-
Remote ID is Now Active
Flying a drone? Big Brother is watching! Or at least he may be. Let me explain. As of March 16th 2024, “Remote ID” is mandatory on all drones flown in the United States weighing over .55 lbs.; whether flown commercially or recreationally! A few years back, the FAA told drone manufacturers that if they wanted…
-
The Part 107 License
The Commercial License Last week, I told you, “If we fly a drone, we must have a FAA Pilot’s License.” Then I said, “Let me explain this because it sounds pretty extreme.” In that article, I introduced you to the FREE and easily attained TRUST Certificate, which makes you completely legal to fly a drone…
-
Do I Need a License?
If we fly a drone, we must have a FAA Pilot’s License. Let me explain this because it sounds pretty extreme. When we are talking about “licenses” we are not talking about a license for the drone itself. That would be called a “registration.” Instead, we are talking about is a “Pilot’s License,” and there…
-
Airspace Part 3
The MBS Airspace – Part 3 This is an image of the MBS Airspace as pilots see it. The little 32 in the box means that the ceiling of the airspace is at 3200 feet above sea level and the blue dashed line around the airport represents that five mile radius we have been discussing.…
-
Airspace Part 1
Let’s practice with the MBS Airspace. It has a five mile perimeter around the Midland, Bay City, Saginaw International Airport. This airspace is a type of controlled airspace called “Class D.” It extends from the surface up to 2500 feet above the ground. Any and all aircraft must have FAA Authorization to enter and operate…
-
How High Can I Fly?
How High Can I Fly in Controlled Airspace? This might shock you but the maximum altitude a drone is allowed to fly, anywhere in the United States, is 400 feet above ground! That’s it. If I go higher than that, I am breaking Federal Law! We are only allowed to fly our drones to an…
-
Flying a Drone in the US: What you need to know.
All drone pilots must have a license and must have permission to fly in the US Airspace! These are federal rules so let me explain. There are two types of licenses you can get from the FAA in order to fly your drone legally anywhere in the US. They are called, “Recreational” and “Part 107”…
-
Do I Need to Register My Drone?
Do I Need to Register My Drone? Here’s what the FAA says, “Federal law requires all drones operated under 14 CFR Part 107 to be registered. The limited statutory exception for recreation requires registration of all aircraft weighing more than .55 pound (250 grams). All registered aircraft must have their registration number displayed on the…
-
The Purpose Driven Flight
Why you flyin’? Each and every time you put your drone in the air, there is a reason you are doing it. For me, I am in a honeymoon phase and I am getting to know my equipment in terms of behavior and idiosyncrasies. Let’s call this the training phase and the purpose of these…
-
What is a Drone?
What is a Drone? What is a drone? I guess that depends on who you ask. For the average person who sees the image above, we say… “Oh, that’s a drone.” And that would be correct. That’s the common everyday use of the term. If we were to ask the FAA, we get a more…