DroneUp has been making the news frequently recently, racking up government and enterprise clients. DroneUp provides drone pilot services across the country: pilots are trained to a single high standard and use a sophisticated operating platform to ensure quality deliverables. Now, DroneUp has been named an Unmanned Aircraft System Service Supplier (USS) and will provide their own low altitude authorization and notification (LAANC) capability through their platform: previously, the LAANC capability in the DroneUp Airspace Planner was offered by AirMap.
That’s big news for DroneUp and their network of pilots – but it’s also news for the drone industry: DroneUp’s Airspace Planner will be available not only for DroneUp missions, but for any pilot who wants to use the flight planning and authorization system.
The following is a DroneUp press release.
Virginia Beach, VA (January 28, 2020) — DroneUp, LLC, an end-to-end drone pilot service provider for aerial data collection, is pleased to announce that it has been named an Unmanned Aircraft System Service Supplier (USS) to provide the Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) initiative for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). DroneUp’s LAANC capability will be available in-app through Airspace Planner providing its client base the next level of efficiency for complete drone pilot management.
Prior to this release, DroneUp had provided LAANC request capability through AirMap deep linking beginning in April of 2018 and has since worked to develop a one-stop solution for drone pilots within its own platform. DroneUp’s Airspace Planner provides pilots the capability to create plans within FAA controlled Flight Information Regions (FIR), to seek LAANC approval, and to verify insurance for their DroneUp missions. In addition to executing DroneUp missions, Airspace Planner is also available to anyone that wants to create a plan and request airspace authorizations. While this release will only integrate authorizations FAA FIRs, the platform was built to be extended to quickly allow for authorizations globally.
As a UAS industry leader offering complete drone solutions to private and public sector organizations, DroneUp has been working to offer essential compliance and regulatory features. Today’s announcement underscores DroneUp’s commitment to providing safety to its drone pilot network and to the customers in which they provide solutions.
“We are proud to provide LAANC and our additional initiatives within Airspace Planner,” said Tom Walker, CEO of DroneUp, “Our acceptance as a USS by the FAA provides proven ability to generate efficient and safe flight planning in a real-time experience.”
Compared to the manual waiver process, which has several steps and can take up to 90 days to process airspace authorizations via LAANC, Part 107 users will be able to create an auto-approved only plan in-app easily. Users will file their first and last name, a verified phone number, and they must have registered their drone with the FAA. Each user will be able to create plans for up to 90 days in advance. Airspace plans submitted through the DroneUp app will receive approval, rescinded, and invalidation via push notification as well as SMS message when the LAANC authorization is processed, updated, or airspace rules are changed.
Download the DroneUp app from the Apple Store or Google Play: https://www.droneup.com/
Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, a professional drone services marketplace, and a fascinated observer of the emerging drone industry and the regulatory environment for drones. Miriam has penned over 3,000 articles focused on the commercial drone space and is an international speaker and recognized figure in the industry. Miriam has a degree from the University of Chicago and over 20 years of experience in high tech sales and marketing for new technologies.
For drone industry consulting or writing, Email Miriam.
TWITTER:@spaldingbarker
Subscribe to DroneLife here.