Drone Operations - FlySafe

Flying Your Drone Safely in Sheboygan County

Sheboygan County supports the safe, respectful, and legal use of drones in our community as a source of recreation and economic development.

To enable residents and businesses to FlySafe, Sheboygan County provides live data on areas of potential risk, advisories for local events or emergencies, and other flight planning features in the AirHub application – a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)-approved, Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) UAS Service Supplier (USS). Pilots can access sophisticated pre-flight risk assessments, local weather reports, and automated near real-time LAANC approvals to fly in local controlled airspace (under 400’) in just two clicks.

Download the AirHub App

Explore the Map

What is LAANC and the FlySafe Program

LAANC is a partnership between the FAA and private industry (like Airspace Link) to safely integrate small drones into the national airspace. Flying within the national airspace is strictly regulated by the FAA. All FAA TRUST Certified Recreational and FAA Certified Commercial (Part 107) drone pilots require FAA LAANC authorization before operating in controlled airspace. The good news is now drone pilots can receive LAANC authorization for most operations in just a few seconds! Additionally, commercial pilots can request further coordination with the FAA for those operations that LAANC cannot automatically approve. LAANC is now available at over 732 airports nationwide.

Get Started Now

Step 1: Confirm Your Certifications

• Confirm that your FAA Recreational Drone Pilot TRUST Certificate or Commercial Drone Pilot Certificate is valid.
  • Recreational Drone Pilot TRUST Certificate
  • Commercial Drone Pilot Certificate

Step 2: FAA Drone Registration/Remote ID

• If your drone is greater than .55 pounds, register your drone with the FAA.
  • Register your Drone
• Is your drone Remote ID capable? Beginning March 2024, FAA will REQUIRE remote ID. Most newer drones have this built-in. Older drones or custom built drones will need a Remote ID module to broadcast a location.
  • Remote ID information at FAA

Step 3: Create a New Pilot Account

• Register as a Sheboygan County drone pilot using a valid email address in the AirHub application. Once registered, you’ll have access to the most up-to-date airspace information, be able to create new LAANC operation submissions, and receive near real-time automated approvals from participating air traffic facilities and airports nationwide.

Step 4: Find Your Operation Location OR Click “Fly Now!”

• After logging in, locate where you will be operating your drone using either an address, a known location name, the geographic coordinates, or manually navigate using the interactive map.
• Alternatively, you can also create an operation by clicking the “Fly Now!” button. This feature allows you to quickly create a flight by pre-populating your information and automatically creating a circular flight boundary of your current location.

 Step 5: Define Operation Parameters 

• The basics of an operation consist of an Operation Name, a Start Time (and Duration), the Operation Altitude, and the area you intend to fly. AirHub will ensure you stay on track as you input your data.

Step 6: Request Authorization From the FAA

• The final step is to request authorization from the FAA (if necessary) by clicking “Save Operation.” Sometimes, the operation is divided up into multiple areas if we need to submit to different Air Traffic Control facilities – AirHub will handle that too.

Know the Rules

Understanding the FAA’s drone pilot rules of the sky is the best way to start your flight.

• Recreational Drone Pilot Rules
• Commercial Drone Pilot Rules

Advanced Drone Operations

For questions about Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) operations in the area, contact Nathan Fazer in the Planning & Conservation Department by emailing gis@sheboygancounty.com.

Drones in Wisconsin

The map below shows registered drone pilots with the FAA, both PA107 and Recreational, by zip code as of December 2023. Use the search to find your zip code and see how many drone pilots are in your area. Dark green areas have high numbers of both types of pilots, blue areas have high PA107 pilots but low recreational pilots, and orange areas have low PA107 pilots and high recreational pilots.