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USA 90 Days notice is insane for Part 107

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Hey guys looking for a bit of advice, I'm in the south florida area where pretty much everything is in Class D or above airspace. I recently had a client asking me to fly about a 1/4 mile away from a class D airport. So I tried to file a request with the notice that I had 3 weeks. I said how I will be operating and how I'll be ensuring safety is a priority for my crew and manned aircraft that may be in the area. But I get an email 2 days prior to when I'm suppose to shoot saying they can't process my request. How am I suppose to operate a business like this? It hurts my business and makes me look bad. And now they're looking for someone else who will do it regardless of safety or regulations.
 
I agree, but dealing with the government is slow no matter what you do. Seems to be getting worse than better too.

I began a permit for the Nat.Forest Service in the winter and by the time they passed it over a sundry boatload of desks for approval it was summer and the streams had dried up and it was over 100 degrees and awful so I cancelled the permit (But they keep the money as a processing fee.). Process took about 4-5 months and it is absurd. It's like Gail gets the paperwork from you and it sits with her in her outbox, later she hands it to Bob who doesn't know anything and can't make a decision. He bulk mails it to other departments, and they send it to yet other offices where the secretaries have to figure out who to hand it off to, and then some guy emails for more info and the circle resumes. It really is a joke when you follow the trail. No one can make a final decision so the red tape of federal desk jobs to get it done grows, i.e. "We need to hire more people to handle this workload!"

Decades ago your pilots license was signed at the airport by the CFI and mailed via snail-mail to the FAA and you got your license back via snail-mail in 3 weeks. Now with computer testing, email, and sundry agencies and hands for a 107, it takes them 2 months. Ridiculously inefficient.

Fwiw, I'm near a dam that has a slow leak. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was supposed to fix it 7 year ago. Nothing yet, but lots of federal bug checkers examining the place and writing reports along with other federal and state environmental people looking and writing reports too. In the drought it could be fixed easily and quickly, but no. Decades maybe...but I digress.
 
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Hey guys looking for a bit of advice, I'm in the south florida area where pretty much everything is in Class D or above airspace. I recently had a client asking me to fly about a 1/4 mile away from a class D airport. So I tried to file a request with the notice that I had 3 weeks. I said how I will be operating and how I'll be ensuring safety is a priority for my crew and manned aircraft that may be in the area. But I get an email 2 days prior to when I'm suppose to shoot saying they can't process my request. How am I suppose to operate a business like this? It hurts my business and makes me look bad. And now they're looking for someone else who will do it regardless of safety or regulations.
Welcome to the club. I lost count of how many jobs lost to FAA moving at the speed of lava, get used to it.
 
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I agree, but dealing with the government is slow no matter what you do. Seems to be getting worse than better too.

I began a permit for the Nat.Forest Service in the winter and by the time they passed it over a sundry boatload of desks for approval it was summer and the streams had dried up and it was over 100 degrees and awful so I cancelled the permit (But they keep the money as a processing fee.). Process took about 4-5 months and it is absurd. It's like Gail gets the paperwork from you and it sits with her in her outbox, later she hands it to Bob who doesn't know anything and can't make a decision. He bulk mails it to other departments, and they send it to yet other offices where the secretaries have to figure out who to hand it off to, and then some guy emails for more info and the circle resumes. It really is a joke when you follow the trail. No one can make a final decision so the red tape of federal desk jobs to get it done grows, i.e. "We need to hire more people to handle this workload!"

Decades ago your pilots license was signed at the airport by the CFI and mailed via snail-mail to the FAA and you got your license back via snail-mail in 3 weeks. Now with computer testing, email, and sundry agencies and hands for a 107, it takes them 2 months. Ridiculously inefficient.

Fwiw, I'm near a dam that has a slow leak. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was supposed to fix it 7 year ago. Nothing yet, but lots of federal bug checkers examining the place and writing reports along with other federal and state environmental people looking and writing reports too. In the drought it could be fixed easily and quickly, but no. Decades maybe...but I digress.
"We need to hire more people to handle this workload!" Yahtze! That is how every federal agency operates, perpetually looking for more $$ to build bigger empire. FAA is no different.
 
Hey guys looking for a bit of advice, I'm in the south florida area where pretty much everything is in Class D or above airspace. I recently had a client asking me to fly about a 1/4 mile away from a class D airport. So I tried to file a request with the notice that I had 3 weeks. I said how I will be operating and how I'll be ensuring safety is a priority for my crew and manned aircraft that may be in the area. But I get an email 2 days prior to when I'm suppose to shoot saying they can't process my request. How am I suppose to operate a business like this? It hurts my business and makes me look bad. And now they're looking for someone else who will do it regardless of safety or regulations.
@agualtieri, do you have any flight experience prior to 107? I am considering approaching the the moderators and starting an entire new board that will walk you through how to apply for and get authorizations/waivers granted the first time around. I will tell you that 90 is a God send. I waited well over 9 months for my 333 waivers. I totally agree that it needs to be faster. I have approached leadership within the FAA with suggestions on how to make this happen.
 
