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I Need to Buy a Drone
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Mar 23, 2019 08:47:03   #
billt1970 Loc: Gambrills, Maryland
 
jayd wrote:
King schools, on line 100 dollars +/-. Proctored FAATest 150.00 = 2 year certificate.

If your drone or photo benifits a business it is commercial.

Download air map app for your phone.

Purchase a log book.

Purchase insurance.

Max altitude is 400 tt.

Line of sight flight.

And much more..... part 107 will define limits.

Dji...spark 1080 p 12 mp

Phantom 4 and below he video 12 mp
still

Phantom 4 pro and up 4 k and 20 mp
King schools, on line 100 dollars +/-. Proctored F... (show quote)


Javd has provided you a good bullet summary above. Here is some text to go with that:

- For commercial use you need an FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate. Note that everyone says license, but the fact is that the FAA issues flight "CERTIFICATES" and not "LICENSES."

- There is a test required to get your FAA Certificate. There are many online test prep courses around today. Back in September 2017 I took a 2 day (on successive weekends) course taught by an instructor with an FAA Instructor Certificate. I took and passed the test at a local airport in November 2017 and have been flying ever since. Kittihawk is another great drone app. They are partnering with the FAA to improve and sustain support for the B4UFly app.

- The initial certificate is good for 2 years; after which you are required to take bi-annual open book tests to recertify your Remote Pilot Certificate.

- there are many iOS and Android apps out there to support you. The two most important are probably B4UFly put out by the FAA, and Airmap, a California-based company focused on managing the airspace. Most of these apps have a logbook built in. Kittihawk is another excellent drone app that you consider. They are teaming with the FAA to enhance the B4UFly app and ensure it's sustainability over the long term.

- And of course, insurance. I get mine from droneinsurance.com and the pricing is flexible and reasonable.

- And then there is the drone. The choices today are numerous and can seem overwhelming. The fact is that China-based DJI owns about 70 percent of the market. That's not to say that the manufacturers supporting the remaining 30% of the market aren't good, it's just that DJI seems to be moving faster than everyone else in releasing new and ever more capable products. I bought their (then) new Mavic Air (12MP camera) in March 2018 for about $1,000, including spare batteries and other necessary accessories. Then in August 2018 I bought the (then) new Mavic 2 Pro (20MP Hasselblad camera) for about $2,000, including spare batteries and necessary accessories. I loved the Mavic Air, and love the Mavic 2 Pro even more. The Mavic 2 Pro has a twin product, the Mavic 2 Zoom (mentioned above) that also has great features, including the zoom lens. I will eventually have both to cover the spectrum of photographic needs. The only limitation of the Mavic 2 Zoom is the 12MP camera. BTW, I've kept the Mavic Air so as to always have a backup when on assignment.

- There are online sources to get flying missions with your drone. I personally use dronebase.com and droners.io.

The bottom line is that I use my drone(s) to complement my conventional Real Estate Photography, and to do assigned and freelance work. Getty Images is gobbling up all the (quality) 4K drone video they can get photographers to submit. I am making good money and having more fun than ever with my drones.

Go get your "CERTIFICATE" and FLY!!

Best Regards,

Bill Taylor
Gambrills, MD

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Mar 23, 2019 08:59:19   #
sr71 Loc: In Col. Juan Seguin Land
 
My son in law can build you one for cheap, but for a beginner you can not beat the DJI for your use I would suggest the MAVIC II Pro with the Haseslblad camera, has a 1 inch sensor able to take stills and movies, with it. With the onboard senors help to prevent flying into unmovable objects. 30 min flying time on a battery. Very compact whole system could fit inside a shoe box, as the arms and props foldup. Here is a link.

https://www.dji.com/mavic-2?site=brandsite&from=homepage

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Mar 23, 2019 09:11:21   #
ELNikkor
 
Get the DJI/Hasselblad 1-inch sensor drone...

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Mar 23, 2019 09:13:07   #
bsmith52 Loc: Northeast Alabama
 
Ditto for the Mavic Pro 2. My son has one and it is always with him. Great for families, recreation, and business. Fits in a bag the size of a large men's shaving bag. Buy an extra battery or two.

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Mar 23, 2019 09:41:18   #
marklucey
 
jayd wrote:
King schools, on line 100 dollars +/-. Proctored FAATest 150.00 = 2 year certificate.

If your drone or photo benifits a business it is commercial.

