This conversation happens all the time and always starts the same way. I have a drone so i just grab pictures on my own. This is 100% alright to do if you are filming or taking images of your friends and family or getting killer landscape shots etc simply for enjoyment and to share to your personal social media pages it all falls under recreational use and is exactly how I got into Aerial photography and videography, however in the united states you still need to take the TRUST course before flying a drone recreationally it's free and 100% pass rate. You also need to register any drone that weight over .55lbs. However even after taking TRUST and registering your drone if you upload any of your footage to your business social media page or your buddies you have now crossed into Commercial and are required be FAA part 107 certified.
The FAA has been cracking down a lot lately and even levied a fine to a youtuber of $200,000.00! The simple fact of the matter is drones are extremely easy to get and far too many people fly them without knowing any of the rules of which there are many! a prime example is the LA wildfires where some idiot flew a drone into the wing of one of the supertankers grounding it for 2 days to get repaired. The FAA always makes the area of active firefighting operations a no fly zone so not only drones but private and other commercial aircraft don't get in the way of firefighting operations. How many homes or acres could've been saved if that plan was operation for the 2 days it was being repaired? I personally can't wait to see what that guy gets
In Southern MA and RI we have quite a few areas of controlled airspace between Logan Worcester multiple military bases and other national defense sensitive areas all major airports have controlled airspace 5 miles around them, Recreational drone operators CANNOT fly in these areas! You need FAA clearance and to obtain that you need to be a part 107 Certified. Commercial drone pilots / operators know how to get the clearances requires to legally and safely fly in these areas. I fly in Boston on a regular basis and have gotten clearance to fly a drone within 2 blocks of Logan I have never broken the approved clearance given by the FAA and now I get them back with much less back and forth than when I first started. Most professional drone operators / pilots also will also have liability insurance that is drone specific to protect your company in the case something goes wrong
Beyond the legal and safety reasons for hiring a certified drone pilot keep in mind we are doing this professionally odds are we are flying higher end equipment with much better cameras to capture the highest quality media available. On top of the equipment commercial pilots log a ton of flight hours we know how to fly drones and how to get the coolest shots and movements out of them which equates to better footage for your company. After we capture that footage we are constantly editing videos and have the editing skills to put together a quality product that will help you drive sales to your business! Plus by hiring a professional drone pilot your free to run your business instead of taking up valuable time shooting and editing content
Just my .02
Jim "Wojo" Wojdylak
written 1/27/2025

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