{"id":"5439f436-0572-4a37-95c5-ce51e76ce37c","slug":"buoyant-aero-faa-waiver-2026","kind":"regulatory_action","headline":"FAA issues Certificate of Waiver 107W-2026-00686 to Buoyant Aero for UAS operations over humans and moving vehicles","summary":"The FAA's Flight Standards Service issued a Certificate of Waiver (No. 107W-2026-00686) to Buoyant Aero, Inc. (Responsible Person: Benjamin R Claman, 191 Henry St, New York, NY) authorizing small UAS operations over human beings and moving vehicles under 14 CFR §§ 107.39 and 107.145. The waiver is effective May 15, 2026 through May 31, 2030, with 21 special provisions including max takeoff weight of 54.9 lbs, minimum 100 ft AGL altitude, and transitory-only overflight of non-participants. Separately, Buoyant Aero filed a petition in Feb 2026 (FAA docket FAA-2026-0749) seeking an exemption under Exemption No. 21914 to conduct aerial advertising including banner towing, hanging banners, light-up displays, and similar operations.","occurredAt":"2026-05-15T00:00:00.000Z","reviewStatus":"reviewed","modelId":"21a635f5-bc12-4069-9258-ec8a91898d2d","deploymentId":"b9504d1d-fae0-48af-a30f-df79db999751","companyId":null,"dataCenterId":null,"aliases":[],"collisionRisk":"none","reviewNote":null,"severity":"minor","rootCauseCategory":null,"rootCauseDetail":null,"affectedUnitsCount":null,"affectedUnitsBasis":null,"remediationStatus":"none","regulatoryAction":"other","regulatoryBody":"FAA","propertyDamageEstimateUsd":null,"damageEstimateBasis":null,"bodilyInjurySeverity":null,"fatalityCount":null,"lossCostClass":null,"sourceQualityTier":null,"oshaRecordable":null,"oshaCaseNumber":null,"rootCauseDisclosed":null,"publicDisclosureDate":null,"insuranceClaimPublic":null,"formFactor":null,"latitude":null,"longitude":null,"autonomyClass":null,"legalOutcomeClass":"unknown","createdAt":"2026-08-14T19:05:53.373Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-23T15:14:15.796Z","model":{"id":"21a635f5-bc12-4069-9258-ec8a91898d2d","companyId":"799b40c9-3736-4781-b28e-2f2278b920e5","modelName":"Buoyant Aero Cargo Blimp","slug":"buoyant-aero-blimp","description":"Buoyant Aero's unmanned hybrid airship is a zero-emissions autonomous drone blimp designed for middle-mile cargo delivery, with 650 lb payload capacity. The blimp fits into existing supply chains for simpler operations compared to traditional cargo aircraft.","formFactor":"aerial","industryVertical":"logistics","environment":"airspace","maturityStage":"prototype","lifecycleState":"active","supersededByModelId":null,"specs":{"payload_kg":294.78},"manufacturerSerial":null,"reviewStatus":"reviewed","sources":[{"url":"https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28278515","title":"Launch HN: Buoyant (YC S21)","sourceName":"Hacker News"}],"aliases":[],"collisionRisk":"low","reviewNote":null,"manufacturerTermForTeleop":null,"keyFacts":[{"label":"YC Batch","value":"Summer 2021"},{"label":"Payload","value":"650 lb"},{"label":"Market","value":"middle-mile cargo delivery ($6B US market)"}],"createdAt":"2026-07-06T06:38:47.645Z","updatedAt":"2026-07-22T17:22:25.712Z","unitsInFieldClaimed":null,"unitsInFieldVerified":null,"unitsManufacturedClaimed":null,"unitsManufacturedVerified":null,"unitsAsOf":null,"unitsSource":null,"salesModel":null,"priceUndisclosedSince":null,"autonomyClass":null,"autonomyStatement":null,"autonomyStatementSource":null,"demoForensics":null,"exportControlClass":null,"minCommitment":null,"warrantyTerms":null,"serviceModel":null,"productionRateClaimed":null,"productionRateEvidenced":null,"teleopRatioDisclosed":null,"interventionRateDisclosed":null},"deployment":{"id":"b9504d1d-fae0-48af-a30f-df79db999751","modelId":"21a635f5-bc12-4069-9258-ec8a91898d2d","versionId":null,"locationId":"192edfdf-fa70-4354-a507-c8728ecde78b","operatorId":"799b40c9-3736-4781-b28e-2f2278b920e5","ownerId":null,"slug":"buoyant-aero-blimp-los-angeles-california-usa","status":"operational","firstSeen":"2025-07-04T00:00:00.000Z","statusChangeReason":null,"contractType":null,"pilotOutcome":null,"endedAt":null,"unitsOnSite":null,"tasksPerformed":["delivery"],"shiftStructure":null,"hoursPerDay":6,"siteType":"airport","operatorConfirmed":null,"humanSupervisionOnsite":null,"locationPrecisionTier":"city_centroid","deploymentScale":"large_100_plus","siteEnvironment":"outdoor","operatorType":null,"sourceQualityTier":2,"manufacturerSerial":null,"reviewStatus":"reviewed","sources":[{"url":"https://www.buoyant.aero/case-studies/amazon","title":"Amazon