Making money is the minor part. According to the FAA, if you operate a drone for anything other than selfish recreation, you need the 107 certificate. Even if you are only operating a drone for fun, like a model airplane, you still need a certificate that the FAA calls "TRUST".

In other words, the FAA says you need one of their two certificates to operate a drone. No exceptions.

But, there is a problem. The FAA is failing to reach their target! Based on sales numbers and other estimates, the FAA is getting compliance from about 15% of the USA citizens that own or are buying drones. The other 85% either don't know, don't care or are not interested.

Agreed 100%. The FAA seems to be intent on making a mess of this and there are now so many odd laws around the country with respect to drones.

There's even a court in Louisiana, not far from here that is effectively trying to usurp FAA authority with respect to air control, primarily due to some guy flying over a cops house and the cop, being friends with the judge managed to get put in place an order & set of restrictions which looks like it may end up in SCOTUS.

I have my 107 and the TRUST but what a mess... The thundercloud example is perfect - while my drone has a flight time capability of around 30 minutes or so, there is no way whatever that thundercloud formation at 50,000ft is even remotely relevant. The list is irrelevancies is almost as long as the FAA rule book.

As is so often the case, the issue is enforcement of rules and regulations. To all intents and purposes, you can earn money with your drone with nor license or certificate at all (technically illegally) and for 99% of the time there will be no repercussions whatever - and this is what is killing small drone businesses - right up to the point that someone when hit by a drone piloted by some unlicensed (and therefor uninsured) individual in a working environment.