How high can a drone fly without FAA authorization?
Fly at or below 400 feet in Class G (uncontrolled) airspace. Note: Anyone flying a drone in the U.S. National Airspace System (NAS) is responsible for flying within the FAA guidelines and regulations.
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Fly at or below 400 feet in Class G (uncontrolled) airspace. Note: Anyone flying a drone in the U.S. National Airspace System (NAS) is responsible for flying within the FAA guidelines and regulations.
There is no existing mechanism for the FAA to monitor if there are drone pilots, licensed or otherwise, who will fly above this altitude limit. That is well and fine until you get into a close encounter with a manned aircraft, for which you could be facing heavy penalties if the FAA can identify you as the drone pilot.
The FAA allows the 400-foot altitude limit to be waiver upon request by Part 107-licensed drone pilots. Waivers are requested through the FAA DroneZone website through a process that requires the drone operator to describe the proposed operations in heavy detail.
It's important to remember that if you're flying a drone recreationally and it weighs less than 250g, including DJI's Mavic Mini, Mini 2, and Mini 3, or Autel's Nano, you are exempt from Remote ID rules. As long as you're not flying under Part 107 for profit, you don't need to register a sub-250g drone.