Needing expert advice

[ianwood]

OK. Enough. This thread is a mess. No more talk of extracurricular activities 7 feet under. Back on topic.

 

[AlecW]

No more talk of extracurricular activities 7 feet under. Back on topic.

Bet you never thought you'd type that as a Mod

 

[erkme73]

One thing to factor in the equation is personal enjoyment. If the OP has the intention of using this outside of the work scope - as most of us here exclusively do - then the high up-front cost of getting equipped, certified, and proficient is immaterial. I have my equipment strictly to fly and capture images/video. And, all-in, I've spent way more than I thought I would initially. It's fun. It's captivating. It's addictive. I'd encourage him to get equipment for himself. Play, enjoy, and learn. If he gets good enough, and he still has the desire/need, he can always go get his 107 and do it himself.

To dismiss his intention to get equipment vs. hiring someone without taking the fun-factor into account is not a fair evaluation.

 

[Richard R]

Never yet got involved in a hobby where I didn't end up spending more than intended LOL!

 

[pe9999]

I disagree here.

you have to define a Commercial operation, or the holding out" for a commercial operation.

If the OP is using his own drone, for his own footage for his own presentation, at his own Cemetery/Company, then it is not a "Commercial" operation, such as it would be if he took the footage and then "Sold" it to the Cemetery.

There could be an argument made as to a family purchasing a plot after watching the presentation, however if no $$$ passes directly to it's being filmed, then I believe he is ok in that respect. (A family watching is not going to ask how it was shot, etc.)

I can agree to disagree if someone wishes to bring up opposing points, but I'm going on what was learned for commercial flying before I earned the rating.

Based on op posting, his project is clearly for commercial purposes. The ownership of drone and the profitability of the operation do not determine if 107 is needed or not, if the purpose of the flight is for commercial interests, then it needs107.

 

[Richard R]

+1 on pe9999's comment. This is exactly the type of activity that the FAA labels as commercial. N 2 ways around it!

 

[7200rpm]

Unfortunately, that is totally incorrect. If someone owns their own company and use their personally owned drone and their drone flight benefits their own company in any way, the drone is being commercially operated under FAA regulations. It is clearly being used for marketing purposes. btw.. You can't even do this for a non-profit organization with no money being exchanged -- because it is being used for a business and that is commercial in the eyes of the FAA. In this case, I believe it would be better to hire a licensed commercial drone operator to do any filming for you.

I highly recommend this recorded FAA webinar which explains every aspect of the Part 107 Regulations, including what is considered commercial operations. Registration is free and just requires name and email address. At exactly 23m00s into the webinar, the speaker addresses this same type of situation.

Yes, that is absolutely correct. The FAA is very strict about what is "commercial", to the point that if you uploaded a video to YouTube that you took as a hobbyist with no commercial intentions, but you then make money off of it, you could be in violation without a Part 107 license. I tend to disagree with how strict they enforce it, but be aware that anything remotely related to making money will side with the "commercial" purpose.

 

[AlecW]

Yes, that is absolutely correct. The FAA is very strict about what is "commercial", to the point that if you uploaded a video to YouTube that you took as a hobbyist with no commercial intentions, but you then make money off of it, you could be in violation without a Part 107 license. I tend to disagree with how strict they enforce it, but be aware that anything remotely related to making money will side with the "commercial" purpose.

There are a few forum guys that post their same couple of videos relentlessly on threads that have nothing to do with the topic. Pretty sure it's clickbait to make a few more $ on youtube.