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I Need to Buy a Drone
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Mar 23, 2019 18:32:21   #
alexol
 
I fly all VLOS (have goggles and table/tripod mounted viewing stations w/larger screens) and I can't tell what my lighted/strobed 400mm drone is doing at the end of my street (1300 ft) w/o looking at the video feed. I could tell with field glasses, but wouldn't be practical for my purposes.[/quote]

Agree completely - at that range I have no idea which way my drone is headed without looking at a screen or the pinpoints of light from the strobes from which I can determine orientation but that's isn't - to me - the same as really seeing the drone.

My point, which I made very badly, is that IMHO the VLOS rule could be better written as it is far too vague. But having a 5 miles capability is about the same as having a motorcycle which can break every speed limit in the country halfway through the rev range.

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Mar 23, 2019 19:10:06   #
aellman Loc: Boston MA
 
pdsilen wrote:
I do real estate photography. And the bulk of my work involves acerage, farm land, subdivisions, oil fields, etc. Therefore I need to invest in a drone. Do any of you folks have any suggestions as to what brand, ease (or difficulty of operation), FAA requirements, or anything else I need to know? Your feedback would be very much appreciated.


Top line before all the other stuff. Use it responsibly. Don't invade anyone's privacy, and, most of all, don't go ANYWHERE near an airport or another aircraft. There have already been several incidents in which commercial airliners have been significantly damaged by collisions with drones.You can check faa.gov for the regulations.



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Mar 23, 2019 21:32:54   #
jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ
 
You need "In order to fly your drone under the FAA's Small UAS Rule (Part 107), you must obtain a Remote Pilot Certificate from the FAA. This certificate demonstrates that you understand the regulations, operating requirements, and procedures for safely flying drones." if you use it to make money.

You also need to register your drone and it costs about $5 for 2 years. Something like that.

You might also want to insure yourself against any liability. There is an app you can download to your phone and each time you fly you can buy the insurance for each time you fly for a period of time for a day.

I have a friend that uses his DJI Phantom 4 for real estate photos. He doesn't get much use out of it but I don't think he really markets himself and his drone much. He told me that he sometimes has problems doing his job if he is too close to an airport because DJI grounds your drone if you are too close. The props won't even spin up no matter what. So keep that in mind.

All the DJI drones are easy to fly and only take common sense to fly. One thing you need to do is to stay on top of all the firmware updates. You need to always calibrate the compus.

I started with a Mavic Pro, and I've upgraded to a Mavic Pro II recently. Excellent drone. If you don't need to fly 4 miles away and your real estate photos are within a few hundred yards, you can get by with a DJI Spark or one of the other less expensive DJI drones. Buy extra batteries.

Check out the drone section here on UHH. You'll get responses from people that have drones and you can forgo all the other want to be dronies that have never owned one.

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Mar 23, 2019 21:36:24   #
jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ
 
gypsylarry wrote:
I have a DJI Professional that I have enjoyed for two years. Comes with extra batteries and several other accessories. I am putting it on the market due to the fact that my legs don't work anymore due to surgical complications and infections. If you are interested in a great package and a much reduced price, PM me.


What is a DJI Professional?

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Mar 23, 2019 21:42:33   #
jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ
 
David Kay wrote:
You shoot the drone and you can bet we wont bring you anything during visiting hours at the jail.



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Mar 23, 2019 22:08:56   #
Ajax3 Loc: Eastern Shore. Virginia
 
I am to cheap for the DJI drones. Bought a Parot Anafi a couple of months ago. It's very easy to fly. 4k video and 21 mp stills. It shoots raw & jpeg. It has zoom and will look up. It flies for 20 minutes per battery. 650.00 on Amazon with extra battery. Folds up like the Mavics. It claims to have 2.5 mile range, I have sent it a mile out with no problems. Very happy so far. I just use it for fun. But I am going to get the FAA certification.

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Mar 24, 2019 02:30:07   #
tropics68 Loc: Georgia
 
alexol wrote:
Clearly someone who has no understanding of the law.

The airspace is controlled by the FAA.

You own your house, but not the air overhead - damaging someone's drone counts the same as damaging someone's aircraft.

If someone was to merely traverse overhead at a reasonable height, it is none of your business and absolutely does not mean you can shoot it down or cause other harm.

This is just the same as if a commercial airliner or medevac helo went overhead.


Where commercial aircraft are allowed to go and not to go is tightly controlled by the FAA. They could never get an OK to go skimming over residential rooftops at low altitude unless it was a dire emergency.

If you want to compare commercial flights with actual trained pilots in control, to a drone being controlled by an unknown someone some distance away, that has absolutely no business buzzing around private property, then drones and their operators should be required by law to conform to the exact same rules and regulations as Delta or any other commercial aircraft do.

A few months back, due to a serious auto accident about 100 yds from here, the police had to send for a Medivac helicopter. The only place suitable to land was the front yard of a neighbor. They had to ask him for permission to land on his property before they actually did so. Of course, he gave it to them. The only thing a drone has in common with commercial aviation is they both are capable of flight. Apples and oranges.

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Mar 24, 2019 08:53:45   #
sr71 Loc: In Col. Juan Seguin Land
 
tropics68 wrote:
Fly it over my backyard and I see it you will also need another drone.


If you are insinuating that you will shoot/knock down the drone, then if it is reported to the FAA
then you fined are arrested and will probably have to replace it. (FAA considers the drones, r/c aircraft to be treated as full scale and the laws reflect that) and besides you don't own the airspace above YOUR property.

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Mar 24, 2019 10:21:16   #
alexol
 
tropics68 wrote:
Where commercial aircraft are allowed to go and not to go is tightly controlled by the FAA. They could never get an OK to go skimming over residential rooftops at low altitude unless it was a dire emergency.

If you want to compare commercial flights with actual trained pilots in control, to a drone being controlled by an unknown someone some distance away, that has absolutely no business buzzing around private property, then drones and their operators should be required by law to conform to the exact same rules and regulations as Delta or any other commercial aircraft do.

A few months back, due to a serious auto accident about 100 yds from here, the police had to send for a Medivac helicopter. The only place suitable to land was the front yard of a neighbor. They had to ask him for permission to land on his property before they actually did so. Of course, he gave it to them. The only thing a drone has in common with commercial aviation is they both are capable of flight. Apples and oranges.
Where commercial aircraft are allowed to go and no... (show quote)


This is your opinion. It is not the law of the land. If you read the rules you will note that they are class specific, meaning that regulations are different, varying by class of aircraft. The vehicles are "apples and oranges" but the rules are apples and apples.

I'm not comparing flights of commercial aircraft to drones. What I am saying is that ALL airspace from ground upwards is subject to FAA rules and regulation, and, from that perspective only, drones are considered to be the same as any other aircraft.

The same FAA rules systems (but not necessarily the individual rules within that framework) apply to my, and anyone else's, drones just as they do to a Boeing 747 or Cessna 152 or a news agency's Jet Ranger helicopter.

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Mar 29, 2019 11:12:40   #
Goldyrock
 
Not only do you need insurance, make sure the Real Estate company has insurance.

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