If you’re flying a drone or taking aerial photos for fun, make sure that none of your operations or output can ever be considered as commercial drone use.

Thus, you cannot take photos during a recreational flight and decide months after to sell them online. If you want to fly a drone without a license, you must also keep in mind that the intent of the operations must be determined at the point of take-off. If the FAA finds out any of these activities were done without the appropriate license, the drone pilot can be penalized for up to $32,666 per incidence. This includes the use of aerial images to advertise a hotel or beach, the use of a drone for surveillance of a farm, or uploading of drone videos for a monetized YouTube channel. Keep in mind that you don’t necessarily have to be receiving payment for your activity for your operations to be considered commercial.Īny drone operations used to augment the regular operations of a business or to advance a business is considered commercial use. This may seem like an easy distinction to make but it’s pretty easy to fall into the trap of flying under the commercial category without knowing it. All commercial drone flight falls under the jurisdiction of the FAA’s Small UAS Rule, or what is more commonly known as Part 107. In this context, only a drone pilot who flies for fun or “recreationally” is allowed to fly a drone without a license. The first distinction you need to make is the one between a drone pilot who flies only for fun and one who flies for profit. Under what circumstances can I fly a drone without a license?

However, this leeway might not last for much longer as we shall see later on. To answer the question posed by the article’s title – yes, you can fly a drone without a license but only under very specific restrictions. However, not all drone pilots have embraced the idea of having to secure a drone license. The reasoning is a lot like the need to get a driver’s license – it imparts a sense of accountability, thus enhancing the safety of the entire activity. Drones have become so common nowadays that the FAA has created a law that requires drone pilots to get a license, under certain circumstances.

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