THE STATE OF DRONE PHOTOGRAPHY
Much has changed in the world of drone photography over the past two years since the FAA’s introduction of Part 107 licensing. It’s become much easier to get proper authorization to fly your 107-licensed drone in restricted air space, thanks to the amazing efficiencies brought about by the rollout of LAANC by the agency (more about that later). Conversely, the glut of non-authorized “hobbyist” drone pilots clogging up the air space threatens to ruin the entire situation for everyone. Let’s look at what this all means.
THE BEAUTY OF 107 LICENSING
Part 107 licensing involves taking a drone pilot’s written examination at an FAA-approved facility. These tend to be flight schools. The material on the test is much of the same material that a person would need to study and learn to get a regular small aircraft pilot’s license. (You may find test questions about the proper way to taxi on a runway, for instance, something you’ll never actually need as a drone operator.) Once you get 107-licensed, you’re legal…but you’re also on the FAA’s radar. You’ve agreed to play by the agency’s rules: no flights higher than 400 feet, maintaining line-of-sight with your aircraft, no flights over people, etc., etc. You can no longer plead ignorance about the rules and regulations once you’re licensed.
A photo of a drone flight near Leeville, LA. The drone makes possible photos and video that have been inaccessible up till now. (Photo by Ted Jackson, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
On the plus side, as a licensed operator, you can MAKE MONEY with your drone. Yes! This is the obvious huge advantage for a commercial photographer and/or videographer. If you accept a single cent flying your drone WITHOUT a license, you’re in violation of the law.
Before drone flights became a reality, you had to hire a helicopter—starting at hundreds of dollars per hour—to create the kind of images you can create from a drone. And videography was almost out of the question, due to the vibration on the helicopter. (It requires an expensive gimbal-type stabilizer to shoot smooth video from a helicopter, and unless you’re a major Hollywood motion picture, you’re probably not going to be able to afford it.
THE LAANC PROCESS
The LAANC approval process is now a thing of beauty. LAANC, which stands for Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability, allows for a near-instantaneous approval for properly submitted flights within restricted air space. Several different companies have contracted with the FAA to operate within the LAANC system. The one I use is Airmap, and the entire process can be handled through an app on your phone. Before LAANC was rolled out last year, approvals had to be submitted to the FAA using an online form. It was not unusual to wait 90 days for approval! LAANC is truly a wonderful advance in integrating drone flight into the national air space.
Another thing I have done to make my drone flights safer, and to keep them legal, is use the built-in height and distance governors that come with my DJI Mavic 2 Pro drone. From the controller, you can go into the settings and set height and distance limits. I have the height set at 400 feet (the limit within the U.S., unless you are operating around a higher structure—say, inspecting a water or radio tower) and the distance set arbitrarily at 1300 feet. This is a quarter mile away, plenty enough for most flights when you think about really being able to see the thing with your naked eye. Under clear skies and low humidity, there might be occasions to expand this distance, but as a rule, I find 1300 feet is a good general distance.
When it comes to hobby pilots, anyone can walk into a store, buy a drone and head out into the back yard and launch it. This strikes me as insanity. Youtube is full of videos of hobbyist drone pilots doing ‘Range Tests’ with their drones: how far will it fly before it begins to lose radio contact with me? For a 107-licensed pilot, such a flight would be completely illegal. (I watched a ‘range test’ the other day for a pilot launching his new DJI Mavic 2 Pro, the drone I fly. It flew over 3.5 miles out before beginning to lose radio contact. Can you say Line of Sight?!)
And then we have situations like the illegal drone flights over Gatwick Airport outside London which disrupted flights for over 100,000 passengers and shut down the airport for 36 hours. Two individuals were eventually arrested but the incident was another example of how governments are way behind what’s built into this technology, available to anyone with the cash to buy a drone and the intent to cause trouble.My fear is that hobbyists and the random Gatwick ‘bad apples’ will precipitate a major accident which kills a planeload of passengers. Once that happens, we may see a backlash which damages everyone’s ability to fly and enjoy this beautiful new technology.
The obvious solution would be for the drone manufacturers to place locked height and distance governors on the aircraft which could be taken off only after a pilot obtains a 107 license. This would eliminate 99% of the craziness. Until that happens, it’s the Wild West out there.
[NOTE: I plan to write more about drone photography and videography in the near future. This is one of the most exciting advances I’ve seen since I became a professional photographer.]