Promotional Aerial Video for Car Dealership

[designandshutter]

Hope this doesn't draw up any issues in regards to safety, there was much planning and safety precautions taken prior to filming, also insurance. This was early in the morning before customers started arriving. This was one of my early videos prior to purchasing a gimbal.

 

[iCrash]

I'm no expert when it comes to FAA and the laws, however just an fyi from my understanding of things. You can not charge any money for commercial UAV photography. You can, however charge for your editing of the video and pictures. If anyone knows different, please let us know.

 

[Craftydan]

Well if you don't charge money, how is it a commercial UAV flight?

I agree, editing video of a flight is like the guy down at the photo hut developing photos for you -- it doesn't make your vacation photos remotely professional , however the second you monetize the video (selling evil drone crash footage to the to the local news channel?) you've just crossed that line.

The problem here: You've just gone from a hobbyist exempted from licensing to a commercial pilot subject to a WHOLE different set of safety regs.

I could be wrong, but from my read of the situation, it's the pay that gave the FAA teeth against Trippy's college video. If he'd been goofing off, like many of his other videos they'd have growled at him but left him alone. once they could interpret fee for service, they latched on.

Of course, IANAL, but my dealings w/ safety-conscious don't-make-us-get-involved bureaucracies, they draw a line using regs and patiently ignore everyone until they step across the line. problem is they don't tell us where the line is to make them act, but it's within their power to draw that line around money changing hands.

 

[designandshutter]

I'm no expert when it comes to FAA and the laws, however just an fyi from my understanding of things. You can not charge any money for commercial UAV photography. You can, however charge for your editing of the video and pictures. If anyone knows different, please let us know.

at the moment it is really a gray area, yes you can charge for your editing services. Though if you do some research you can find out about companies in the US such as aerial pak, that legally provide insurance for rc aerial photographers, if it is illegal than how are there companies insuring people to provide the service ?

Also look into tethering, there is a new device that basically is a weight /anchor with a spool and a bunch of nylon cable. Also it comes with official faa compliance paperwork basically giving you full legal documentation stating that you are able to operate your multirotor for commercial purposes. Though the cable must be attached.

Either way there are workarounds, though no matter what always take safety as your biggest precaution and factor in everything.

 

[Tritium]

Ask the owner of Team Blacksheep about using RC Craft for money. He is facing a 10K fine from the FAA! He is taking it to court and fighting it though and EVERYONE who fly's should lend support to the effort to overturn this silly law!

Thurmond

 

[Craftydan]

Ask the owner of Team Blacksheep about using RC Craft for money. He is facing a 10K fine from the FAA! He is taking it to court and fighting it though and EVERYONE who fly's should lend support to the effort to overturn this silly law!

Thurmond

While I support Trippy -- more for all of our sake than his -- I'm not convinced the law is so much silly as ill defined. IMO, there *should* be different rules for the hobbyist and the commercial pilot, and taking money to pilot should put you in the later category, regardless of the airframe or whether you're in it or not! Now where it's ill defined is the vague and difficult regulation around how to be a commercial remote pilot and be legal.

I think a commercial pilot should be required to show competency, commercial airframes should have liveable safety standards, and commercial flights -- for whatever purpose -- should follow safety guidelines. And above all, the how-to-get-there path should be well defined, so when the hotshot hobbyist want's to take that video shoot job, he knows what to do to be legal.

I'm all for less regulation and less government, but I hate hearing the FAA is perturbed enough to step in. The line is gray, and I HATE when it's up to a bureaucrat whether a FPV commercial video is dark grey or light grey.

I say define the bounds clearly on the commercial side or they'll be after the hobbyist next.

 

[MrClean]

They should establish a weight limit to define between hobbyist and commercial pilot. Just try telling a government agency that they just lost control over everything 10 pounds and under. They won't like it, not one bit.

 

[wingspan100]

You should have educated yourself before making these videos.
Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.
Now you have to keep looking over your shoulder
and also wonder about the van that's parked down the street from your home...

I'm sure money was never discussed right?
You did it out of the kindness of your heart.

I also see you monetized your Youtube video with ads..
It doesn't look to good for you...
Just sayin'

 

[wingspan100]

Sorry for the double post...

 

[designandshutter]

Sorry for the double post...

I appreciate the concerns and caution, as I mentioned research Tethering your drone. There is a new product that is around $600.00 and comes with official paperwork from that FAA stating that you are within your legal rights operating your multirotor for commercial purposes. Really it is just a weight / anchor with a spool of high strength nylon fibre to keep your drone tethered to the ground at all time though you can still fly within a given radius. I think the price is really for the paperwork. The company put a lot of effort into working with the FAA, and you can read alot more about it.

I have been into the hobby of rc avionics for years, also I have always been into photography and video as my profession. I did not just jump into this, I completed much research and I am aware of the legal limitations. Though I do agree that a clear set or rules and guidelines for commercial use need to be made to make things easier for commercial pilots. Tethering your multirotor seems like a great idea though keep in mind there is a string that can get caught in your blades at all times.

It would be great to have some sort of GPS system that would allow the user to set up a virtual fence around wherever the location is you are filming. This way there is no way the pilot might loose the craft or go over someone else's property. Think of a shock dog collar, except you just set up a perimiter on a google map and then virtually activate it to set boundaries for the craft.

 

[Tritium]

Virtual Fencing is implemented in the Arducopter system. Not nearly mature yet though.

Thurmond

 

[Tritium]

While I support Trippy -- more for all of our sake than his -- I'm not convinced the law is so much silly as ill defined. IMO, there *should* be different rules for the hobbyist and the commercial pilot, and taking money to pilot should put you in the later category, regardless of the airframe or whether you're in it or not! Now where it's ill defined is the vague and difficult regulation around how to be a commercial remote pilot and be legal.

I think a commercial pilot should be required to show competency, commercial airframes should have liveable safety standards, and commercial flights -- for whatever purpose -- should follow safety guidelines. And above all, the how-to-get-there path should be well defined, so when the hotshot hobbyist want's to take that video shoot job, he knows what to do to be legal.

I'm all for less regulation and less government, but I hate hearing the FAA is perturbed enough to step in. The line is gray, and I HATE when it's up to a bureaucrat whether a FPV commercial video is dark grey or light grey.

I say define the bounds clearly on the commercial side or they'll be after the hobbyist next.

Any law concerning flying of any machine should take into consideration area use and population density. These laws just keep me from making a quite tidy sum on Private Land in in Uncontrolled Airspace in RURAL America.

Thurmond