Your Questions Answered—Follow Up from Our Webinar on How to…

Last week we hosted a webinar entitled How to Ace the FAA’s Part 107 Exam and Become a Certified Drone Drone Pilot, and we had been so inundated with questions that we promised to put in writing a comply with up weblog publish to verify all of them bought answered.

We’ve damaged your questions down into classes to make the solutions approachable and straightforward to search out.

If you continue to have questions, please attain out to us at assist[at]uavcoach[dot]com, and we’ll make sure that to get again quickly.

We additionally advocate that you simply publish your questions within the UAV Coach group discussion board. It’s a group of 1000’s of drone pilots, and an important place to be taught extra about something and every little thing associated to flying drones.

Questions about FAA Certification and What It Allows You to Do

Question: In what situations is FAA-certification required for flying drones?

Answer: The FAA requires a pilot to be licensed so as to carry out any sort of economic drone operation. We had many individuals ask particular questions relating to when one needs to be licensed, and what actions represent business drone work.

Basically, in case you’re asking the query in any respect, you’re most likely flying in a means that the FAA would outline as business.

To make this straightforward, it’s useful to have a look at the FAA’s Getting Started webpage. There the FAA defines hobbyist flying as “educational or recreational flying only.” So in case you’re flying in a means that’s not academic (for you, not for others) or simply for enjoyable, you’re flying commercially.

Here are some examples of forms of flying which will appear to fall in a gray space, however the FAA would nonetheless outline as business:

• Flying as a commerce with somebody for items or companies
• Flying as a part of your actual property operation
• Flying as a trainer in a highschool or faculty class
• Flying as a part of an illustration

Question: What does the FAA require for certification?

Answer: Here is what the FAA requires (taken from the FAA’s Fly for Work/Business webpage):

• Must be not less than 16 years previous
• Must cross an preliminary aeronautical information check at an FAA-approved information testing middle+
• Must be vetted by the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA)

Many individuals requested about extra necessities, akin to whether or not a medical examination, driver’s license, flight proficiency, or faculty diploma had been required. There are not any extra necessities past those listed above, though you’ll need some type of legitimate identification so as to take the Part 107 check.

There is, nevertheless, an exception to the above for pilots with present certificates:

An individual who already holds a pilot certificates issued underneath 14 CFR half 61 and has efficiently accomplished a flight assessment throughout the earlier 24 months can full a component 107 on-line coaching course at www.faasafety.gov to fulfill [the testing] requirement.

– FAA.gov

Question: Where and the way can I fly if I’m FAA-certified?

Answer: Once licensed, the FAA means that you can fly a drone weighing lower than 55 kilos with these restrictions (taken from the FAA’s Fly for Work/Business webpage):

• Must fly at school G airspace* (i.e., fully uncontrolled airspace)
• Must hold the plane in sight (visible line-of-sight)*
• Must fly underneath 400 ft*
• Must fly in the course of the day*
• Must fly at or under 100 mph*
• Must yield proper of technique to manned plane*
• Must NOT fly over individuals*
• Must NOT fly from a transferring car*

Question: Are there any exceptions to those restrictions?

Answer: Yes. The FAA does situation airspace authorizations, which permit drone pilots to fly in managed airspace (addressing the primary bullet within the listing above), in addition to Part 107 waivers, which permit drone pilots to fly in a number of of the methods listed within the different bullets above (Beyond Visual Line of Sight; above 400 ft; at night time, and so on.).

Here are some extra sources:

*Note: Night waivers are the most typical forms of Part 107 waivers issued by the FAA. Waivers for different Part 107 restrictions may be obtained, however they’re much less widespread. The FAA retains a public file of all Part 107 waivers issued, which may be discovered right here.

Question: Will my FAA certification expire, and what’s the course of to resume it?

Answer: The FAA has acknowledged that recertification will likely be required each 24 months, however has not but issued the particular course of that will likely be required for recertification.

Question: What is the method round getting clearance from heliports? On some DNF maps they present up whereas they don’t on others.

