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What Is Part 107.29 Daylight Operation Waiver?
The Daylight Operation Waiver allows an operator and team provisions to safely conduct nighttime operations legally beyond civil twilight.
From FAA eCFR Part 107:
Ҥ107.29 Daylight operation.
(a) No person may operate a small unmanned aircraft system during night.
(b) No person may operate a small unmanned aircraft system during periods of civil twilight unless the small unmanned aircraft has lighted anti-collision lighting visible for at least 3 statute miles. The remote pilot in command may reduce the intensity of the anti-collision lighting if he or she determines that, because of operating conditions, it would be in the interest of safety to do so.
(c) For purposes of paragraph (b) of this section, civil twilight refers to the following:
(1) Except for Alaska, a period of time that begins 30 minutes before official sunrise and ends at official sunrise;
(2) Except for Alaska, a period of time that begins at official sunset and ends 30 minutes after official sunset; and
(3) In Alaska, the period of civil twilight as defined in the Air Almanac.”
What Does a Daylight Waiver Mean to Me??
Any UAV with strobes and navigation lights can fly during civil twilight, as long as those lights can be seen for at least 3 miles. Civil twilight is defined as the 30 minutes after sunset and the 30 minutes before sunrise where light still exists, but the sun is not visible. A Daylight Operation Waiver allows a Part 107 Operation to fly your drone between sunset and sunrise when no other natural sunlight exists. To fly at night as a hobbyist, you just have to conform to the same rules, but special permission to fly at night is not required.
What Do I Need to Fly After Sunset?
Most drones come with some type of small lighting system. What most are quickly figuring out, is this does not adequately light up your drone at night to be seen from at least 3 miles away. Your going to need just a little bit of help from an aftermarket product to help you stay safe, be
There is a company run by Ryan Traxler that 3D prints parts for your drone that can easily be added and removed at will. He visits some of the forums I have stumbled across and has plenty of knowledge to share with the rest of us. These strobe mounts add very little weight to your UAV. I myself am adding 2 strobes to my Mavic 2. One facing forward and one facing backward. Go see if he has something that will fit what you are looking for at Aerial-Pixel.com in his 3D section.
How Many Have Been Approved?
At the time of writing this initially in 2018, approximately 2,200 total Operational Waivers have been submitted and accepted by the FAA. Most of these have been for a Part 107.29 Daylight Operation Waiver. See the full list from the FAA Here.
What Needs To Be Addressed?
Describe Your Proposed Operation
Any and every detail of your operation needs to be addressed. Make sure you include any aspect that involves your operation. Things that would be important are airspace you will be flying in and around, which altitudes you will be at, and what you will be flying over.
Include which aircraft you could be flying. If there is more than one, list them all. The specifications of each UAV that will be used needs to be listed also. List each one of their flight times, capable flight distances, and speeds individually. List the different ways that each aircraft will be limited to the flight zone.
The pilots required experience and number of pilots should be included also. All of the involved personel should have training involved with the operation. Show how a person will be trained and tested on each particular mission.
Explain Possible Risks and How To Mitigate These Risks
List all of the risks that can possibly arise. You must
Reference The FAA Waiver Safety Explanation Guide Here for more info.
Find More Waivers Here!
Updated 2019!!
The FAA has had talks of updating these rules to make it so anybody can fly at night without a special waiver. Safety reports show that night flights are not as huge of a risk as
Leave comments below on your Part 107 Daylight Waiver process. Let us know below in the comments if this helped or if we left something out important that would have helped you significantly.