Working for the airport

[firepilot]

Quick question.

I have a airspace Authorization submitted for a Class Delta airspace. Been a month now. I have been requested by the airport itself to do a map of the airport.

I am a bit unclear as to my legal standing as to being able to do this without yet having that authorization.

I have been flying in the class D just learning the drone and different software packages, and talking to the tower before and after each flight. There is no issue with that. I also do fly into and out of the airspace regularly in the work I do as a helicopter pilot.

Anyone else run across this?

Thank you

Phil

 

[TheoMatthias]

The FAA can take a long time to issue waivers/authorizations - sometimes up to 90-days! That is the reason why everyone is looking forward to the new LAANC system with which the FAA is teasing us!

If you have been requested by the airport to map the facility, the FAA may construe this as a commercial flight even though you may not receive compensation. Do you have your Part 107 certification? I assume so since you've filed for an authorization. I don't think the fact that the client is the actual airport to be mapped will buy you any time-savings in the authorization process.

Technically, until you receive your authorization, I believe you will be in violation of section 107.41. Since I am rather risk-averse buy nature, and feel that keeping the NAS safe for all pilots requires me to "play by the rules", I would not want to take on the task until I have my authorization in hand.

 

[beachcombing]

Yeah, and the tower is not supposed to be giving you permission to fly in that airspace in this situation. They are supposed to be directing you to the FAA website for waivers.

And as noted above, you need to wait until you actual received an approved authorization before you fly there at all under Part 107.

 

[firepilot]

Thanks,

Thats how I was reading everything as well. I will wait for the authorization to come through. The tower did give me an email address to send a note to for the person they usually work with for authorization process.

Its not quite right that I can get a congested area plan to do a helicopter lift job done in a populated area in about a week. And these authorizations can take so long.

So far the tower has done nothing more that let me notify them I will be conducting UAS operations in the class D. I thus far haven't tried to make any money with the Mavic. Still feeling out the different mapping software and trying to get some map pictures that are clear when zoomed in on. For most of these I just outside the class D to save the hassle.

Thanks

Phil

 

[beachcombing]

Hopefully, the LAANC process will be rolled out to the rest of the country quickly and the authorizations will be much, much easier.