After passing my 107 Monday, I am really looking into flying some Drone Base missions, but I think in my area, any commercial flying is going to be difficult. I live in Beckley, WV, and most all of the city area is class E airspace from the surface up, the rest is class E 700' floor. If I understand everything correctly, I need to request an authorization to fly anywhere under that class E surface airspace, and that is filed 90 days prior to the flight, which basically makes Drone Base a moot point. The odd thing is I am seeing videos posted by a local drone photography business showcasing their commercial flight footage, and these videos are in the class E surface airspace. This is a new company started in January, so how the heck are they getting authorization to fly? Is there something I am missing?
Here is the sectional that covers my area:
Here is the sectional that covers my area: