FAA Updates DroneZone

Kim Stevens Unmanned Systems

Upgrades to the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) DroneZone, now allows recreational flyers to request airspace authorizations in controlled airspace where the Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) is not available.

Airspace authorizations can take up to 45 days to process and approve through the DroneZone. Recreational flyers may request to fly up to the designated altitude ceiling in an Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Facility Map (UASFM) and only for daytime operations.

LAANC is a collaboration between the FAA and industry that directly supports the safe integration of Unmanned Aircraft Systems into the nation’s airspace, expediting the time it takes for drone pilots to receive authorizations to fly under 400 feet in controlled airspace.

Kim Stevens

Kim Stevens is the publisher of State Aviation Journal, which he founded in 2009. A longtime commercial-rated pilot, he was introduced to state aviation in 1992 as Director of the Nebraska Department of Aeronautics, later serving as Deputy Division Director for the Arizona Department of Transportation's Aeronautics Division. From 2013 to 2018, he was Director of Communications and Operations for the National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO) in Washington, D.C. Relocating to North Carolina, Kim worked for the Raleigh-Durham International Airport for two years and now concentrates solely on the Journal. Prior to his aviation career, Kim spent a decade in the newspaper and magazine business.