Flying a drone near airports in United States

What the rules say

Each line is resolved from published facts of United States. "Not resolved" means the corpus does not answer it in a machine-checkable way — never that the law is silent.

• Distance restriction8046.72 mConditional
• Aerodrome permissionConditional
• Controlled airspace permissionConditional
• Protected facilitiesNot resolved
• Digital authorisationConditional
• Altitude relationshipConditional
• ExceptionsConditional

What changes the answer

• location

  Radius at or below 5 mi

• time of day

  Lead time at or above 90 days

• altitude

  Flight altitude at or below 400 ft

• time of day

  Lead time at or below 90 days

• weight threshold

  Take-off mass above 55 pounds

The rules behind this answer

• Binding lawNational rule

  Airspace Authorization Requirement for Controlled Airspace

  No person may operate a small unmanned aircraft in Class B, Class C, or Class D airspace or within the lateral boundaries of the surface area of Class E airspace designated for an airport unless that person has prior authorization from Air Traffic Control (ATC).

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  ATC Transponder Equipment Prohibition

  No person may operate a small unmanned aircraft system under Part 107 with an active ATC transponder unless authorized by the FAA Administrator.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Fixed Site Operations in Controlled Airspace

  Persons operating from a fixed site within Class B, Class C, Class D, or Class E surface airspace, or the sponsoring community-based organization, must make the location known to the FAA and establish a mutually agreed operating procedure with air traffic control.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Prior Authorization in Controlled Airspace

  In Class B, Class C, or Class D airspace, or within the lateral boundaries of the surface area of Class E airspace designated for an airport, the operator must obtain prior authorization from the Administrator or designee before operating.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Prohibition of Interference with Airport Operations

  No person may operate a small unmanned aircraft in a manner that interferes with operations and traffic patterns at any airport, heliport, or seaplane base.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Required Knowledge Areas for Initial Test and Recurrent Training

  It is a condition of the cited provision that an initial aeronautical knowledge test and recurrent training does cover the thirteen specified areas of knowledge, including regulations, airspace, weather, loading, emergency procedures, crew resource management, radio communications, performance, physiological effects of drugs and alcohol, decision-making, airport operations, maintenance, and night operations.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Waiver of Airspace Operating Rules

  An operator may obtain a certificate of waiver to deviate from the airspace operating rules of § 107.41.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• GuidanceNational rule

  B4UFLY App Airspace Resource

  FAA Advisory Circular 91-57C describes the B4UFLY app as a useful resource for recreational flyers, providing critical airspace information prior to flight.

  Open the requirementOfficial source

Official sources

• 14 CFR Part 48 - Registration and Marking Requirements for Small Unmanned Aircraft — Federal Aviation AdministrationOpen
• 49 U.S.C. 44809 - Exception for limited recreational operations of unmanned aircraft — Federal Aviation AdministrationOpen
• AC 91-57C - Exception for Limited Recreational Operations of Unmanned Aircraft — Federal Aviation AdministrationOpen

Known limitations

• 1 dimension(s) of this topic are not expressed in a machine-resolvable way by the published corpus and are reported UNKNOWN, never FALSE.

Other drone rules in United States

• Do I need to register my drone in United States?Registration in United States depends on the aircraft and the operation: it applies once the published conditions below are met, each cited to the rule that sets it.
• Do I need Remote ID in United States?Remote identification in United States is tied to the aircraft and the operating category: the published triggers below decide whether a flight must carry or broadcast an electronic identity.
• What is the maximum drone altitude in United States?Drone flights in United States are held to a published general height limit of 121.92 m AGL. The limit is not absolute: the published conditions that change it are cited below.
• Can I fly a drone over people in United States?Flight over uninvolved people is treated as a higher-risk operation in United States: it is available only where the published conditions below — class, mass, separation or authorisation — are satisfied.
• Can I fly a drone at night in United States?Night flying in United States is regulated rather than simply allowed or banned: published lighting, category and authorisation conditions below decide whether a given flight may take place after dark.
• Is BVLOS drone flight allowed in United States?BVLOS in United States runs through a defined authorisation pathway rather than an open permission: the published conditions below set out what that pathway requires.
• When does a drone operation need authorisation in United States?Whether an operation in United States needs prior authorisation depends on the operational category, risk class or location: the published triggers below decide it.
• What training do I need to fly a drone in United States?Remote pilot competency in United States scales with the operation: which training, examination or proof of competency applies is set by the published conditions below.

All drone laws in United States