If you follow this page, this could sound strange, today I passed the FAA Aeronautical Knowledge Test and am eligible to apply for my Remote Pilot Certificate from the FAA. Fancy words, for I officially will have a license to pilot drones. Does that mean I have been illegally piloting drones for seven years? No. Unlike a car, you can drive a drone without a license. You still need to be aware of the basic rules, register the drone with the government, and be responsible (massive oversimplification, there are more precise rules). What you can not do is make money, advertise yourself as a professional drone operator, and flat out, in my opinion – really understand the whole complex system of unmanned piloting of an aircraft.
I have always been safe, and I pride myself on following the rules as I understood them, reading all the time, learning, registering, etc. Until recently, I had no idea the scope of FAA regulations concerning droning. I wish I had done this years ago. I did not find I had been doing anything significantly wrong. What I found I could be doing even more with this new knowledge. The topics you are expected to know and be tested on are intense. I learned about each classification of airspace in very fine detail. A month ago, I would have been clueless about reading an Aeronautical Sectional Chart, and I can tell you the forecast based on an Aviation Routine Weather Report (METAR). I used Drone Pilot Ground School, an online class, to learn the content and could not recommend them enough. As a person who stresses over tests (I am sure I was not fun to deal with the last few weeks at home), I felt confident when I went to the testing center this morning. Now in full disclosure, I did not feel as confident when I came out of the room – I figured I had failed for sure and would need to figure out a different dailypic that does not tell you any of this – but the proctor congratulated me, I passed easily.
So what does this mean? For the first time, I will advertise drone photography as a service I offer on my website. When I left the corporate world last year, this was one of the items on the list I wanted to accomplish. I enjoy flying a drone, I consider myself very good at it, and now I am proud to offer my services commercially. Commercial and Residental Real Estate, Survey, Insurance, Advertising, Business Branding, and more gorgeous aerial scenes – the world just looks beautiful from up there.
I look forward to continuing to share the skies with a whole refreshed appreciation for the traffic and rules of the road up there.
tr/trp
Very interesting!
I learn more through you!
Congratulations!
Congratulations Tim!!