- Joined
- Aug 31, 2015
- Messages
- 347
- Reaction score
- 145
- Age
- 62
- Location
- Albany NY Area
- Website
- overexposures.net
All,
I am posting to this forum looking for sincere advice and information from a professional body. I say upfront that I am an unlicensed flyer but am hoping that you will still read below, and perhaps offer me and others like me tangible and practical advice.
I am a professional videographer of 30 years and a UAV pilot for 5 years without incident. I use my inspire to add big production values to my projects and now have begun earning good money helping others. 100% of my aerial work keeps me WELL below 400 ft in fact I spend 90% of my time between 20ft and 80ft. I have a preflight check list that I made my self based on common sense and torture my clients with my preflight lectures on safety and rules. i.e. I only fly in winds below 8 knots, to 50% of battery, line of sight, etc. Its a full one page check list. I get $750 for 4 hours and I work 2 - 3 times a month as a supplement to my full-time videography work. Like most of us it started as a hobby but now that I am working commercially I realize that I am outside of the law. And before you hate me, there are no 333 exempt companies or pilots anywhere near me so I don’t compete with anyone that has gone to the trouble or expense. That said, I am a licensed driver, I own hand guns and have a permit and have taken countless safety courses. Good lord I even took safety courses for boating and my quad. I am not boasting, I just want to convey that I am a stickler on being on the up and up. Now my long awaited question. I have saved the money ($3,500) and am about to engage a very reputable firm to get my #333 exemption. A) for the legal aspect and B) I believe that advertising as a fully insured, FAA compliant vendor will be very appealing to legit businesses and will virtually crush the illegal competition. So what’s the problem? I have the cash and perhaps the time, but absolutely no interest whatsoever in becoming a licensed pilot! nor do I believe it relevant. Ground school and aviation education absolutely! but learning to fly a plane before you can operate a small quadcopter is neither safe or relevant to the end goal. That said it is my understanding that the 333 is totally useless to me (other than marketing) if I am not a licensed pilot. Is this true? and if so do any of you think that there will be a meaningful change that will allow and encourage otherwise safe and conscientious UAV pilots to operate safely within the law?
Thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope that I did not overstep by posting in your Professionally Certified Forum. I hold you guys in the highest respect!
~ R
I am posting to this forum looking for sincere advice and information from a professional body. I say upfront that I am an unlicensed flyer but am hoping that you will still read below, and perhaps offer me and others like me tangible and practical advice.
I am a professional videographer of 30 years and a UAV pilot for 5 years without incident. I use my inspire to add big production values to my projects and now have begun earning good money helping others. 100% of my aerial work keeps me WELL below 400 ft in fact I spend 90% of my time between 20ft and 80ft. I have a preflight check list that I made my self based on common sense and torture my clients with my preflight lectures on safety and rules. i.e. I only fly in winds below 8 knots, to 50% of battery, line of sight, etc. Its a full one page check list. I get $750 for 4 hours and I work 2 - 3 times a month as a supplement to my full-time videography work. Like most of us it started as a hobby but now that I am working commercially I realize that I am outside of the law. And before you hate me, there are no 333 exempt companies or pilots anywhere near me so I don’t compete with anyone that has gone to the trouble or expense. That said, I am a licensed driver, I own hand guns and have a permit and have taken countless safety courses. Good lord I even took safety courses for boating and my quad. I am not boasting, I just want to convey that I am a stickler on being on the up and up. Now my long awaited question. I have saved the money ($3,500) and am about to engage a very reputable firm to get my #333 exemption. A) for the legal aspect and B) I believe that advertising as a fully insured, FAA compliant vendor will be very appealing to legit businesses and will virtually crush the illegal competition. So what’s the problem? I have the cash and perhaps the time, but absolutely no interest whatsoever in becoming a licensed pilot! nor do I believe it relevant. Ground school and aviation education absolutely! but learning to fly a plane before you can operate a small quadcopter is neither safe or relevant to the end goal. That said it is my understanding that the 333 is totally useless to me (other than marketing) if I am not a licensed pilot. Is this true? and if so do any of you think that there will be a meaningful change that will allow and encourage otherwise safe and conscientious UAV pilots to operate safely within the law?
Thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope that I did not overstep by posting in your Professionally Certified Forum. I hold you guys in the highest respect!
~ R