First responders and other organizations responding to natural disasters or other emergency situations may be eligible for expedited approval through our Special Governmental Interest (SGI) process. Operations that may be considered include:

• Firefighting
  • Includes Wildfire Suppression and Red Flag Warning Area Monitoring
• Search and Rescue
• Law Enforcement
• Utility or Other Critical Infrastructure Restoration
• Damage Assessments Supporting Disaster Recovery Related Insurance Claims
• Media Coverage Providing Crucial Information to the Public

To submit a waiver through this process, you need to access the TSA/FAA Waiver & Airspace Access Program using Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome. Once you create a username and password, follow the on- screen instructions to request a new waiver. Then select “Part 107 Special Government Interest” from the drop down. Complete all required fields. Use the tabs at the top of the page to navigate through each form section. Once completed, click the submit button. 

If approved, the FAA will add an amendment to your existing COA or Remote Pilot Certificate that authorizes you to fly under certain conditions for the specified operation. If denied, operators should NOT fly outside the provisions of their existing COA or part 107. Operators have the option to amend their requests.

• The Special Government Interest (SGI) amendment process is outlined in JO 7210.3.

Note that any Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) approval issued through SOSC will typically require the establishment of a Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR), and applicants should expect extended processing time compared to standard emergency SGI approvals (which may be issued in minutes for operations within visual line of sight).