Did you know that it is illegal to take and sell photos from a video drone without a special license?
In fact, according to these new regulations by the FAA, failing to register for a license could leave you with a $250,000 fine or up to three years in jail.
To avoid getting into this sticky situation, you need to make sure you register your video drone.
There are a number of steps you must follow before you register, but once it is done you can fly your drone anywhere within which the license allows.
“How do I do this?”
Don’t sweat answering this question.
Below we’ve listed how you can register your drone and what rules you’ll need to follow so that you can keep your license.
How to Register Your Video Drone
There are a number of steps you need to follow before you can legally make a profit from your video drone.
When completed, you will end up with a Remote Pilot Certificate. This will allow you to take photos and sell them for some profit legally.
1. Visit a Testing Centre
Before you do anything, you must make sure you visit a testing center. There are plenty of testing centers around, with 686 of them across the United States.
Although it is acceptable to walk in, it is highly recommended that you book an appointment first.
Additionally, there are a couple of things you need to carry with you.
When you go to book your test, be sure to bring your government issued I.D with you. If you’re under the age of 16, you, unfortunately, won’t be able to apply for this type of license.
2. Pass the Quiz and Pay the Fee
The quiz to get your license is two hours long, and it involves 60 multi-choice questions. Although you only need to get 70% of the answers correct, it’s highly recommended that you study for the quiz before taking it.
This is because it costs $150 each time you take the test thus you certainly don’t want to redo it.
Once you’ve passed the test and paid the fee, you’re well on your way to receiving your license. You just need to wait 48 hours to receive your test results.
3. Print Out Your Temporary Certificate
While you wait for your license to arrive, you can print out your temporary certificate. This one will work in place of the proper one, which will get sent to you in the mail.
That’s just about it. But once you have been given your license, you need to pay careful attention to the regulations that govern its use.
Regulations for a Registered Drone
As with using any other government registered vehicle or object, there are strict rules and regulations which must be followed.
1. Keep It Within Your Sight
When you fly your video drone, you must keep it in your sights at all times. This is important because if you can’t see it, it could be anywhere! And this could be dangerous.
This restriction also includes not flying it higher than 400 feet. There is an exception if you’re within 400 feet of a building though as climbing up skyscrapers is acceptable.
Another important rule is that you cannot legally fly your drone at night, so if you want to take night shots, you’ll have to make do with a regular camera.
2. Keep It at a Safe Speed
When flying your video drone, you need to ensure you do it at a safe speed.
According to the FAA, this means you cannot go above speeds of 100 miles an hour. Do so, and you may face big fines and penalties.
3. Keep It at a Safe Distance
As part of the restrictions of your license, you have to keep your video drone at a safe distance from a number of things.
First, you cannot fly it from a moving vehicle or from within a covered vehicle that is stationary.
This is obviously for safety reasons.
You also cannot fly your drone within five miles of an airport. There is an exception to this, however. If you clear your flight path with the air traffic control using the FAA’s website, you may get permission to fly your drone over it.
One very important detail is that you must not fly your drone over other people, even if you’re in a stadium. This has resulted in injuries previously, so it’s best to keep your drone away from anyone.
4. Make Sure It’s the Correct Weight
You must make sure your video drone is the correct weight before you send it flying.
Regulations provide that it cannot be any heavier than 55 pounds. Most importantly, make sure you take into account the weight of your video camera when weighing your drone.
There are plenty of video cameras that are lightweight and made especially for use on drones, and you can discover some of them here.
You can have a heavier drone, but you need to apply for an exception which is notoriously difficult to get.
5. Do Preflight Checks
Before sending your drone up into the air, it is mandatory that you make sure everything is in working order.
Are the motors ready to go? Is there no damage to the body of the drone? Is the camera held in place tightly?
This will help you avoid any problems or potential accidents.
If you do get in an accident though, there are rules and regulations you must follow.
6. Report Any Accidents
What happens if your video drone accidentally crashes into someone and injures them? What about if you damage something expensive, like a car or house?
If you do get into an accident with your drone that injures someone or does more than $500 worth of damage, you must report it to the authorities. This will help you clear up any issues as quickly as possible.
Get Your Video Drone License Today!
After you have followed all of the steps needed to get your drone license, you can finally go out and start taking pictures! Just be sure to keep within the guidelines while you do it and stay safe.
If you want to find yourself a quality drone or quadcopter, click here for a list of the best ones on the market!