Have you actually applied for a DroneZone airspace authorization yet? In my experience approvals have come much faster than 45 days. You can also get a blanket airspace authorization for your nearby Class D for periods as long as 2 years at a time, depending on what you are asking for.
My previous experience was a turn around of just a few days and I had a blanket authorization of six months for my local area. I applied back on 9/12 for an authorization that was expiring on 9/30. So since I had not heard anything through the DroneZone site, yesterday I sent a kind message to them asking what the status of my request was and here is their response: "The FAA received your airspace authorization request on 12 Sep. Because of the recent significant increase in volume as a result of recreational flyer having access to DroneZone authorizations, processing times for request are running in excess of 45 days. The FAA appreciates your patience."
Ouch. Thanks for the update there.
It seems like it would be more fair for the FAA to prioritize Part 107 airspace applications since many of those flights are for time sensitive business flights that have a need for a specific location.
Ouch. Thanks for the update there.
It seems like it would be more fair for the FAA to prioritize Part 107 airspace applications since many of those flights are for time sensitive business flights that have a need for a specific location.
Just got a response to my request to give priority to Part 107 pilots requests, here is their reply: "The analysts who process the authorization requests are bound by federal law to process all requests on an as-received basis. The FAA is currently considering splitting 107 and recreational authorizations."
Nope...and the towers don’t take calls from sUAS operators anymore.
Not necessarily true- some of the smaller ones don't know or follow that rule yet. The one in our town that has an air tanker base still takes written notices, and a smaller airport near Palm Springs tells me to just call them the morning before I go up.
Would small airports have their own controlled airspace?
It depends.... on how small... .sometimes if they are near a larger Towered airport the larger airport "controls" the airspace as well.... there is no hard answer one way or the other except... It depends
FWIW.... you can get long term waver to fly. My solution for my practice area, which is 4 square miles and encompasses a large area of class D airspace, was an application for clearance through the FAA’s DroneZone site. It took about 3 weeks to get a long term waiver. My clearance is valid through August 31, 2021.