A Certificate of Authorization isn’t just a form. It’s a structured operational document that asks you to explain who will be flying, what aircraft they’ll use, how they’ll contain the operation, what happens if something goes wrong, and why the airspace risk is acceptable. The FAA reads these narratives — and how they’re written matters.
Understanding when a COA is required and what goes into one is foundational knowledge for commercial UAS operators working in controlled airspace.
When a COA Is Required
LAANC covers a large portion of controlled airspace authorizations for commercial UAS operations. But LAANC isn’t universal. Sites in zero-grid Class B or Class C airspace — where the LAANC ceiling is 0 feet — require a manual COA through FAA DroneZone. Sites where your required operating altitude exceeds the LAANC-available ceiling also require either a COA or a waiver for the portion that exceeds the limit.
FlightDeck’s Airspace Checker identifies which sites fall into each category automatically. Sites flagged as COA-required are marked in deep red in the results grid. Sites where LAANC is available are marked in deep green. That determination runs against locally stored FAA data — no internet connection required.
The FAA DroneZone Submission
COA applications are submitted through FAA DroneZone at faadronezone-access.faa.gov. The application is organized into numbered sections, and two of them — Section 7a (Operational Description) and Section 7b (Concept of Operations) — require narrative text that describes your specific operation.
The language in these sections needs to accurately describe your aircraft, your operating area, your lateral and vertical separation from the structure, and your contingency procedures. Generic boilerplate that doesn’t reflect your actual operation creates problems when the FAA reviews the application.
How FlightDeck’s COA Prep Tool Works
The Compliance Manager in FlightDeck includes a dedicated COA Prep tab with template narratives for the most common inspection operation types: communications tower, monopole, rooftop, billboard, and nationwide COA.
Each template uses token substitution — placeholders like the lateral separation distance and the altitude above the structure that get replaced with your actual values before the text is finalized. This means the narrative accurately reflects your specific operation rather than a generic description.
Section 7a is the operational description — what you’re doing, where, and with what aircraft. Section 7b is the concept of operations — how the flight is conducted, how you maintain VLOS, how you handle lost link, and how you respond to other aircraft. Both sections are pre-written with FAA-appropriate language and structured to address the specific questions the application asks.
A separate Site Authorization Prep tab covers the decision framework for individual site authorizations — walking through the airspace classification, what authorization pathway applies, and what the submission steps look like.
Tracking Your COA Status
Once a COA application is submitted, FlightDeck tracks its status in the COA Status column of your working data file. Status options range from application in progress through approved, with the COA Prep column recording the DroneZone application link for direct access from your spreadsheet.
Renewals need to be tracked as well. The general guidance is to apply for renewal at least 45 days before the current authorization expires — the FAA processing timeline can vary, and a lapse in authorization means work stops until the new one is issued.
What the COA Process Actually Takes
A well-prepared COA application with accurate narratives, a complete aircraft description, and a properly scoped operating area typically processes faster than a vague one that requires FAA clarification. The COA Prep tool in FlightDeck isn’t a shortcut — it’s a framework that helps you write an accurate, complete application the first time.
For operators doing regular work in controlled airspace, having template narratives ready to adapt to new sites is a significant time saver. The alternative is writing from scratch each time, which means either spending hours on a document you’ve written variations of before, or submitting something that isn’t quite right.
FlightDeck’s Compliance Manager and COA Prep tools are included in every license tier. Start your free 30-day trial.