Waivers Under Part 107: Interactive Report

On August 29, 2016, the Federal Aviation Administration implemented Part 107 of Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations, also known as the small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) rule. It created a regulatory framework that enabled civil and commercial operations of UAS weighing 55 pounds or less. Generally, Part 107 requires operators to fly under 400 feet, within visual line of sight and only during daylight hours. UAS operators who want to fly outside the requirements of Part 107, such as to conduct beyond line of sight or nighttime operations, may request a waiver from the FAA. The FAA began issuing waivers the same day Part 107 took effect. Two years later, more than 1,800 waivers have been issued to operators nationwide. The interactive graphics below provide some information on these operators as well as the types of operations that have been authorized.
 

Operator Locations – by State

California operators lead the way with 228 total waivers issued, followed by Florida with 133 and Texas with 132.

The map is also sortable based on the type of operator, as well as revenue/employee ranges of operators

The graph is also sortable based on the type of operator

 

Operator Locations – Exact Address

Looking at the address listed on the waiver document of these operators we see that the dispersion of UAS operators granted waivers closely reflects the population density of the United States with large clusters in southern California, and in/around the cities of New York, Las Vegas, Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Seattle, and Austin.
The map is also sortable based on the type of waiver, type of operator, as well as revenue/employee ranges of operators  

Operations Authorized via Waiver

The majority of waivers (92%) have authorized operations at night, followed by operations in certain airspace (5%), the simultaneous operation of multiple UAS (2%), flights beyond the other imposed operational limits of Part 107 like speed, distance to clouds, flight visibility, and altitude (1%), BLOS operations (1%), flights over people (<1%), operations without a visual observer (<1%), and operations from a moving vehicle (<1%). The specific sections from Part 107 that correspond with the graph below are as follows:

  • Daylight Operations = 14 CFR § 107.29 Daylight operation
  • Operation in Certain Airspace = 14 CFR §107.41 Operation in Certain Airspace
  • Multiple UAS = 14 CFR § 107.35 Operation of multiple small unmanned aircraft
  • Operating Limitations (b), (c) and (d) = 14 CFR §107.51 (b), (c) and (d) Operating limitations for small unmanned aircraft (altitude above ground level or relative to a structure (b); flight visibility (c); distance from clouds (d))
  • VLOS Operations = 14 CFR §107.31 Visual line of sight aircraft operation
  • Over People = 14 CFR § 107.39 Operations over human beings
  • Visual Observer = 14 CFR § 107.33 Visual observer
  • Moving Vehicle or Aircraft = 14 CFR § 107.25(b) Operation from a moving vehicle or aircraft
  • Operating Limitations (a) = 14 CFR § 107.51 (a) for small unmanned aircraft (specifically groundspeed)

The graph is also sortable based on the type, location, and revenue/employee ranges of operators.
 

 

Waivers Authorized by Month

The number of waivers issued per month over the past two years has fluctuated with greater than 34% having an effective start date in the first five months of 2017. March 2017 accounts for the highest number of waivers released in a month, with the monthly average just above 84. Some operators were issued waivers to multiple sections of Part 107 in a single waiver document. Each of these waived sections will contribute to totals in the below graph such that one operator can account for multiple waivers.
The graph is also sortable based on the type of operator, revenue/employee ranges of operators, and the type of waiver
 

The next graph has separated out the waivers granted based on the type of operator. Some of the trends to note:

  • The number of first responders flying at night is on the rise with 19 first responders receiving waivers in July 2018;
  • Individual operators had a resurgence in mid-2018 with the highest number issued waivers in May 2018;
  • Since the peak in March 2017, there has been a steady decline of waivers issued to service-based organizations. In this research a service-based organization refers to a company using UAS to provide a service. This represents a broad range of markets such as professional inspection and photography, surveying, construction, utilities, etc.

The graph is also sortable based on the type of operator, revenue/employee ranges of operators, and the type of waiver
 

Operators

A total of 1,828 unique operators were captured in this research. These individuals break down as follows:

  • Over 58% are associated with some type of service-based organization;
  • 26% are registered as a responsible individual without an associated company;
  • 11% support emergency response organizations (such as fire or police departments);
  • Less than 5% work for government agencies, academic institutes, or UAS manufacturers.

The graph is also sortable based on the type of waiver
 

Business Analysis

The final graph shows revenue and employee ranges of the service organizations granted waivers. The majority of the 1,065 are small businesses, approximately 93% of which have fewer than 10 employees and 95% with annual sales less than $1 million. There are a handful of larger organizations that have also received waivers, such as the railroad companies BNSF and Union Pacific; technology companies, such as Intel and Qualcomm; aerospace companies, such as Lockheed Martin; media companies, such as NBC and HBO; and energy companies, such as Southern Company Services, NextEra Energy and Dow Chemical Company.
The graph is also sortable based on the type of waiver and location of the service organization
 

 

Research Notes:

Waiver data was collected from the FAA’s database. The provided revenue and employee ranges were identified using Hoover’s database.