1 Part 107 - Airspace Authorization - LAANC - Concept of O

LAANC - Operational Description of USS Operations with Users
This document identifies the business operating concept for non-government organizations known as
UAS Service Suppliers (USSs) and a description of the operator experience. USSs enter into a partnership
with the FAA to act as an intermediary between UAS operators and the FAA’s UAS system environment.
Primarily, the role of the USS is to assist in flight planning by informing operators of regulatory and
operational constraints, validating required operational submissions (authorizations under CFR 14 Part
107.41), and sending the data to the FAA via a secure application programming interface (API).
The USS will inform the operator of any applicable regulatory constraints. There are three potential
categories with regards to operations that fall under 14 CFR Part 107. In each circumstance the USS will
help the operator determine whether an operator falls in: (1) operations allowed by 14 CFR Part 107
without an airspace authorization (Class G airspace only), (2) operations that require an airspace
authorization but can be automatically authorized by a USS based on criteria provided by the FAA, or (3)
operations that require an airspace authorization through a manual process (typically complex
operations outside of operational or regulatory constraints).
In addition to providing regulatory constraints the USS will provide Part 107 operators with additional
operational constraints such as airspace classifications and boundaries, restricted areas such as Special
Use Airspace (14 CFR Part 99.7), Temporary Flight Restrictions (see tfr.faa.gov), and UAS altitude
constraints. This information will be geographically depicted on a modern interface to help the operator
know where they can safely conduct UAS operations.
Currently, it’s envisioned these services will be provided either at minimal charge to an operator or with
support from advertisements. Additionally, operators will still be able to apply for airspace
authorizations through a free manual FAA process on the web portal that could take up to 60-90 days to
process.