Airspace: LAANC, "File with FAA", NOTAMs and the "data unavailable" warning

SkySuite reads FAA airspace data and tells you what it found. It does not request or file LAANC or FAA authorizations for you: every button that mentions filing or requesting opens the provider’s own site in a new tab. For reading the airspace map itself, see Check the airspace at your site.

The planner’s airspace check (go / no-go)

Field › Missions › Missions · /field/missions

1. Click the mission to open its plan, then click the “Checks” tab.
2. Click “Airspace”. The “🛡 Airspace check” box opens.
3. Run the check with the button at the bottom of the box.
4. The answer comes first: “Yes, you can fly here” (GO), “Not without FAA approval” (AUTHORIZATION NEEDED), “No, you can’t fly here” (NO-GO) or “We couldn’t confirm” (CAN’T CONFIRM, part of the check didn’t run).
5. Click “More details” for each check, its FAA source and when it was fetched. Every run is kept under “Airspace check history”, with “Download record (PDF)”.

It is a planning aid: the remote pilot in command decides go/no-go.

Getting LAANC (“File with FAA”)

The old “File with FAA” choice is now “File with a LAANC authorizing service”. It “Opens an FAA-approved LAANC provider’s site in a new tab, where you request airspace authorization yourself — SkySuite does not file the authorization for you.”

1. On the mission’s plan, click the “Details” tab, then “Op details”.
2. Read the line under “File with a LAANC authorizing service”: “Needed here:” means the last check found Class B, C, D or surface E airspace. “Not needed here:” means Class G (the list hides behind “Show providers anyway”).
3. In “Choose a provider to open their portal…”, pick one of the FAA-approved LAANC providers listed. Request the authorization on their site.
4. Type the number you get into “LAANC authorization number”.

In Office › Work › Field › DSP, a project’s “Route plan” also links out for a site in controlled airspace: a “Request LAANC” button for a LAANC provider and, when LAANC can’t cover it, “🏛 FAA Airspace Authorization — DroneZone”. If you use a LAANC provider account, you can connect it under Settings › Integrations › Connected Apps · /settings/integrations/connected-apps so its page opens centered on your site.

“Airspace data unavailable” on the map

Field › Tools › Airspace · /field/tools/airspace

The warning means some FAA layers did not load, so the map can’t show you all the airspace. Missing layers are never shown as clear.

• “Airspace data unavailable — check B4UFLY or an FAA-approved LAANC provider before flying.” stays up when a core layer is missing: the LAANC grid, Class B, C or D, prohibited, restricted or national security areas, or defense TFRs. Zoom in on your site and click “Try again”.
• A smaller note such as “Class E surface airspace did not load.” means the other layers are shown. Click “Try again”, or close it with ×.
• “The FAA airspace service is busy right now.” counts down on the button (“Try again in 42 s”).

The older wording “Not loaded: class e” meant the same thing: the Class E surface areas did not load. Reload the page; until they load, check B4UFLY or a LAANC provider for that layer.

Common questions

Why does the NOTAM list show so many that don’t matter? In the airspace check, NOTAMs near your site are listed under “NOTAMs”: the first ten, then a button such as “Show all 23 NOTAMs”. The mark tells you which matter: ⛔ is what makes the answer NO-GO, ▲ needs your attention, and · is for information only (above your altitude or outside the site). A note at the end counts the NOTAMs left out as not relevant to a drone flight. If the row says “NOTAMs were NOT checked”, review NOTAMs yourself, for example on B4UFLY or with your LAANC provider.

Does SkySuite get the authorization for me? No. It shows what the FAA data says and links you to the provider. Record the authorization number in “Op details”.