Do we even need to use the DroneZone application process in this case when we already have airport administration approval? What is the difference in wait time on a waiver vs. an authorization?
However, upon looking at the DroneZone, it has two choices to start this process, "airspace waiver" and "airspace authorization" (we are not seeking an operational waiver). The DroneZone seems to want to direct us to the LAANC system which is active for the airport we will be near, but the quad for our proposed flight area lists a zero elevation, so I don't think we can do that. Has anyone here gone through this process, and if so, is an "authorization" through the DronzeZone going to be enough for us, or do we need to go through the more lengthy process of obtaining the "waiver"? Do we even need to use the DroneZone application process in this case when we already have airport administration approval? What is the difference in wait time on a waiver vs. an authorization?