Download air map app for your phone.

Purchase a log book.

Purchase insurance.

Max altitude is 400 tt.

Line of sight flight.

And much more..... part 107 will define limits.

Dji...spark 1080 p 12 mp

Phantom 4 and below he video 12 mp
still

Phantom 4 pro and up 4 k and 20 mp
King schools, on line 100 dollars +/-. Proctored F... (show quote)


FYI: all Phantom 4's no matter what model can shoot 4k. The original Phantom 4 has a smaller 12mp sensor the phantom 4 advance has the same camera as the Phantom 4 pro at 20mp but does not have as many sensors for avoiding stuff you might fly into.

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Mar 23, 2019 10:18:33   #
marklucey
 
DJI is the leader in the industry and their drones have a lot of capabilities. All of them take great video and still pictures. They will also shoot HDR. At least all of mine shoot HDR. The first thing when you get your drone is to register it with the FAA. This cost 5 dollars and they will assign you a number (tail number just like a airplane) that must be displayed on the drone. Even if you just plan on flying for fun they must be registered. Then since you are planning on using it commercially you will need to get that Part 107 certificate. Then you can rent yourself out and make some extra money on the side as well. Drone pilots get paid well. I have 4 DJI drones and i love them all. I don't need 4 but i like them for different things. A lot of folks here mention the Dji Mavic 2 pro. This is a great little drone that fly's excellent and takes excellent pictures and video's. It is my go to drone because it is so easy to setup and fly and it can fit just about everywhere. The drawback being if it is windy it does not handle the wind as well because it is so small. Next is the Dji Phantom 4 and Phantom 4 pro. These are great drones and just like the Mavic shoot great pictures and video. The pro has a better 20 mp camera and you can adjust the aperture also along with more sensors on the body of the drone. Lastly and i have not seen this mentioned here is the Dji Inspire 1 Pro. This is a professional drone and is pretty impressive looking. It has the Zenmuse X5 camera which has interchangeable lenses and has great low light capabilities. The drawback being the battery life is about 18 minutes tops and this drone is large. It comes in a big suitcase and it takes about 5 minutes to setup. But it does handle wind real well.
Just practice in your backyard till you get comfortable , they are easy to fly. And check out video's on you tube.

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Mar 23, 2019 10:21:25   #
Blair Shaw Jr Loc: Dunnellon,Florida
 
I would hire someone who is already licensed to do that rather than risk all of the time & monies needed to get the results you seek. It's not as easy as the videos would have you think. It takes skill to fly anything and the regulations for such stuff is becoming an issue with the public and the Feds.

You wouldn't hire a pilot to sell your properties ....would you ?....I hope not. Everybody that I know personally that own a drone and use it will tell you don't waste your money on these toys and don't fly on a windy day for all the obvious reasons. The laws of physics still rule the planet and not humans.

Thank you God.

P.S. Have you tried GOOGLE EARTH ????

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Mar 23, 2019 10:33:36   #
olemikey Loc: 6 mile creek, Spacecoast Florida
 
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.


Look for drone forums, DJI drones have high reliability, DJI 4 is latest, and then there are the Mavic and Spark models.

Read and make sure you understand the FAA rules and regs, for commercial work you need a license (last read I did). I suggest contacting other professionals who are doing what you want to do, and listen to what they have to say.

Don't fly near airports, pay mucho attention to the winds, especially above treetop level, and don't fly in winds greater than 50% of the top speed of your drone, if cought in gusting winds, you may not get it back, or may have to go on safari to find it. GPS and good monitoring equipment are important.

You don't want 5.8GHZ video transmission from Drone to your ground controller (unless all your flying situations are clear line-of-sight), you will lose video contact with the drone if any trees or structures get in the way, another way to lose a drone. You want 2.4 GHZ or even better, lower frequency video transmission gear (lower frequency equals bigger antennas), but larger photo platform drones can handle that with ease. Make sure you totally understand your drones "Failsafe system", you need to know how it works, for a number of reasons. If you have the cash, you can even equip. them with parachute recovery systems. Mount your camera gear in a waterproof casing, you never know where it might end up landing/crashing.

Although illegal to shoot down a drone, there are plenty of boneheads out there who will shoot at anything that suits there fancy. Most folks don't realize - It is very difficult to get spy type photos from up high using wide angle lenses, they see a drone and automatically assume spying (I've had to show people what the video looks like to reassure them I'm only flying, not spying). So unless you are flying over a specific structure/property, stay high (but under 400 ft), many see that as less threatening, like with helicopters and small planes.

