DroneUp enables LAANC available on its operating platform

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DroneUp, which is a community-endorsed pilot network and leader in small UAS safe operations and training, has announced that it has enabled Low Altitude Authorization & Notification Capability (LAANC) available on its operating platform, through AirMap LAANC Deep Linking.

​DroneUp says that since late 2017, it has been working to offer LAANC and other essential compliance and regulatory features to its pilots.

“We are committed to continuous education and safe operations, and we are excited to add LAANC so our community will have more opportunities to build drone businesses and fly missions,” says Tom Walker, CEO of DroneUp.

​According to DroneUp, with LAANC access, its customers can request fast and efficient authorization to fly in LAANC-enabled airspace. The manual waiver process has 19 steps and takes up to 90 days to process, but the digital airspace authorization via LAANC is “easy, digital, and available immediately,” DroneUp says, as authorization requests are submitted within the DroneUp app and approved in seconds.

With DroneUp, UAS operators can apply for two types of authorization—“automated authorization for flights within pre-approved zones and altitudes, and manual authorization for flights outside of pre-approved zones and altitudes that require manual approval by ATC.”

Users will be able to link their AirMap accounts to their DroneUp accounts, which will facilitate simple sign-on and API interactions as that user.

“When in an area that supports LAANC authorizations, we notify the pilot during the DroneUp process that it is available,” explains John Vernon, Chief Technology Officer of DroneUp.

“If the pilot has already linked an AirMap account, we push him or her directly into the AirMap app (or to App Store / Google Play store if it is not currently installed). We pass in distance and height so that the pilot doesn’t have to repeat the data entry. After completing the process in the AirMap app, the pilot is returned to our app and go DroneUp. When they go DroneDown, we end the flight. If for some reason they do not go DroneDown, the flight will timeout on our end and AirMap will automatically close the flight.”

AirMap provides airspace rules and advisories, while DroneUp provides additional information about nearby pilots and operations, as well as pilots that are currently DroneUp based on their proximity grid.

“With the LAANC beta launching nationwide by the end of the year, [this feature] will bring digital authorization to an entire community of U.S. drone operators and developers eager to reach new heights,” says Ben Marcus, CEO of AirMap. “Thanks to LAANC, more airspace is open for business, and commercial drones have more opportunities contribute to our economy and benefit our daily lives.”

This announcement from DroneUp comes shortly after the FAA announced the expansion of the LAANC program to airports and airspace nationwide. Starting this month, the FAA will roll out digital airspace authorization to nearly 300 air traffic control facilities representing approximately 500 airports across the U.S, which will open up to 78,000 miles of airspace for commercial UAS operations.

The expansion will begin this month, and the FAA will release a new region each month. UAS pilots near select airports in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas will be first to get started with LAANC authorization this spring.