What Questions Should I Ask When Seeking A Drone Service?

• Experience: How long has the operator been flying UAV's?

• Insurance: Does the operator have a General Liability Insurance Policy?

• FAA Pilot's License: Is the operator an FAA licensed pilot?

• FAA Section 333 Exemption: Does the operator have this? It is illegal to operate for hire without this FAA Exemption 

• Costs & Fees: It may seem obvious but the ground work for this kind of service fee has been set by the commercial market. It's important to know up front the pricing structure your company is using.

 

Q & A

Q: How high can a drone go?

A: High enough to get into trouble with full scale aircraft!!! Gazing up at the sky you may think it's wide open up there but as a pilot I can tell you that I've had many occasions to get too close to another aircraft while aloft! Drones can climb vertically to different altitudes depending on the machine. For our purposes we never go above 200 feet. Most operators will tell you that there are rarely good shots from that altitude and almost never a good shot at any higher altitude. Hobbyists are allowed to take their drone up to 400 feet. Commercial operators are restricted to 200 feet.

 

Q: How much does a drone cost?

A: The answer to that question is truly the amount you want to spend. Drones vary from toys at $35 to military aircraft and everything in between. At Midrone we use the DJI Phantom 3 Professional.

 

Q: What kind of camera do you use?

A: Our DJI Phantom 3 is equipped with a 4K HD camera mounted on a 3 axis stabilization gimbal.

 

More to come...