Certifications, Waivers, Authorizations, & Geofencing Procedures Key Terms and Definitions

Question 1

COA

Answer 1

Certificate of Authorization

Question 2

COW

Answer 2

Certificate of Waiver

Question 3

LAANC

Answer 3

Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability

Question 4

PAO

Answer 4

Public Aircraft Operation

Question 5

Airspace Waiver

Answer 5

Airspace Waivers are for broad area, long-term (up to two years) approval to access controlled airspace without having to contact Air Traffic Control before each flight. Airspace Waivers are applied for at the FAA Drone Zone website.

Question 6

Authorization

Answer 6

A regulatory requirement which must be met before an action can take place. In the context of this lesson, it is a regulatory requirement for all UAS pilots to have prior written permission to enter controlled airspace under 14CFR Part 107.41. Airspace authorizations are requested through LAANC, if available. Where LAANC is not available, airspace authorizations are submitted through the FAA Drone Zone webpage.

Question 7

Civil Aircraft Operation

Answer 7

Any operation that does not meet the statutory criteria for a PAO is a civil aircraft operation and must be conducted in accordance with all FAA regulations applicable to the operation. The public aircraft statute sets forth criteria that determine whether a government operation qualifies as a PAO.

Question 8

GeoFencing

Answer 8

Geofencing is an “…automated flight limitation that prevents the UAS from entering a predefined area (e.g. airspace around a sensitive facility/location)….”

p. 17, 27 Feb., 2020 FAA Drone Advisory Council minutes

Question 9

LANNC

Answer 9

LAANC is the Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability, a collaboration between FAA and Industry. It directly supports UAS integration into the airspace.

LAANC provides:

Drone pilots with access to controlled airspace at or below 400 feet.
Awareness of where pilots can and cannot fly.
Air Traffic Professionals with visibility into where and when drones are operating.

Question 10

Legal Framework

Answer 10

In the context of authorized flight operations within the US National Airspace System (NAS), a regulatory system for Civil Aircraft Operations or Public Aircraft Operations.

Question 11

Operational Waiver

Answer 11

Operational Waivers may be requested for those waiverable regulations, such as 107.29, Daylight Operation. An approved waiver for 107.29(a) (No person may operate a small unmanned aircraft system at night) allows a pilot to fly at night under the Special Provisions specified in a Certificate of Waiver (COW). Operational Waivers are applied for at the FAA Drone Zone website.

Question 12

Public Aircraft Operation

Answer 12

Public aircraft performing official government functions under the statutory definition of “public aircraft” in Title 49 of the United States Code.

Question 13

Runway Exclusion Zone

Answer 13

“…a rectangular area— ‘‘(A) centered on the centerline of an active runway of an airport immediately around which the airspace is designated as class B, class C, or class D airspace at the surface under part 71 of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations; and ‘‘(B) the length of which extends parallel to the runway’s centerline to points that are 1 statute mile from each end of the runway and the width of which is 1⁄2 statute mile….” Source: Section 384 2018 FAA Reauthorization Act

Question 14

Waiver

Answer 14

An approved deviation from an existing regulation. In the context of this lesson, UAS pilots may propose an alternate course of action for certain existing regulations listed in 14 CFR Part 107.25. UAS pilots must demonstrate their alternate course of action can meet an equivalent level of safety as the original regulation. There are two types of waivers: Operational Waivers and Airspace Waivers.