Why the FAA Rejects Part 107 Waiver Applications, and What an Approved One Contains
Drone operators seeking waivers for exceptions to the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA's) Part 107 rules are often puzzled when their applications are returned or outright denied. The FAA only approves waivers that prove operations can be conducted as safely as drone flights that already have Part 107 clearance. Most waiver applications fail to include enough detail about how the operation will actually be carried out.
There aren't universal reasons for rejection or return of waiver applications. The FAA evaluates each application on its specifics, and the standards differ between waiver requests. There are, however, specific components in a Part 107 waiver application that the FAA judges to prove an operation can meet Part 107-satisfaction.
Under Part 107, drone pilots do not need FAA permission or approval to fly a drone to complete the most common commercial drone operations. Instead, they are expected to follow rules about drone registration, read a Part 107 study guide and take an FAA certification test, be up to date on UAS airworthiness regulations, and observe certain local airspace restrictions.
Part 107 drone operations do not require waivers for "routine" activities and locations. Applications to the FAA for Part 107 waivers must therefore be sent in for non-routine operations that necessitate an exception from Part 107 regulations.
The FAA has a prescribed process for applying to fly a drone operation that goes against Part 107 rules and regulations.
1. FAA Drone Zone
The FAA Drone Zone is the web portal operators use to apply for Part 107 waivers for an operation. It's the hub for Part 107 operations and waivers, where the FAA has the Part 107 waiver checklist.
2. AC0071.23 Questions
The AC0071.23 is a checklist to apply for an FAA Part 107 waiver. Some AC0071.23 Part 107 waiver questions are most important to the FAA in proving an operation's waiver requests can be carried out as safely as a flight not requiring a waiver.
- The applicant's drone pilot license status
- The pilot's experience and flight skills
- Any Part 107-satisfied flights they have completed
- The waiver requests required and their description
- The operational methods that will be used
- The procedures and equipment used
- The local airspace regulations and their compliance
- The location of the operation
- The operation plan
3. Your Operation Detail [Incomplete As Of This Writing]
The AC0071.23 questions are answered for the most part by the operation plan that details how the waived operation would be carried out.
Part 107 Waiver Seeker Process:
While Part 107 waivers are permitted and filed for on a case-by-case basis, the FAA process of getting a waiver approved isn't a new one. Drone operators that frequently seek FAA waivers for the same operation can, and have, established a Part 107 waiver clearance process.
Many operators have proven that their Part 107 waiver requests will occur at an equivalent level of safety and can satisfy the Part 107 waiver process as well. When operators have established a Part 107 waiver request clearance process, they can begin to repeat that process for the very same compliance and compliance requests, with one small change.
From there, the FAA may approve a blanket waiver for an operation. That means that a single application can be approved and applied, granting single blanket coverage for the same Part 107 compliance request on a scheduled basis, done in conformity with the FAA's approved application.
Contact Is Not Required, Even After A Part 107 Waiver Request Gets Returned
Before submitting a Part 107 waiver for approval, operators should have all necessary waiver request details and operational information. There's no requirement for operators to contact the FAA after a Part 107 waiver is returned, but many operators do so.
Contacting the FAA after a Part 107 waiver request is returned gives the applicant the chance to find out what they've gotten wrong in the application that didn't prove the operation could be conducted at an equivalent level of safety.
After a Part 107 waiver is returned, it's useful to find out what the FAA review process would find problematically missing from the waiver application. The reasons for denial or return can be as specific to the details of the requested waiver operation as the reasons for return or denial itself.
