It is not illegal if you meet all of the FAA rules, i.e.: you have to have a 333 exemption which if you file for it yourself it is possible but unlikely you'll get it. I paid an attorney $1500.00 for him to handle it for me without that exemption your dead in the water and face heavy fines. Look up a company called Sky Pan , the FAA fined them $1.2 million dollars for taking pictures and videos for profit. Other than the exemption you'll need to have at least a sport pilots license or hire someone who does to fly your drone ! You'll also need commercial liability insurance which you have to show that you've been through a certified drone safety course. Then you have to maintain aviation logbooks of each flight, maintenance etc.
,I'm not feeding you a bunch of crap, I'm just telling what it took me to be able to fly a little drone for profit. Do the research and see. Flight school, equipment, cameras, drones I easily have $10,000-$15,000 invested. But on the upside I charge $300 an hour or $1500.00 for half day of filming so the cost outlay is worth it.
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Thats some good info but it says that they being fined for flying in restricted airspace in a reckless maneer,
NEW YORK – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today announces the largest civil penalty the FAA has proposed against a UAS operator for endangering the safety of our airspace.
The FAA proposes a $1.9 million civil penalty against SkyPan International, Inc. of Chicago. Between March 21, 2012, and Dec. 15, 2014, SkyPan conducted 65 unauthorized operations in some of our most congested airspace and heavily populated cities, violating airspace regulations and various operating rules, the FAA alleges. These operations were illegal and not without risk.
The FAA alleges that the company conducted 65 unauthorized commercial UAS flights over various locations in New York City and Chicago between March 21, 2012 and Dec. 15, 2014. The flights involved aerial photography. Of those, 43 flew in the highly restricted New York Class B airspace.
“Flying unmanned aircraft in violation of the Federal Aviation Regulations is illegal and can be dangerous,” said FAA Administrator Michael Huerta. “We have the safest airspace in the world, and everyone who uses it must understand and observe our comprehensive set of rules and regulations.”
SkyPan operated the 43 flights in the New York Class B airspace without receiving an air traffic control clearance to access it, the FAA alleges. Additionally, the agency alleges the aircraft was not equipped with a two-way radio, transponder, and altitude-reporting equipment.
The FAA further alleges that on all 65 flights, the aircraft lacked an airworthiness certificate and effective registration, and SkyPan did not have a Certificate of Waiver or Authorization for the operations.
SkyPan operated the aircraft in a careless or reckless manner so as to endanger lives or property, the FAA alleges.
SkyPan has 30 days after receiving the FAA’s enforcement letter to respond to the agency.