Commercial Licenses or Not

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Guys I have been planning on taking my commercial test. I had hopes of earning some dollars using my drone. But a friend who is already established as a drone pilot for hire and has had his license for months gave me some disappointing news.

He did a presentation to two different large real estate companies who had reached out to him for photography work.

One just said. "No thanks" with no further explanation. The other told him that one of their employees had bought a drone and they were just going to use him. They actually asked this guy to train their employee.

My question is whether this is legal or not? My understanding was that anything that results in revenue has to be done under a license. I see people advertising to do drone photography on Craigs List for example, and they say, " I am selling you photographs, but I am not charging for the drone work". I feel that this is also illegal. Just a way to let people who won't do the right thing to skirt the laws. And probably eventually create problems for all law abiding pilots.

What do you guys think?
 
Their pilot must have par107, just like you. Even if he is not directly paid for it, if it is used commercially, it's my understanding anyways.
 
Guys I have been planning on taking my commercial test. I had hopes of earning some dollars using my drone. But a friend who is already established as a drone pilot for hire and has had his license for months gave me some disappointing news.

He did a presentation to two different large real estate companies who had reached out to him for photography work.

One just said. "No thanks" with no further explanation. The other told him that one of their employees had bought a drone and they were just going to use him. They actually asked this guy to train their employee.

My question is whether this is legal or not? My understanding was that anything that results in revenue has to be done under a license. I see people advertising to do drone photography on Craigs List for example, and they say, " I am selling you photographs, but I am not charging for the drone work". I feel that this is also illegal. Just a way to let people who won't do the right thing to skirt the laws. And probably eventually create problems for all law abiding pilots.

What do you guys think?
No just revenue, but ANY non-hobby flying requires a Part 107 'license'. The FAA has made it very clear that shenanigans like you describe are blatantly in violation. Now whether the FAA will ever track them down is debatable. But we do know that the FAA has monitored things like Facebook in the past so I wouldn't be surprised if those Craigslist characters got a letter from the FAA.
 
If you take pictures with your drone period and profit from the images or promote real estate even if you're doing it for a friend and they profit its illegal. Now is the FAA going to do anything....probably not unless they get a call from a neighbor or a police report is generated. There are so many people out there doing it illegal it is frustrating for those who are trying to do it legally.

I do real estate photography and aerials with my P3P. I passed the test and now legal to fly. I do have access to the MLS and local photographers in my area shoot aerials and are doing it illegal, not just photographers but agents as well who purchased their own drone. As you know you can access the metadata of any image as long as it hasn't been erased. Most times the persons name is there if not its in the exterior & interior images they shot with their dslr. If you go to the the FAA Website for Airman Inquiry

FAA Registry - Airmen - AirmenInquiry - Name Search (FAA Website Site)

and put in their name it will search and give you any info on that person and what classifications they hold. However keep in mind that once you pass the test its usually 8 weeks before the FAA posts your name and sends you your licence because they are backlogged from what they told me. They give you a printed one once you are vetted and you carry that with you.

The FAA does not have the manpower or womenpower to check every image out there but I am surprised that they haven't hired a contractor (Bounty Hunter) who will do this and get paid once fines are paid. There is a serious revenue stream that the govt is missing out on. All they have to do is go to Realtor.com, Zillow, or MLS, pull up the listings in a area and start researching agents &/or metadata from aerial images. Some of the aerials I've seen they are flying higher then 400ft or over highways and that really bothers me.

They'll put a red light camera on a corner to catch people running red lights so why not a bounty hunter to stop illegal flying.
 

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