I just made a request to the FAA to photograph a facility under part 107 that's about 3 miles from an airport in Class E airspace. How long will it take for approval? Does it hurt to go ahead and apply ahead of time to places I might have to go to?
How long does it take to get approval to fly in controlled airspace?
- Thread starter nwairphotos
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It can take up to 90 days to get the approval. It does not necessarily mean that it will take that long to get the approval you are looking, that's the time frame the FAA has to get back to you on your approval.
It can also help to know which part of Class E Airspace the facility is located, at the surface of Class E or at 700ft AGL.
It can also help to know which part of Class E Airspace the facility is located, at the surface of Class E or at 700ft AGL.
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On April 6 I made a request to fly in surface Class E about 2 miles from an airport in northern Minnesota. Got my approval today (May 4th) valid May 5 '17 to Nov. 30 '17. Only change the FAA made was to limit my altitude to less than 100' AGL - I requested 200' AGL. They gave me a .5 nautical mile radius...perfect. I did receive a call a couple of days ago from an FAA rep about lowering the max altitude to 100' AGL. Nice conversation and the approval came much quicker than I expected. It was my first ever request.
It's nice to know that it can be done in 30 days, though it's still a pain. I wonder if they will come up with some rules to make this easier, such as automatically give everyone 100' except in specific areas.
Is you target lined up with a runway and close to it? 100' seems pretty stingy unless you are very close.
It's good to know, however, that they will negotiate on the height instead of just denying your request.
Is you target lined up with a runway and close to it? 100' seems pretty stingy unless you are very close.
It's good to know, however, that they will negotiate on the height instead of just denying your request.
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Yes...lined up perfectly with NE/SW runway (50/230) and google maps says I'm 2.1 miles from the end of runway 50. And yes, it is nice that they actually called to discuss the change in AGL.
Also nice to know about the time frame for validity of the authorization.
Ive been concerned about that thinking we had to specify a DATE we want to fly, 30-90 days out, then of course the weather might be crappy on that day....
Excellent to know they give you a pretty wide window to fly.
Time frame depends on how "risky" the request is. Some requests are happening pretty quick if they are "easy". Others not so much.
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