Remote Pilot Association

Drone verses helicopter, sounds like the title of a new blockbuster movie, but I digress. There was one image out of Hollywood that impressed upon me the opportunity of drones in filmmaking. The scene was a busy small downtown with a few multi-story buildings where the action star was running from a burning building. Perched above at seventy-five feet was a helicopter shooting the action from just above the rooftop. I thought to myself, “Wow, that seems like a risky proposition, low level right over the town intersection set, what if the engine quit on the helicopter?” How cool it would be to use a drone, also known as a small Unmanned Aerial System (sUAS), for this scene. However, we are not just talking about the film industry, it’s much broader. Next, we will outline the positive and negative aspects of each platform.                   Source: Helicopter, Bangor by Rossographer ,  CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons   Helic...

Forgive me for the eye-catching title, but I’m not sure how many folks would be interested in an article called, “How not to fly in high winds,” but I digress. There are many challenging factors we will point out besides the obvious “high wind warning” that some drones have built into their app.                                                                                                                    Source: Copyright 2023 RemotePilotAssociation (TC Freeman) Personal experience attracted me to this topic. I was asked by an author friend to do some aerial video and photo for a book with a theme that centered around a beachside mailbox in Sunset Beach, North Carolina (USA).  I was flying a l...

  Oh, how I love to sit on the couch and look for the ever increase amount of drone shots you see on television, movies and the internet, yelling “drone shot, drone shot!” to anyone in the room (and sometimes to an empty room). The increasing amount of drone shots means shouldn’t mean to you that everyone is doing it, so why bother. What it means to me is that drones are becoming a critical part of the film industry, a staple if you will.     I’ve had the opportunity to use a drone in independent films, commercials, and “spec” projects. The good news is that you can use cinematic moves using the drone you already own (even if it’s for practice). If you read some of my work, you will know that I’m a firm believer in starting with what you own. Have a 1080P drone, well your well suited for most video online. Don’t fall into the trap of chasing the latest and greatest drone, unless it comes with a significant increase in efficiency, quality, and benefit for you and the custo...

I was listening to a podcast, can’t remember the name, and the host was reading a letter from a listener about how they were going to start a business as soon as this person “saved enough money to purchase a top of the line equipment, get a business license, consult with an attorney, secure insurance, buy a domain name,” and twenty other things that just “had to be done.” The host of the podcast sunk his teeth into the question by responding that nothing on the list had anything to do with an immediate need and that what the budding small businessperson need to do was to start making money. IMHO, I think he hit the nail on the head, because it’s so easy to get hung up on the details that don’t matter, at least not in the short term.                                                                          ...

  Drone regulations are becoming more complicated by the minute. In this article we will dispel some of the misconceptions and outline what you need to know to fly legal and safe. Regulators, along with industry participation, develop a basic framework of rules, then as issues arise, like accidents and incidence, regulations are expanded to meet the new need. However, regulations are not born with the simple stroke of a pen, it consists of a process of establishing a Noticed of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), allowing the public to comment and regulators respond to comments way before a regulation makes it to the books. Much of our discussion will center on recreational drone pilots. However, we will encapsulate the resources necessary for those wanting to make money with their drone by earning commercial Remote drone Pilot certification (a.k.a. Part 107, as in the regulation covering the topic, certification).    Due to the mass of folks flying in places where they shouldn’t...