Definition
An official FAA document that permits a public agency or operator to conduct a specific flight activity that would otherwise not be allowed under standard regulations. It is most commonly issued to public aircraft operators — such as government agencies, law enforcement, and public universities — to operate unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in the National Airspace System under defined conditions, locations, and time periods.
Plain English
A formal FAA permission slip that lets an organization do something with an aircraft — usually a drone — that the normal rules don't allow. It spells out exactly what they can do, where, and when.
Context Anchor
Seen in FAA approval documents for operations that need special permission, such as certain uncrewed aircraft operations or other activities that do not fit ordinary operating rules.
Derivation
‘Waiver’ comes from Old French ‘weyver,’ meaning to give up or set aside — here, the FAA sets aside a normal rule. ‘Authorization’ adds the idea of granting formal permission. Together: a document that both waives a rule and authorizes the activity.
Why Pilots Care
It keeps the operation legal and documented, avoiding violations while allowing necessary missions that would otherwise be prohibited.
Intuition Check
A COA is not blanket permission to do anything. It only allows the specific operation described in the approval, and only under the conditions written in it.
Example Sentence 1
The county sheriff's office obtained a COA from the FAA to operate its search-and-rescue drone in Class D airspace at night.
Example Sentence 2
Before the night surveillance flight, the team verified that every condition listed in the COA had been met.