FAA DRONE / NASHVILLE AIRSPACE RESOURCES
Planning a commercial drone shoot in Nashville?
Before locking your aerial shot, check the FAA airspace surrounding your exact location. Nashville has multiple airports, controlled airspace and temporary restrictions that can affect where and when a drone can operate.
Below are useful FAA resources for researching a Nashville drone shoot.
FAA B4UFLY
B4UFLY provides interactive airspace information that can help drone operators identify:
Controlled airspace
Airports
Special-use airspace
Temporary Flight Restrictions
Other flight restrictions
Areas where additional authorization may be necessary
Use the exact address or location of your proposed shoot rather than assuming that all of Nashville has the same airspace requirements.
FAA LAANC
LAANC — Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability — allows drone pilots to request FAA authorization to operate in controlled airspace around participating airports.
For eligible operations, LAANC can provide near-real-time authorization at approved altitudes.
LAANC also shows the maximum pre-approved altitudes available within individual UAS Facility Map grids.
FAA DRONEZONE
Some airspace authorization requests cannot be handled through LAANC.
The FAA DroneZone is used for certain manual airspace authorization requests, drone registration and other FAA drone services.
Manual requests can take considerably longer than LAANC approvals, so research your airspace early in pre-production.
PART 107
Commercial drone operations generally fall under the FAA's Part 107 rules.
Commercial productions should use a properly qualified drone operator and confirm that the proposed operation complies with current FAA requirements.
FLYING NEAR AIRPORTS
Drone flights in controlled airspace around airports require FAA authorization before operating.
Nashville-area productions should never assume a location is clear simply because it isn't directly next to an airport.
Use FAA airspace tools to check the specific filming location and proposed altitude.
TEMPORARY FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS
Always check for Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs) close to your shoot date.
TFRs can be issued for:
Major sporting events
VIP movements
Emergencies
Natural disasters
Security concerns
Other temporary situations
A location that is normally flyable may not be available on your shoot day.
FAA TEMPORARY FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS
NISSAN STADIUM + MAJOR SPORTING EVENTS
Pay particular attention to event schedules when filming around Downtown Nashville.
Federal restrictions prohibit drone operations within 3 nautical miles of qualifying stadiums with 30,000+ seats, from one hour before until one hour after certain NFL, MLB, NCAA Division I football and major motor speedway events.
That can be particularly relevant around Nissan Stadium during Tennessee Titans games.
FAA STADIUM + SPORTING EVENT DRONE RESTRICTIONS
AIRSPACE APPROVAL DOES NOT EQUAL PROPERTY PERMISSION
FAA approval deals with airspace.
It does not automatically give your production permission to launch or land from a particular property.
You still need to determine who owns or controls your launch and landing location and obtain any required permission.
Metro Nashville also has its own rules regarding drone operations from Metro Government property.
QUICK DRONE RESEARCH CHECKLIST
Before planning your Nashville drone shot:
Check the exact location in an FAA-approved airspace tool
Identify whether the location is in controlled airspace
Check the permitted altitude
Determine whether LAANC authorization is required
Check current and scheduled TFRs
Check nearby stadium events
Confirm your drone operator meets Part 107 requirements
Confirm permission for your launch + landing location
Check for additional Metro Nashville or property restrictions