Answer: Many DNF maps don’t consider the Part 107 rules.

If you’re flying as a licensed drone pilot underneath Part 107, it doesn’t matter how shut or far you might be to an airport. What issues is in case you’re in managed vs. uncontrolled airspace. Even in case you’re proper subsequent to a heliport, for instance, in case you’re in Class G uncontrolled airspace and there are not any different particular airspace concerns to consider, the one factor it’s important to fear about is conducting a secure and accountable flight mission.

You can’t impede (and will completely yield to) any present manned plane operations, notably low-flying helicopters. While it’s not required to get clearance / permission, it my be useful to determine communication for stronger situational consciousness.

Question: I work for a hearth division. Are everlasting nighttime flight waivers out there for public security businesses to carry out search and rescue operations?

Answer: Yes, that is know as a Public COA. More info may be discovered on the method for acquiring a COA right here.

Question: Who has jurisdiction over airspace proper now, the federal authorities or native governments?

Answer: Officially, the federal authorities has jurisdiction. However, many states and native governments are passing legal guidelines associated to flying drones.

A current court docket case in Newton, MA acknowledged the FAA’s authority, and struck down components of the city’s regulation that encroached on the FAA’s jurisdiction. That being mentioned, you can nonetheless doubtlessly be jailed or fined for breaking native legal guidelines associated to flying drones (even in case you’re working in compliance with FAA rules), so it’s necessary to pay attention to them.

Work Related Questions

Question: What sorts of jobs can be found as a business drone pilot, and how will you discover work doing them?

Answer: There are dozens of how drones are being utilized in work settings, from aerial cinematography to surveying to fireplace preventing. Here is an outline of the place persons are discovering work:

For extra on jobs for business drone pilots, try this text on the place persons are getting cash within the drone trade and this grasp listing of U.S. licensed drone pilot directories.

To truly discover work, you usually need to create the chance for your self.

Many profitable business drone pilots we’ve encountered who’re working for themselves have seen their position as educators on the subject of discovering new purchasers. They’ll provide a shoot without cost to a realtor so as to display the worth aerial companies can present, after which work from there to determine a shopper base.

Read about how Derrick Ward constructed his enterprise, Hot Shots Aerial Photography, from free flights to some extent the place he can cost as much as $250 an hour right here.

Question: How ought to I value my drone companies?

Answer: This query is tough to reply, as a result of pricing is usually tied to the particular location you’re in, sort of labor you’re doing, competitors (or lack of competitors), and stage of ability you’ve developed.

For some good recommendation on pricing for actual property advertising, try this text.

Derrick Ward of Hot Shots Aerial Photography has this recommendation:

People ought to consider their very own work and the quantity they cost for it by how busy they’re.

If you’re actually busy, and you’ve got individuals pulling down your door to rent you, you then don’t want to supply free companies to search out purchasers since they already perceive the worth of your work. And in case you’re extremely busy then it’s best to most likely contemplate elevating your costs.

On the opposite hand, in case you’re not very busy, then it’s value contemplating techniques like providing decrease costs or free shoots to usher in new purchasers, till issues begin to decide up.

Question: Do you want drone insurance coverage to start out your individual drone companies enterprise?

Answer: It’s most likely a good suggestion, but it surely’s actually as much as you. For an in-depth take on drone insurance coverage, try this free information on the topic.

Hardware Questions

We had dozens of questions on which drone to purchase. The fact is that completely different drones are good for various jobs, so it is going to usually rely on what you intend to do.

That being mentioned, we’ve bought some guides to several types of drones that may assist you get began on the subject of discovering the correct drone for the job.

Here they’re:

Software Questions

We additionally had a variety of questions on software program and photograph/video modifying usually.

Here are the guides we’ve created that can assist you on the subject of discovering the correct software program in your drone operations:

Still have questions?

Email us at assist[at]uavcoach[dot]com, or publish them within the UAV Coach group discussion board.