As the deadline for Remote ID approaches (September 16, 2023), we are receiving a lot of status update requests for FAA-Recognized Identification Area (FRIA) applications.  

The AMA FRIA team is reviewing and processing FRIA submissions on a first come, first served basis. Please understand that it can take anywhere from a few minutes to an hour or more for each application. Some submissions are straightforward and we can forward the data to the FAA right away; others require additional follow-ups with the primary point of contact listed on the application.  

The FAA started the official approval process on July 5, because they had to wait for the adjudication period for the National Environmental Policy Act to end. When an application has been reviewed and processed, the FAA will send a notification email to the AMA club member who submitted the application on behalf of the club, as well as the club’s primary point of contact. At this time, there is no listing available to see which application was approved/denied or is still pending, so it’s important for the primary point of contact to check emails.  

As of the beginning of August, we have processed and submitted more than 1,200 applications to the FAA and currently have approximately 300 pending. Some of these are for secondary flying sites. We are working hard to get all of the current applications submitted to the FAA before the deadline.  

We have received nearly 200 approvals so far and more are coming in daily.  

Important: FRIA applications MUST be submitted by the community-based organization on behalf of its clubs. If you submitted your club’s FRIA application through the FAADroneZone web portal, the FAA will deny your request. Make sure you submit your information at www.modelaircraft.org/form/fria-application so that AMA can submit the application on your club’s behalf.