San Juan sits under controlled airspace. Here's the exact step-by-step to request LAANC authorization and fly legally near the island's airports.
Why this matters in San Juan
Luis Muñoz Marín (SJU) sits in Class C airspace (reclassified from Class B in 2024), and its shelves cover most of the metro area. Isla Grande (SIG) in San Juan, Aguadilla (BQN), and Ponce (PSE) are Class D fields — more controlled zones to respect. If you fly a drone in controlled airspace without authorization, you're breaking federal rules. The good news: getting permission takes about five minutes on your phone.
Step 1: Get a LAANC-capable app
Download an FAA-approved provider app — Aloft (formerly Kittyhawk) is the most common, free, and beginner-friendly. Create an account before you head to the field. Full provider list: faa.gov/uas/getting_started/laanc.
Step 2: Pin your location
Open the app's map and drop the pin exactly where you'll stand. Zoom in — being off by a street can put you in a different ceiling grid.
Step 3: Read the grid ceiling
The map shows numbered grid squares — that's the maximum altitude (in feet) you can request there, often 100–400 ft near the outer shelves, 0 ft close to runways. Zero doesn't always mean 'never' — it means 'manual review only' (see Step 6).
Step 4: Set date, time, altitude
Pick your flight window (up to 12 hours) and request an altitude at or below the grid number. Asking for less than the max approves faster and is a good habit — if you're shooting a beach at 150 ft, don't request 400.
Step 5: Submit — approval usually takes seconds
LAANC answers almost instantly for requests within grid ceilings. Save the authorization reference on your phone. That number is your proof if anyone asks.
Step 6: When the grid says 0
Recreational pilots: pick a different spot — the island is full of legal Class G coastline. Part 107 pilots: file through the FAA DroneZone for a manual authorization — allow up to 90 days for complex requests, though many come back faster.
Day-of discipline
Re-check the app the morning of your flight — ceilings and TFRs change
Stay inside your approved window and altitude
If a TFR pops up (VIP movement, emergency), it overrides your authorization
Rookie mistakes to avoid
Requesting authorization for 'the beach' without checking which grid your exact spot sits in
Forgetting that SJU's approach paths cross over water too — Condado and Isla Verde are inside the Class C shelves
Assuming yesterday's approval covers today — authorizations are time-boxed
Five minutes of paperwork, zero stress at the field. Fly legal, fly relaxed.
