No doubt... most people are fascinated with drones and why wouldn't you be?
It is probably the closest that we can feel to actually flying (at least visually), especially if you have some FPV googles where you practically ARE the drone as far as your senses!
So you have your drone and you want to fly it. Please don't act like some actual people I know who told me of their first drone flying experience! They were so excited, they didn't read the instructions. They fire it up, it flies up, up.. and never... ever... came back down. (Sad but true!). More than one person has told me a story like this (no relation to each other either!)
Besides reading up on the instructions, I wanted to cover a few basics for the everyday person interested in Drones.
You will probably need to register your drone! Regardless of whether you are using the drone for recreation or business... if it is more than 250 grams, you will need to register it!
You can get started on the FAA website and it only costs $5 to do so. This is part of why the upcoming DJI Mavic Mini coming out end of October 2019, has gotten some additional publicity. It will be UNDER 250 grams and thus "technically", it will not need to be registered.
Which brings up the most important question on this... do you need to get your FAR 107 Certification? It's actually a simple answer. If you plan on flying for fun, taking pictures and video... for FUN... and those video/pics will ONLY be shared in private... then no.
Here is the tricky part... if you take video and pictures for fun and your neighbor asks for a copy... to post on their Real Estate Agent's webpage... or to your local newspaper you can get in trouble. Look at what happened to this guy who was just doing a good deed!
Anytime that those images will be used for COMMERCIAL PURPOSES (for marketing, to see something, for any business brochures, newspapers or even if you monetize your youtube videos, etc)... you WILL NEED your FAR 107 Certification. Otherwise known as your "Commercial Drone Pilot's certification". It is definitely NOT an easy test!
Unfortunately there are plenty of people (many who i have personally met) who have flown drones and used it for their business but are not FAR 107 certified. I have spoken to Roof company representatives and even Insurance Adjusters who have told me how great the technology has been for them. Yet I always get a SILENCE response when I then ask, "Hey... so do you have your FAR 107 certification?". There are alot of businesses currently getting away with this but they are catching up on these people. Just get your licenses already (which is what i recommend... or they can hire me of course!)
There are many costly penalties for flying without FAR 107 certification. Even of a few companies in the drone business that have been fined. Personally, I don't think taking the chance to fly and make a buck without the license is just not worth the hassle, and I don't recommend it. Then again... i went through the trouble of studying and getting mine! :)
Let me know what you think? Any comments? Thoughts? Suggestions?