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@agualtieri, do you have any flight experience prior to 107? I am considering approaching the the moderators and starting an entire new board that will walk you through how to apply for and get authorizations/waivers granted the first time around. I will tell you that 90 is a God send. I waited well over 9 months for my 333 waivers. I totally agree that it needs to be faster. I have approached leadership within the FAA with suggestions on how to make this happen.
I only have hobby experience before 107. I live in an area where it's class D airspace all around, I've had some jobs that I traveled for in class G airspace and it was perfect. I know how to apply for the waiver, I just kept getting denied because I had a job in 3 weeks and they wouldn't process it in time. If they're holding us to a standard where we have to be remote pilots we need to be treated with better respect. If a manned aircraft pilot needed authorization to get a flight in 3 days that wouldn't be a problem for them. If we're professionals and we have proper training and have got the proper licensing and insurance and everything why does it take 90 days to get approval? How am I suppose to plan a job that far in advance when I can't even know what the weather will be like next week? It's ludicrous; and on top of all the hoops we have to jump through there's 15 yr old kids with phantoms that'll do it for $30 when I'm trying to make a living. Sorry for the rant it's just so flawed that a business in an area like mine can't really operate properly.
 
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If we're professionals and we have proper training and have got the proper licensing and insurance and everything why does it take 90 days to get approval? How am I suppose to plan a job that far in advance when I can't even know what the weather will be like next week?
As licensed pilot has indicated above, the system is getting better. We are in a new era, and I know that this type of answer doesn't make it any better for someone trying to earn a living. I literally just had this conversation with the FSDO yesterday.
My suggestion, in which I am writing a Memorandum for Record to be submitted to FAA leadership, is to make an "authorization" or "waiver" available to anyone who is able to comply with the restrictions. For example:
I apply for an authorization to operate withing Class D airspace at Airport X. I submit my operating requirements and my risk mitigation steps. That waiver gets approved. As it stands right now, I am the only one who can use that authorization or waiver, which to me does not make sense. It is an enormous amount of paperwork and man hours. My suggestion entails adding Authorization/Waivers to the current interactive networks such as SkyVector. If you want to fly in the same location, you would be able to pull up that previously approved COA and attach your name to it on a given date/time.
 
As licensed pilot has indicated above, the system is getting better. We are in a new era, and I know that this type of answer doesn't make it any better for someone trying to earn a living. I literally just had this conversation with the FSDO yesterday.
My suggestion, in which I am writing a Memorandum for Record to be submitted to FAA leadership, is to make an "authorization" or "waiver" available to anyone who is able to comply with the restrictions. For example:
I apply for an authorization to operate withing Class D airspace at Airport X. I submit my operating requirements and my risk mitigation steps. That waiver gets approved. As it stands right now, I am the only one who can use that authorization or waiver, which to me does not make sense. It is an enormous amount of paperwork and man hours. My suggestion entails adding Authorization/Waivers to the current interactive networks such as SkyVector. If you want to fly in the same location, you would be able to pull up that previously approved COA and attach your name to it on a given date/time.
Superb idea , Robert.
 
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I agree it's a great idea. The problem so seems that rather than prescribing specific requirements and procedures they want each UAS pilot to reinvent he wheel by creating their own Methods and strategies. I ended up with a 22 page Flight ops Manual by the time I was done with my waiver submissions
 
I was told the FAA is working on a APP to know instantly on if you can fly end of this year. When the Droid/ Apple as is completed and how it works we will see.
 
I doubt if it will get better. Used to take 3 weeks to get a real pilot's license via snail mail from the FAA. Now it takes two months to get your 107 card with sundry hands it passes through even with a computerized system.

It might become like DJI. We need more support people in India, then someone in USA to verify and RMA paperwork out, then back to India or China to approve and notify you, and back to LA for the fix. As bureaucracy - and DJI - grows, speed seems to get even slower. Ever get a commercial photo permit from the USFS? Months....and you'd be shocked at the number of forwarded emails in headers that you'll see in the process. Seems "It takes a city" to get an approval with them. One person cannot approve it, so it takes twelve as if no one wants to put their name on it alone. Efficiency isn't in their game plan at all.
 
