LAANC — the Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability — transformed airspace authorization for commercial UAS pilots when it launched. What used to require weeks of manual coordination with FAA facilities now happens in seconds through an app. But LAANC has limits that many pilots don’t fully understand, and those limits become operationally significant at scale.
Here’s a complete guide to LAANC for commercial Part 107 operators: how it works, when it’s enough, when it isn’t, and how to manage authorizations across a large site portfolio.
How LAANC Works
LAANC operates through FAA-approved UAS Service Suppliers (USS) — apps like Aloft (formerly Kittyhawk), AirMap, and others. The system works by dividing controlled airspace into a grid of UAS Facility Map (UASFM) cells, each with an assigned altitude ceiling. These ceilings represent the maximum altitude at which the FAA has determined that drone operations can be safely accommodated without posing risk to manned aircraft at that location.
When you request a LAANC authorization in an app, the system checks your proposed altitude against the UASFM ceiling for your grid cell. If your altitude is at or below the ceiling, authorization is typically instantaneous. If you need to fly above the ceiling — even by one foot — you cannot use LAANC and must apply through FAADroneZone.
When LAANC Is Sufficient
LAANC works well for:
- Operations in Class B, C, D, or E surface airspace at or below the published UASFM ceiling for your grid
- Operations where altitudes are moderate and the site is away from airport runways and approach paths
- Time-sensitive operations where waiting days for a COA is not practical
- Sites with ceilings of 100–400 ft — the sweet spot for most commercial inspection and data collection work
When LAANC Is Not Sufficient
LAANC cannot be used when:
- Your required altitude exceeds the UASFM ceiling for the grid cell — common near major airports where many cells show 0 ft ceilings
- The site is in a zero-ceiling grid requiring manual FAADroneZone COA coordination
- You need to fly above 400 ft AGL for any reason (requires a §107.51 waiver)
- The operation is in Class B airspace in a zero-grid area near a major hub
- The operation involves special circumstances not covered by LAANC’s automated approval scope
For communications tower inspection specifically — a primary market for commercial UAS operators — towers frequently require flight above the LAANC ceiling to reach the top of the structure. This is where the manual COA and altitude waiver process becomes essential, and where having pre-prepared COA narrative documentation saves significant time.
Managing LAANC Authorizations at Scale
Managing LAANC for a single site is easy. Managing it across 50, 100, or 300 sites on an active project is a different challenge entirely. Authorization windows expire. Primary authorizations get denied. Backup authorizations sit unused while you’re chasing a manual re-approval. Sites move dates. New sites get added mid-project.
FlightDeck’s LAANC Tracker was built specifically for this problem. Every controlled-airspace site in your project gets a tracker entry with a primary and backup LAANC reference number. When you export your authorization CSV from Aloft, FlightDeck reads it automatically — matching reference numbers to sites, writing authorization metadata, updating forecast dates, and applying color-coded status indicators.
The standout feature: when a primary authorization is denied or deauthorized, FlightDeck automatically promotes the backup reference number and re-runs the import. No manual intervention. No missed windows while you’re in the field.
Documenting Your Authorizations
Your LAANC reference number is your legal authorization to fly in controlled airspace. Carry it. Log it. Keep it associated with the mission record. If the FAA asks whether you were authorized — and they can ask — a reference number in a structured flight record is a professional answer. “I think I got a LAANC, I’d have to check the app” is not.
FlightDeck writes your authorization reference directly to the mission record alongside your flight data, weather, and site details. It’s all in one place, in a local database you control.
Download the free 30-day trial and manage your LAANC authorizations the way professionals do — systematically, at scale, with automatic backup promotion when approvals fail.