Licensing Requirements

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Hello,

I have just acquired a new drone for work and was wondering if my minimal amount of use would still require being licensed.
I work for a college and will be flying only around the campus and going no higher than a 4 story building. It seems excessive to need to be licensed for such minimal use.

does anyone know if there's certain uses that don't require being licensed?

Thanks
 
Where is the campus located? Are you going to be flying just for fun (recreationally) or commercially?
 
What country you in mate? If it's pic that's going their website then I can't see the law dragging you into court for that. I say go for it in my opinion
 
Flying for fun in the U.S. does not require a license. Flying to help a business does require a license.
If it is ok with the property owner, you will be able to do the flying you describe without licensing concerns, as long as nobody is selling or using your photography promote any business.
 
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Not sure if he is in the states to be fair as I can't see on the app. Totally see where your coming from and agree, but if he is in the UK, then personally from my experience I would say he's good to go. After all this could lead to better things, school may recommend him to a government to do inspections and pay for the license. I say go for it. This could be a start of an awesome career for life
 
Sorry not enough specs
I'm in a rural-ish part of Baltimore Maryland in the U.S.. It will be for work so yes it'd be commercial, although i am not being paid for the footage it's just part of my job responsibilities, and I'm not leaving the confines of our property.

But i guess what I'm reading from you all is there's no way out of it.
Thanks guys!
 
Last edited:
Sorry not enough specs
I'm in a rural-ish part of Baltimore Maryland in the U.S.. It will be for work so yes it'd be commercial, although i am not being paid for the footage it's just part of my job responsibilities, and I'm not leaving the confines of our property.

But i guess what I'm reading from you all is there's no way out of it.
Thanks guys!
The good news is that it is not a difficult process.
 
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to fly a drone around 500 feet I have to learn plane instruments, codes, communication procedures, and weather patterns

Keep in mind that the Remote Pilot Certificate is for much more than "just" your phantom type of aircraft. It's designed to allow operators of other brands, sizes, weights, and speed of aircraft to also have a means to become Professional sUAS operators. While we tend to have laser focus on Phantom sUAS on this forum we are but a portion of a MUCH bigger pie than "Just DJI Phantoms".

What happens if you lose control and the aircraft flies in a direction other than indicated? Do you know what airspace you're flying in? Do you know how to identify what airspace you're flying in? Those things are vitally important to "help" ensure the safety of the NAS when flying a sUAS.

The moment it leaves the ground your aircraft is in the National Airspace System (NAS) and as such you are required to follow all rules/laws for that particular type of flight.

it's pretty difficult.
It seems difficult but in reality it's NOT at all. People with ZERO aviation knowledge what-so-ever do a little bit of studying and take the test and pass with flying colors (see what I did there.. FLYING).
 
to fly a drone around 500 feet I have to learn plane instruments, codes, communication procedures, and weather patterns . . . it's pretty difficult.

Drones don't have instruments. 400 feet is our upper limit. there are no codes. there is no communication. There is some weather but it is elementary.

It is 60 questions and you need to get 42 correct to get the license. There is no flight test.. Just a written test.

I don't want to over simplify the test, but if you are actually interested in learning the material it is truly not overwhelming. You may be confusing the requirements for a airplane pilots license, which does have all the things you mention.

I would encourage you to take a look at some of the free test prep information that is available before you put it off based on difficulty. Also, you can ask all the questions you want to here and folks will line up to help you out.
 
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I would encourage you to take a look at some of the free test prep information that is available before you put it off based on difficulty. Also, you can ask all the questions you want to here and folks will line up to help you out.

Do you have any links to some of the more drone specific instruction/study books? everything I'm finding is full blown "Sport, Recreation,Remote and Private Pilot" info.
 
Do you have any links to some of the more drone specific instruction/study books? everything I'm finding is full blown "Sport, Recreation,Remote and Private Pilot" info.

I hope some of the guru's see your request because they have a lot of stuff, but this is a good start.

Becoming a Pilot
 
Thanks for your help! But that's the link that's been causing me so much stress hahaha.
I've printed out and been living off of the Remote Pilot Study Guide and it's so over my head.
 
Thanks for your help! But that's the link that's been causing me so much stress hahaha.
I've printed out and been living off of the Remote Pilot Study Guide and it's so over my head.

There is always the schools. They will give you the same information is a easier to understand way.

It won't be the toughest class on your campus, I guarantee it. But having said that, aviation is not for everyone.
 
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Flying for fun in the U.S. does not require a license. Flying to help a business does require a license.
If it is ok with the property owner, you will be able to do the flying you describe without licensing concerns, as long as nobody is selling or using your photography promote any business.
This is incorrect for the context in the OP. The OP would not be "flying for fun". He is talking about flying as part of his work.
 
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Sorry not enough specs
I'm in a rural-ish part of Baltimore Maryland in the U.S.. It will be for work so yes it'd be commercial, although i am not being paid for the footage it's just part of my job responsibilities, and I'm not leaving the confines of our property.

But i guess what I'm reading from you all is there's no way out of it.
Thanks guys!
Is this a public university or a private one?

If it's a public university, the university might be able to get a public COA instead of you getting a Part 107 certification.

Beyond the Basics


Government Entities
Government entities or organizations (e.g. law enforcement agencies, public universities, state governments, local municipalities) have 2 options for flying UAS:
  1. Fly under the small UAS rule – follow all rules under 14 CFR part 107, including aircraft and pilot requirements
    or
  2. Obtain a blanket public Certificate of Waiver or Authorization (COA) – permits nationwide flights in Class G airspace at or below 400 feet, self-certification of the UAS pilot, and the option to obtain emergency COAs (e-COAs) under special circumstances
    Contact [email protected] to learn more about public COAs.
 

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