A general contractor schedules a monthly aerial flight for the week before the draw package goes out. Three days before the date, the operator asks whether anyone has checked the airspace. The site sits close to an airport, and the flight cannot happen until the authorization question is settled. The date slips, and the draw package goes out with older images.
That situation is avoidable. Airspace is a planning item, and it is worth raising at project kickoff rather than the week of the flight. Here is how the authorization process works and what it means for a construction schedule.
Why some sites need authorization
Under FAA Part 107, commercial drone pilots need prior authorization from Air Traffic Control to operate in certain controlled airspace. The rule, 14 CFR 107.41, says no person may operate a small unmanned aircraft in Class B, Class C, or Class D airspace, or within the lateral boundaries of the surface area of Class E airspace designated for an airport, without that authorization.
In practice, whether a particular site is affected depends on how close it is to an airport and how the surrounding airspace is classified. Projects near airports are the ones affected, which is why this belongs in the planning conversation for any Front Range job near an airport.
What LAANC is
LAANC, the Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability, is how many of these authorizations are requested. According to the FAA, Part 107 pilots can submit a near-real-time request for operations under 400 feet in controlled airspace around airports. The request goes through an FAA-approved UAS Service Supplier, an app or desktop tool, and is checked against data such as UAS Facility Maps, Special Use Airspace data, temporary flight restrictions, and NOTAMs. If approved, the pilot can receive the authorization in near-real time.
LAANC is not available everywhere. The FAA lists it at 726 airports. In controlled airspace around other airports, pilots use the manual process through FAADroneZone.
How facility maps shape the plan
The FAA publishes UAS Facility Maps, which show the maximum altitudes around airports where the FAA may authorize Part 107 operations. The FAA is clear that the maps are informational only: they do not authorize operations at the depicted altitudes. Operators still apply for authorization in controlled airspace.
For a project, the useful part is the altitude ceiling. A site might be approved for flights at a lower altitude than a particular capture plan would otherwise use. That can affect how a flight is planned, so it is worth knowing before the first flight, not after.
When a project needs to fly above the ceiling shown on the map, up to 400 feet, the FAA describes a further coordination request. It can be submitted up to 90 days before a flight, and the FAA coordinates approval manually. If a request is denied, the facility may provide guidance so the operator can adjust the operation and resubmit. The practical lesson is that anything beyond a standard automated approval needs lead time.
What it means for your schedule
For owners and general contractors, the schedule consequences are straightforward:
- Ask at kickoff. Have the operator check the site address against the airspace before the first flight is scheduled, and write down the answer.
- Plan early for higher altitudes. If the capture plan needs more altitude than the facility map allows, build in time for the manual coordination process.
- Keep a backup date. Weather and airspace can both move a flight. A second date inside the same window protects the deliverable.
- Protect the draw window. Many projects assemble the monthly draw on or around the 20th, with completed work projected or prorated through month-end. That is common, not universal, and individual project requirements vary. Where it applies, aerial documentation has to be current within days, and with delivery in 2–3 business days, a flight that slips by a week can miss the window entirely.
What LAANC does not cover
The FAA notes that LAANC provides airspace authorizations only. The pilot must still check NOTAMs and weather and follow all airspace restrictions. An operation that requires both a waiver and an airspace authorization is handled through FAADroneZone. LAANC also does not handle site access, owner permissions, or the safety rules on the jobsite itself, which remain separate conversations with the project team.
To qualify for Part 107 operations at all, the drone must be registered and the pilot must hold a Remote Pilot Certificate. Those are baseline requirements for anyone flying commercially, and a reasonable first question when comparing operators.
Questions to ask any operator
- Is this site in controlled airspace, and how was that confirmed?
- Who requests authorization, and how far ahead of the flight?
- What altitude is approved, and does it change the capture plan?
- What is the backup date if the first one does not work?
How Dragonfly Aerials approaches it
Dragonfly Aerials is an FAA Part 107 certified company based in Arvada, serving projects across the Colorado Front Range, including the Denver area. Founder Mike Brown is a former construction superintendent, so scheduling is built around the project calendar, with airspace checked as part of flight planning. Our construction progress documentation service provides recurring flights with consistent angles and time-stamped imagery, and the How It Works page walks through planning, capture, and delivery. The services overview covers the rest of what we offer.
The takeaway
Airspace status is a quick check at kickoff that can prevent a missed flight later. If your next project sits near an airport and you want the flight schedule settled early, you can request a quote.