If you have never flown R/C planes, copters, drones, there are several good simulator programs, and you probably need to invest in one (couple hundred $$ - very well spent, much better than losing or trashing a very expensive drone and camera gear "learning to fly") Tower Hobbies,A-MAin, Hobbyking, Hobbytown and others have them. Consider buying a stout but lower cost drone for your first venture (Like a DJI Spark, or another good brand), to learn and practice with. If you have no or little experience, you will crash, I've been flying them for a few years now and I haven't encountered anyone who has not had issues (for a multitude of reasons). When flying R/C, things can and will happen, the good thing is you walk away from the crashes, well, after you pick up the crashed drone!!!!

Good luck with the endeavor. It isn't easy, but can be fun, rewarding, and in your case, could be profitable. Hope this is helpful.

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Mar 23, 2019 10:46:16   #
ClaudiaA Loc: Venice, FL
 
I was really interested, downloaded the app and the first thing it did was tell me that I was within 5 miles of a (tiny) airport. I would have to file a date and time that I would be flying it (on my own land) 90 days before flying, and if I got rained out......file again.

Also, the certification was on the weight of the drone not the profession/commercial use.

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Mar 23, 2019 10:49:41   #
David Kay Loc: Arlington Heights IL
 
ClaudiaA wrote:
I was really interested, downloaded the app and the first thing it did was tell me that I was within 5 miles of a (tiny) airport. I would have to file a date and time that I would be flying it (on my own land) 90 days before flying, and if I got rained out......file again.

Also, the certification was on the weight of the drone not the profession/commercial use.


The certificate starts with the weight of the drone and if you are using it for commercial purposes you need a certificate. The weight of the drone is for the requirement to get an FAA number for the drone.

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Mar 23, 2019 10:59:57   #
ClaudiaA Loc: Venice, FL
 
David Kay wrote:
The certificate starts with the weight of the drone and if you are using it for commercial purposes you need a certificate. The weight of the drone is for the requirement to get an FAA number for the drone.


If I'm not using it for commercial purposes do I have to get a certificate (even if the weight requires it)?

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Mar 23, 2019 11:02:04   #
marklucey
 
Here is the forum for the DJI Mavic series and they have links on the bottom of the page to all the other Dji drones plus some others. https://mavicpilots.com/. Also Dji provides a free app that you can download to fly your drone with. Depending on which model you buy you will use the Dji Go or Dji Go4 app. These app's will run on either ios or android. Oh and they have a simulator built in that you use with your controller. These drones are not hard to fly at all. I use to fly RC aircraft and the difference is night and day. These drones are super easy to fly and rock solid in the air. Don't invest in a flight simulator. Just go out in your backyard and fly. You won't be sorry.

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Mar 23, 2019 11:04:32   #
marklucey
 
ClaudiaA wrote:
If I'm not using it for commercial purposes do I have to get a certificate (even if the weight requires it)?


No you do not need a certificate. Just register the drone with the FAA for 5 bucks.

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Mar 23, 2019 11:30:26   #
David Kay Loc: Arlington Heights IL
 
ClaudiaA wrote:
If I'm not using it for commercial purposes do I have to get a certificate (even if the weight requires it)?


The weight does not require you to have a certificate. The weight only requires you to register the drone with the FAA and put the number assigned in a visible location on the drone. Cost for the number is $5.00

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Mar 23, 2019 11:30:40   #
marklucey
 
ClaudiaA wrote:
I was really interested, downloaded the app and the first thing it did was tell me that I was within 5 miles of a (tiny) airport. I would have to file a date and time that I would be flying it (on my own land) 90 days before flying, and if I got rained out......file again.

Also, the certification was on the weight of the drone not the profession/commercial use.


You should be able to unlock the zone on the Go4 app. Or you can go to https://www.dji.com/flysafe/self-unlock. You will need to register for a account on the Dji website. But then you can unlock the zone and it is good for 3 days. Unless you are in a red restricted zone you should be good to fly right away.
You do not need the actual weight of your drone if you are flying for fun with the FAA. Here is the link to register your drone. The certificate is good for 3 years and you file under Section 336, it will set you back 5 dollars. https://faadronezone.faa.gov/

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