Prime Video x Buoyant Aero — Heads of State blimp activation","sourceName":"Buoyant Aero (case study)","publishedAt":"2025-07-04"}],"notes":"3-day branded blimp campaign for Amazon Prime Video/MGM 'Heads of State' film along the LA coastline (Malibu to Redondo Beach), July 4th weekend 2025. Delivered 762,500+ impressions across 7 beach zones. Demonstrates 'Blimps-as-a-Service' aerial advertising capability.","keyFacts":[{"label":"Impressions","value":"762,500+"},{"label":"Client","value":"Amazon Prime Video / MGM Studios"}],"reviewNote":null,"exposureHours":null,"deploymentMilesEstimate":null,"exposureBasis":null,"customerSegment":"logistics","scaleTier":"mass_100_999","contractValueUsd":null,"contractValueBasis":null,"customerCompanyId":null,"customerExternalName":null,"createdAt":"2026-08-14T19:05:42.124Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-21T14:23:15.779Z"},"company":null,"derived":{"status":"active"},"sources":[{"id":"3760b641-cf8c-4c71-8ace-8b3d05837c39","incidentId":"5439f436-0572-4a37-95c5-ce51e76ce37c","url":"https://www.regulations.gov/document/FAA-2026-0749-0004","label":"Regulations.gov","publishedAt":"2026-02-12T00:00:00.000Z","notes":null,"title":null,"sourceName":"Regulations.gov","mediaType":"article","videoId":null,"channel":null,"durationSec":null,"timestampSec":null,"createdAt":"2026-08-14T19:05:53.373Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-14T19:05:53.373Z"},{"id":"c5b012d6-ae74-4177-ac8d-5ccb1a604c30","incidentId":"5439f436-0572-4a37-95c5-ce51e76ce37c","url":"https://www.faa.gov/media/115056","label":"FAA","publishedAt":"2026-05-19T00:00:00.000Z","notes":null,"title":null,"sourceName":"FAA","mediaType":"article","videoId":null,"channel":null,"durationSec":null,"timestampSec":null,"createdAt":"2026-08-14T19:05:53.373Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-14T19:05:53.373Z"}],"responses":[],"statusEvents":[{"id":"d9336d3a-4357-4b7b-b3c2-fffbeda26a86","incidentId":"5439f436-0572-4a37-95c5-ce51e76ce37c","status":"active","reason":null,"source":"agent:recon","effectiveAt":"2026-08-14T19:05:54.499Z","createdAt":"2026-08-14T19:05:54.499Z"}],"jsonLd":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://registry.deploy.report/incidents/buoyant-aero-faa-waiver-2026","url":"https://registry.deploy.report/incidents/buoyant-aero-faa-waiver-2026","headline":"FAA issues Certificate of Waiver 107W-2026-00686 to Buoyant Aero for UAS operations over humans and moving vehicles","description":"The FAA's Flight Standards Service issued a Certificate of Waiver (No. 107W-2026-00686) to Buoyant Aero, Inc. (Responsible Person: Benjamin R Claman, 191 Henry St, New York, NY) authorizing small UAS operations over human beings and moving vehicles under 14 CFR §§ 107.39 and 107.145. The waiver is effective May 15, 2026 through May 31, 2030, with 21 special provisions including max takeoff weight of 54.9 lbs, minimum 100 ft AGL altitude, and transitory-only overflight of non-participants. Separately, Buoyant Aero filed a petition in Feb 2026 (FAA docket FAA-2026-0749) seeking an exemption under Exemption No. 21914 to conduct aerial advertising including banner towing, hanging banners, light-up displays, and similar operations.","identifier":"5439f436-0572-4a37-95c5-ce51e76ce37c","datePublished":"2026-05-15T00:00:00.000Z","articleSection":"regulatory action","publisher":{"@id":"https://deploy.report/#organization"},"author":{"@id":"https://deploy.report/#organization"}},"framework_metadata":{"framework_schema_version":"0.1.0","verification_status":"verified","maturity_stage":null,"lifecycle_state":null,"architectural_position":{"cohort":null,"sub_cohorts":[]},"within_cohort_verified_vs_claimed_pair":null,"cap_flags":[],"verification_depth":{"sources_count":2,"primary_source_types":["primary-regulatory-filing"]}}}