Happy New Year! A fresh new start, new goals and new Christmas gifts to play with and perhaps use to make money. With drones becoming more affordable everyday, it seems like everyone and their mother have a drone now. But, there are big differences & consequences between a drone enthusiast/ hobbyist and a commercially licensed and insured drone pilot.
DJI Inspire 2 with ZenMuse X7 Lens
According the the FAA, “Even if you're only flying in your backyard, drones that weigh more than 0.55 pounds must be registered.” A recreational drone user must also follow certain guidelines set forth by the FAA:
Fly only for fun or recreation
Follow the safety guidelines of a model aircraft community-based organization
Fly at or below 400 feet when in uncontrolled airspace (Class G)
Fly within visual line-of-sight, meaning you as the drone operator use your own eyes and needed contacts or glasses (without binoculars), to ensure you can see your drone at all times.
Never fly near other aircraft.
Never fly over groups of people, public events, or stadiums full of people.
Never fly near or over emergency response efforts.
The second you use your drone and receive compensation (any type of compensation), you are flying for commercial purposes. So if someone offers a large or small amount of money or even buys you a beer in return for anything to do with your drone, you are now flying for commercial purposes and a whole set of new rules apply to you. What if you bought a drone for your company, farm or non-profit organization and you are operating it? Yep- you are too considered a commercial pilot and must get your Part 107 certification which includes passing the initial FAA knowledge test as well as recurrent knowledge testing in order to be legit and stay on the right side of the law.
So what happens if a pilot is unlicensed and the photos and or video is used for any type of business purpose? If caught, the unlicensed pilot will be fined $1,000 per occurrence/flight. Additionally, the company that hired the unlicensed pilot will be fined $11,000 per instance for hiring the unlicensed pilot. AND- if you have the drone and operate it (pilot it) illegally for your own business, you will be responsible for both fines. Additionally, what if something happens and the drone crashes into someone’s property or worse into a person?? Is your company fully prepared for that FAA investigation, potential lawsuits and the negative publicity that is sure to come with it?
Since most companies don’t have the time, man power or know how to deal with the FAA regulations and the testing required to stay on the right side of the law, it’s a smart choice to hire a professional certified & insured UAS drone pilot. Once you have made the decision to hire a professional licensed UAV drone pilot, review their work and always ask to see their license and proof of insurance. Over 1 million drones have been registered with the FAA but to date, only 100,000 pilots have received certificates from the FAA since the small drone rule went into effect in August of 2016. This means that only 10% of the drones out there are actually able to fly for commercial use.
Not only is are license and insurance important, what about the quality of work? You also need a skilled professional to take, edit and deliver smooth high quality aerial photographs and drone video. Definitely do your research and find a company, like Professional Drone Services in Nashville, TN, that only hires experienced photographers, cinematographers and videographers that are certified with FAA and have a vast portfolio of high quality work sure to impress anyone.
For more information on Professional Drone Services, please call 615-513-9790 or visit us at www.professionaldroneservices.com. We are based in Nashville but our pilots are available for deployment worldwide!