Airspace Research & Mission Planning

Airspace research is one of the biggest challenges for drone pilots.

It’s one thing to answer a multiple-choice question on the Aeronautical Knowledge Test about controlled vs. uncontrolled airspace. It’s quite another thing to conduct airspace research in the real world, which requires you to analyze an upcoming flight mission, look at the Sectional Chart, interpret the regulations, and think through your intended flight operations and how to best mitigate risk — all of this can be intimidating for a lot of folks.

So in this lesson, I want to run through the basics of conducting airspace research as a drone pilot.

Airspace research is something you can do days or sometimes weeks before a flight. It’s different from a preflight checklist, where those are items you’d go through just before your flight, or the night before, as you’re packing up for a flight mission the next day. A preflight checklist is more closely associated with your actual flight, whereas this airspace research checklist is all the other research you can do in advance.

With airspace research, the first thing to remember is to start early. The sooner you understand the environment you’re flying in, both from a regulatory and also a risk-mitigation perspective, the better. What permissions might be needed? What flight paths do you want to take? What shots do you want to get? Do you even want to commit to doing the flight?

So when it comes to flight mission planning, airspace research is your first step.

Here’s what a typical airspace research checklist can look like:

  • Would I be flying in prohibited airspace?
  • Would I be flying in controlled or uncontrolled airspace?
  • Are there other Special Use airspace considerations?
  • Are there TFRs or NOTAMs in effect?
  • Are there local laws at play?
  • What’s my flight perimeter or operating area?

Let’s go deeper into each of these.

Would I be flying in prohibited airspace?

First, you’ll want to check out the Sectional Chart for prohibited airspace. That could be a quick indication that your flight mission likely isn’t going to happen. Keep in mind there are various prohibited areas like the National Park System, the city of Washington, D.C., Department of Energy sites, military bases, penitentiary systems, and Department of Interior locations like the Statue of Liberty. When in doubt, do a bit of Googling to see if you might need to rethink your flight mission.

Would I be flying in controlled or uncontrolled airspace?

The next thing you’ll want to analyze is whether or not you would be flying in Class G uncontrolled airspace vs. Class B, C, D, or E controlled airspace. If you’re in Class G airspace, no permission from the FAA is required, but if you’re in Class B, C, D, or E airspace, you’ll need clearance from the FAA. If you need to review how FAA airspace authorization works and how to get that clearance, check out our step-by-step guide.

Are there other Special Use airspace considerations?

Would you be flying in a Military Operations Area? How about a Warning or Alert Area? A Restricted Area? Make sure to review our lesson on Special Use airspace, where we show you how to look at a Sectional Chart to see if you’d be operating in any of these areas. That lesson also explains how you can look at the border of the Sectional Chart for more information on area parameters and who to contact for questions.

Are there TFRs or NOTAMs in effect?

You’ll want to check for Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs) and Notices to Air Missions (NOTAMs), formerly called Notices to Airmen, just prior to operating, to ensure you’re not missing any last-minute additions. But, these are alerts you can and should check for ahead of time as well.

As a reminder, you can check for TFRs and NOTAMs at the following links:

Are there local laws at play?

Here’s a fun fact. You might be in full compliance with the Part 107 federal regulations, but you could still be in violation of local laws.

Long story short, there continues to be a lot of tension between what’s happening federally and what’s happening locally. Here at UAV Coach, we do our best to track significant local drone regulations, like how if you’re flying a drone in the state of North Carolina, as an example, you need to pass a separate NCDOT test (the North Carolina Department of Transportation) and submit your information to the state, prior to conducting commercial drone operations. When in doubt, Google can be your friend. And so can connecting with other local pilots in your area to get a few opinions.

At the end of the day, and sorry to get on my soapbox here for a second, but use good judgment and handle regulatory issues, particularly at the local level, with as much grace and professionalism as possible. As a Remote Pilot In Command, you are an advocate for all other drone pilots and the future of this industry.

What’s my flight perimeter or operating area?

OK, you’ve decided that you’re able to fly, and you’re starting to get into actual flight mission planning. So at this point, I’d open up Google Maps or drive to the location or look at available photos or schematics of the area, and I’d think about things like:

  • Where are my different takeoff and landing zones?
  • Is there a potential for electromagnetic interference?
  • What does the local terrain look like, both natural and manmade?
  • Are there towers, wires, buildings, trees, or other obstructions to look out for?
  • What kind of pedestrians or animals can I expect in this area?
  • Would I benefit from having a Visual Observer (VO) or other crew member to help me?
  • Based on the flight mission, do I have emergency landing or holding areas mapped out?

Bottom line — it’s a best practice to think about your immediate flight area and what your actual operations will look like the day of the flight, ahead of time.

OK, this is the end of the lesson, but before we hop off, I want to acknowledge that drone pilots use a variety of airspace research tools and apps to look up where and when and how they are able to fly.

Below this video we list the most popular tools that our instructors and other students like you are using.

Alright, if you have any questions about airspace research or need help interpreting a specific location, don’t hesitate to reach out to our support team. Wishing you blue skies and safe flying out there!

Additional Resources

Here are a few different apps that drone pilots can use to research airspace:

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