Part 107 certification was deliberately designed to be easy. This eliminates the need for self-certification of pilots and ensures that the agency is operating under the proper regulations regardless of the nature of the operations. For this reason, the common strategy is to have all the drone pilots in the agency apply for a Part 107 license while the agency itself applies for a COA. ![]() However, the stipulation here is that the training provided by the organization is at least equivalent to that needed to earn a Part 107 license.Īs mentioned, public agencies may not always use the FAA COA for all their operations. Organizations that hold a COA also have the privilege of self-certifying their own drone pilots. Part 107-licensed pilots will have to apply for these rules to be waived via the FAADroneZone website, which is a much longer and more complex process. As we can see from the table, it is much easier for COA holders to fly over crowds, in BVLOS range, or at night. Increased autonomy is one of the main benefits of securing a COA. This includes any police, firefighting, or lifesaving operations. To be considered a Public Operation, the drone must be serving a function that only the government will do. To be truly eligible, the drone must be used for Public Operations according to the definition of Advisory Circular 00-1.1B. However, a public entity may not always be granted a COA. On the flip side, professional drone pilots who fly their drones mainly for commercial or recreational uses are NOT eligible to apply for a COA. In fact, it is a common strategy to have both. These agencies are also not prevented from securing Part 107 licenses for their pilots. These can include lawn enforcement, firefighters, emergency response units, local municipalities, or public schools. COAs are typically granted only government agencies or other agencies that use drones as part of their routine public operations. The first thing you need to know is that the COA provision falls under Part 91, which is a completely different set of rules. Possible without waiver but not easy to accomplish To help distinguish between the two, we have summarized the essential points in the table below: An FAA COA, on the other hand, allows a wider range of drone operations but is an option that may not be available to many. This rule applies to practically all commercial uses of drones but also comes with several limitations. ![]() Most drone pilots would be more familiar with 14 CFR Part 107 or the FAA’s Small UAS Rule. The content in this article is also covered by the Public Safety COA Made Easy course that Pilot Institute offers for free. Getting a COA can be a long and tedious process so here’s a quick “roadmap” for agencies who would like to go down this path. This will allow them to operate drones under conditions that would otherwise have been prohibited. To give public agencies some leeway, they can apply for a Certificate of Approval (COA). However, their need to use drones does not always perfectly align with the drone regulations of the FAA. ![]() Public safety agencies often need to use drones to respond to emergencies quickly or to simply gain a tactical advantage over any situation.
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