Cyclops55

Snowshoesurveyor, don't get me wrong. I totally respect licensed professional engineers, surveyors, etc. and understand the concerns about using data incorrectly. It can be a safety or a legal issue. But every state has different survey laws and boards and we all know each can have differing levels of opinions at those levels depending on state and local issues and even political or business influences. It would be better if both service industries came together to establish national guidelines vs taking the issues to the courts where you can lose all control. I totally think this will come down to what is the data being used for? If it is for engineer or legal boundary or perhaps environmental issue, then yes. If data is for general progress or site change data not used for those purposes, then no. Stitching all photos together does not necessarily make a survey or mapping if not intended for those purposes.

Hmmmmmmm. So if I take a panoramic photo on my iPhone that stitches it together in photogrammetry and the metadata from the GPS in the phone is embedded in the photo, then it can't be sold? What is the difference from drone photogrammetry? What about Zillow importing KML municiple GIS files for their property boundaries into the Zillow app and displaying it on a google map engine? Is Zillow then surveying since the are projecting property boundaries on a map? Mapping a golf course and using the GPS metadata to compute basic surface area measurements to calculate the amount of fertilizer to apply per square foot is surveying? It is no difference from measuring it with a GPS on the ground. Farmers having GPS apps on their tractor to do precision row cropping on their property is surveying? This is nothing more than a government board protecting their turf since drones are taking some of their low hanging survey type fruit. This pilot had clear disclaimers that he does not do legal survey operations unless reviewed by a surveyor. Instead of bullying, they need to bring the drone operators and surveyors into technical forums to discuss what drones can and can't do and needs to be moderated by both surveyors and drone professionals. I predict the plaintiff will prevail in this case and the board of surveyors will regret the drone case law that was created.

Retired Army helo pilot with over 2500 rotary wing hours including engineering flight test. 107 operator in central VA area. Reach out if you are interested. Regards.

I would use a little more tranquil sound track. The crescendos became a little distracting after the third time. But that is just my taste. Otherwise the video is cool.

If you are using a DJI drone, check their geo fence webpage to make sure you don't need an unlock. My experience is the geo fence can be off a little in the database or DJI has included additional buffer distances in their fence. I would not notify if it is not required.

Nice reveal shots, transitions and music.

Yup. What Av8Chuck said. Although the FAA does also not have the resources to track down every violator. But never mess with a 3 Letter Federal Agency or federal law. They can wield very stiff fines for violators--when you do something really stupid.

It's also good to know your state and local laws on privacy. They can conflict with FAA FARS since they are written by people who don't understand FAA FARS. If one of the neighbors claims his wife was sunbathing and you were peeping with your drone, then you could wind up in a lawsuit. That is why it is important to have liability insurance.

If you are using a DJI drone, don't forget to check their geofence areas ahead of time and request an unlock to fly. I requested several flight windows at a time. The first time I had to do it, it wasn't exactly a intuitive process. It is easier to apply for the mission on a laptop, then download the unlock keys on your mobile device and they must be sent to the drone as well. Google You Tube for a few videos on the DJI unlock process and keep in mind your screenshots may not look exactly like the ones in the video.

I had some thoughts as Av8Chuck. Having spent a lot of years looking out of a helicopter, I could tell some of the altitudes were higher than our limit of 400ft and same on cloud clearances. Altitudes do increase the perspective! But as others have said, a very well edited video, especially the audio synch on the transitions. The boat hyper lapse on the end was a cool clip. I'm hoping there is a Mavic 3 pro in near future.

The KML file would show exactly where the drone flew. Think of it as your "flight data recorder". It can prove you did or didn't fly where you said you flew. Drone Logbook will parse it from every flight.

Agree with Dave Pitman. One of my previous Class D authorizations did not require any notification, but restricted to LAANC altitudes.

If you were flying your Cessna, would you swill wine? You should tell your host client that you cannot consume alcohol an fly your drone, but you will gladly accept after flying your mission. That is about as professional as you can get. Disregard all the other answers. You are splitting hairs. Just avoid it until after the mission.

There's not an app for everything. Do some preflight planning to understand the drone laws, procedures and airspace of the country you are flying in. Kittyhawk, Airmap and Skyvector to start.

Check the FAA's current list of LAANC enabled facilities first. If it is not on this list, then most likely you won't be able to LAANC request that airspace. Class D facilities seem to be last on the priority list behind the Class C facilities. https://www.faa.gov/uas/programs_partnerships/data_exchange/laanc_facilities/