LAANC is the system that lets you ask the FAA’s permission to fly in controlled airspace near an airport and get an answer in about thirty seconds instead of waiting ninety days. That is the entire value proposition.
01 / When you need itTwo conditions, both true.
If both of these are true, you need an airspace authorization before takeoff. Your LAANC app provides it.
- Flying at or below 400 ft AGL
- Launching inside Class B, C, D, or surface E
Skip LAANC — Class G uncontrolled airspace
Most rural areas, and a surprising amount of suburban airspace below a Class B or C floor, sits in Class G. Just fly, following the rest of Part 107. The signals: no controlled airspace overhead, no nearby airport surface area, and standard Part 107 rules still apply in full.
02 / The gridRead the ceiling number.
When you drop a pin in your LAANC app, you’ll see a grid overlay on the controlled airspace. Each square shows a number. That number is the maximum altitude the FAA has pre-approved at that location, in feet AGL.
Cells near approach paths and runway alignments read 0. Cells well off the approach but still inside controlled airspace read 400. Everything in between is the system telling you exactly how high you may fly without a human reviewing your request.
03 / How to do itSix steps to wheels up.
Pick a Service Supplier
LAANC isn’t run by the FAA directly. The agency approves private companies called UAS Service Suppliers (USS) to provide the apps. All free. Common ones: Aloft, Avision, Skyward, AirHub, UASidekick. They all submit to the same FAA system. Differences are interface and team features. Pick one, learn it well.
Create your account
Enter your Remote Pilot Certificate number and your drone’s FAA registration. One-time setup. The app uses these to populate every authorization request thereafter.
Drop a pin on your launch location
The UAS Facility Map grid overlays the area. Read the number on your launch square. That number is your ceiling for instant authorization. Plan your maximum altitude at or below it.
Set operation parameters
Start time, end time (most apps cap a single auth at 12 hours), maximum altitude at or below the grid value, operation radius, and a brief description. Submit.
Save the confirmation
Approval comes back in under a minute with an authorization number. Screenshot it. Save it in the app. That confirmation is your authorization, and you must be able to produce it if asked.
Do the rest of your pre-flight
LAANC handles airspace only. You still must check NOTAMs, check weather (3 SM visibility, cloud clearances), confirm Remote ID is broadcasting, inspect the aircraft, and verify your certificate is current. The app will not do any of this for you.
Traps that catch new pilots.
Assuming 400 is universal
Plenty of grids near approach paths read 0 or 100. Assume 400 without checking and you’ll bust the authorization the moment you climb past the grid ceiling.
Confusing LAANC with a waiver
BVLOS, operations over people outside Categories 1–3, and certain night operations need a waiver from the FAA’s Aviation Safety Hub. LAANC is in addition to, not instead of, the waiver.
Trying to use it above 400
LAANC handles at-or-below-400 only. Higher than that requires a separate 14 CFR 107.51 altitude waiver. Different process entirely.
Assuming every airport has it
Coverage is 726 airports. Smaller fields, some military bases, and certain Class D airports are not on LAANC. Those still need the manual DroneZone process.
Calling the tower
Unless your authorization specifically says to contact ATC, you don’t. The LAANC authorization is the notification. The tower already knows.
Mixing recreational and Part 107
Recreational flyers can use LAANC for instant authorization only. Further Coordination Requests are a Part 107 privilege. Make sure the app knows which rule you’re flying under.
05 / Decision matrixField card.
When you’re standing in a field with a drone in your hands and you’re not sure what the situation calls for:
| Situation | Action |
|---|---|
| Launch in Class G | No LAANC needed. Standard Part 107. |
| Launch in Class B / C / D / surface E | LAANC authorization required before takeoff. |
| Grid shows 400 | Instant authorization to full 400 ft AGL. |
| Grid shows 100 | Cap at 100 ft AGL, or file Further Coordination. |
| Grid shows 0 | No instant auth. Must file Further Coordination. |
| Need to fly above 400 ft | LAANC does not apply. File 107.51 altitude waiver. |
| BVLOS in controlled airspace | File both: 107.31 waiver AND LAANC. |
| Active TFR over launch site | Hard stop. Do not fly until cleared. |
| Airport not on LAANC | Manual airspace request via DroneZone. |
Think of it as your clearance.
Manned pilots get a clearance from ATC before they enter controlled airspace. LAANC is the same idea, automated. The UAS Facility Map grid is the pre-blessing: the FAA has already decided, in the abstract, that operations at or below the grid value at that location are fine. Above the grid value but still under 400 feet, a human looks at it. Above 400, it’s a different process entirely.
Once you’ve done two or three authorizations, the workflow takes about ninety seconds from opening the app to launching. That speed is the dividing line between hobbyist drone use and operating with the same predictability as the rest of aviation.
Practical Part 107 Guides · Edition 1.0 · May 2026
Not legal or flight-operations advice.
Refer to 14 CFR Part 107 and current FAA guidance.