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I doubt if it will get better. Used to take 3 weeks to get a real pilot's license via snail mail from the FAA. Now it takes two months to get your 107 card with sundry hands it passes through even with a computerized system.

It might become like DJI. We need more support people in India, then someone in USA to verify and RMA paperwork out, then back to India or China to approve and notify you, and back to LA for the fix. As bureaucracy - and DJI - grows, speed seems to get even slower. Ever get a commercial photo permit from the USFS? Months....and you'd be shocked at the number of forwarded emails in headers that you'll see in the process. Seems "It takes a city" to get an approval with them. One person cannot approve it, so it takes twelve as if no one wants to put their name on it alone. Efficiency isn't in their game plan at all.

Took 2 months for my 107 license to appear and then 3 weeks for them to send a new one because they printed it without an issue date. Didn't know about the issue with the first one until they sent the second one so fast.
 
Under a 333 exemption you can fly in controlled airspace as long as you have permission from the control tower first, and you can do that by calling the tower (with cell phone or transceiver), you don't need a waiver. Under 107 I guess you need a waiver.

I may be wrong, but I guess the difference is that most (if not all) 333 holders also have Private Pilot cert? Which would mean they are familiar with airport traffic and comms? Not sure, but that's why I wanted my 333 renewed and not go to a 107, but my 333 just expired and I never received a renewal so I got my Remote Pilot endorsement. I'll have to look into that rule in depth more, because as a Private Pilot cert holder, I should be able to fly near a D or C controlled airport as long as I work with Control Tower without needed a waiver.
 
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I agree, but dealing with the government is slow no matter what you do. Seems to be getting worse than better too.

I began a permit for the Nat.Forest Service in the winter and by the time they passed it over a sundry boatload of desks for approval it was summer and the streams had dried up and it was over 100 degrees and awful so I cancelled the permit (But they keep the money as a processing fee.). Process took about 4-5 months and it is absurd. It's like Gail gets the paperwork from you and it sits with her in her outbox, later she hands it to Bob who doesn't know anything and can't make a decision. He bulk mails it to other departments, and they send it to yet other offices where the secretaries have to figure out who to hand it off to, and then some guy emails for more info and the circle resumes. It really is a joke when you follow the trail. No one can make a final decision so the red tape of federal desk jobs to get it done grows, i.e. "We need to hire more people to handle this workload!"

Decades ago your pilots license was signed at the airport by the CFI and mailed via snail-mail to the FAA and you got your license back via snail-mail in 3 weeks. Now with computer testing, email, and sundry agencies and hands for a 107, it takes them 2 months. Ridiculously inefficient.

Fwiw, I'm near a dam that has a slow leak. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was supposed to fix it 7 year ago. Nothing yet, but lots of federal bug checkers examining the place and writing reports along with other federal and state environmental people looking and writing reports too. In the drought it could be fixed easily and quickly, but no. Decades maybe...but I digress.
Interesting. I was previously a Type I helibase manager with the Department of Interior. I shoot mostly in NF areas and with my knowledge, I know (and it's in the NFS's regs) that the final authority to authorize flights is of that of the Administrator of the NF in wish you wish to fly in. Just visit the NF office you wish to fly in and have a pow wow with him or her and hand them directly your written request(s). Granted you may not [always] be able to talk to them directly but it will surely speed the process up. If that individual is not experienced with sUAS ops, they may push the request upstream before it will trickle back down to him/her. Either way, once you show professionalism in executing the request, the next permit will flow much faster [emoji2]
 
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I doubt if it will get better. Used to take 3 weeks to get a real pilot's license via snail mail from the FAA. Now it takes two months to get your 107 card with sundry hands it passes through even with a computerized system.

It might become like DJI. We need more support people in India, then someone in USA to verify and RMA paperwork out, then back to India or China to approve and notify you, and back to LA for the fix. As bureaucracy - and DJI - grows, speed seems to get even slower. Ever get a commercial photo permit from the USFS? Months....and you'd be shocked at the number of forwarded emails in headers that you'll see in the process. Seems "It takes a city" to get an approval with them. One person cannot approve it, so it takes twelve as if no one wants to put their name on it alone. Efficiency isn't in their game plan at all.
3 weeks to get a Private Pilots Licence and the industry has been around for how many years???
of course this will get better, we are in an emerging industry that has technology and abilities changing almost on a daily basis. Don't expect things to run smoothly when rules are constantly changing and there is no real consensus yet in the aviation industry as to how to handle the growth of this corner of aviation.
 
I put in a waiver request on February 8th to replace a COA that expires in September. Received an email saying it began processing March 27th, I haven't heard anything since then, the system they have now broken, definitely needs help from somewhere
 

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