Hi Everyone,

Welcome to Episode 27 – Hiring a Drone Pilot – 9 Basic but not so Basic Things You Need to Know to Save You from Potential Big Business Mistakes

This is a continuation of a series (previously episodes 15 & 24) on the many many opportunities with drone videography ad photography with Drones that can be shared on social media, while I share with you my journey to earn my FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot License. I'm still in study and learning phases! I've competed 25 modules so far and passed all my quizzlets 😊

So! When you decide to hire a drone pilot to capture video and photography for YOUR business. It's a great time to do that for some businesses right now or at least to start planning so let's get right to it.

#1 The FAA looks at drones as a small aircraft and the operator of the drone, the person or co you hire, as the pilot. In selecting them, of course first and foremost confirm they are licensed or FAA Certified! The drone also needs to be registered with the FAA and the license needs to be applied to the drone itself. Then, like any other pilot you would put your hands into, you'll need to feel comfortable with their professionalism, their aptitude, and even their decision making process. The FAA does provide a free online portal that you can go to to confirm the pilot you wish to do your job is indeed in their certification database. You can just put their name into the fields and the system will tell you whether or not they are certified. I'll put a link to that for you in the show notes. https://amsrvs.registry.faa.gov/airmeninquiry/

#2 There are risks the pilot you choose will undertake and because they are working for you, you take on at least a portion of these risks. Such as the drone hitting a person, damaging property such as a window or a car which leads to #3 -

#3 Ask if they're insured. If they do have liability insurance, it should be at least a $1 million and cover bodily injury and property damage. Even to the a highly skilled remote pilot, there are many factors that can contribute to the loss of control of a drone! For instance, an aircraft part or software malfunction, signal interference (there's been documented security systems or wifi routers can be strong enough to interfere drone operations), or a strong wind or other crazy weather occurance.

#4 Related to #3, It's kindof a random one, there is a chance that the drone battery could start a fire. The batteries inside the drones are quite large – they're anywhere believe it or not, between 6 pounds and 55 pounds. Drone batteries are LiPO batteries or lithium polymer which are rechargeable and the have a fully charged voltage of 4.2V. And their weight is pretty heavy, it can be equivalent to like 5-10 cell phone batteries

They have advantages of ways they can be shaped and sized into different aircraft. There's different manufacturers that make these drones. Another thing about them is their lifetime is quite long and they put out a lot of power. There needs to be care in how they are handled and stored. The drone pilot has this responsibility as well. In the event of an accident and the battery gets punctured or crushed, it can start to heat up, it can then smoke, and even flame and start a fire. So it's good to be aware of!

#5 The FAA Part 107 License expires every two years. So afte I pass my test - I haven't set a date – with the terrible stuff going on in the world today, I sometimes get temporarily distracted – do you? Phone conversations with friends or business associates and stuff, and if you go out to run errands it takes a lot longer than you used to do really quickly. So anyway, I need to set a date that I can aim for when I will take the test but after I pass I will need to re-take the test in two years. So you don't want a lazy guy or a lazy gal that is flyin' around and is like oh I'll take that test later and doesn't have their license current. the drone pilots need to keep their licenses current by taking the renewal test and having the certificate current with the drone itself. Make sure you get proof from your hired operator.

#6 The FAA outlines five hazardous attitudes that can compromise a pilot's decision-making: they name them anti-authority, impulsivity, invulnerability, macho, and resignation. The reason you will want to feel prospective pilots out for these is because it could hamper the outcomes (potentially extreme) if they tend to have these personality and decision making characteristics.

In something known as the DECIDE model with decision making, we first detect a change or deviation from our planned action. We then estimate the correction required. We choose a desirable outcome, initiate change by doing something, and evaluate the effect of this action on correcting the deviation. Under normal circumstances our decision making system works seamlessly and without error. But when things go wrong or not as expected, it puts stress on the human operating the remote aircraft.

Antiauthority – The words in the pilots head here are "don't tell me". this is the attitude of well, the rules don't or always don't apply to me. For instance to save a few minutes of time the pilot could cut corners, or violate airspace.
Impulsivity – or "do it quickly" These people need to do something, anything or immediately and so they might abandon any rule or checklist preparation
Invulnerability – or "it won't happen to me" they never really feel or believe that they will be personally involved. Pilots who think this way are more likely to take chances and increase risk.
Macho: "I can do it." Pilots who are always trying to prove that they are better than anyone else think, "I can do it—I'll show them." Pilots with this type of attitude will try to prove themselves by taking risks in order to impress others. While this pattern is thought to be a male characteristic, women are equally susceptible.
Resignation: "What's the use?" Pilots who think, "What's the use?" do not see themselves as being able to make a great deal of difference in what happens to them. When things go well, the pilot is apt to think that it is good luck. When things go badly, the pilot may feel that someone is out to get them or attribute it to bad luck. The pilot will leave the action to others, for better or worse. Sometimes, such pilots will even go along with unreasonable requests just to be a "nice guy."

#7 The location of the shoot, there are several factors your pilot will need to consider –

The precise location and span of airspace he or she will need to file a request and gain formal approval known as a "waiver" to fly in restricted airspace zones sometimes 90 days (at least) in advance of the video shoot. There are several classes of airspace that have different rules – Class B near big busy airports, Class C near smaller airports like Jacksonville Fl or Flint Mi for instance, ClassD Airspace which is smaller tan B7C sch as The San Bernadino International California Airport;

And Class E. There's also MTR or Military Training Routes that have their own regulations, of course.

The time of day – I explained in an earlier episode that it is illegal to fly at night and what is the definition to the FAA of "night"
The duration of the flight. Many commercial drones cannot fly more than 30 minutes at a time.

#8 A Pre-Flight Checklist Your pilot should be able to fluently discuss how he will go about creating a pre-flight checklist for your mission, let's say, to capture incredible video to feature your business or to make discoveries for your business – and then be able to share that with you pre-flight. For instance if you are a realtor or a restaurant let's say, it may include temporarily turning off electronic security systems in and around the building, home or commercial property that is being captured so as to limit interference. This pre-flight checklist will give you reassurance that your pilot has prepared, is professional and will limit both of your risk. In the event something does go wrong, the checklist will also aid in the investigation. Any time a drone crashes or collides with something a report needs to be filed with the FAA by the pilot.

#9 Fees Ask your potential pilots if they have a contract with fees fully outlined, whether they offer any packages

Thank you so much for hanging out with me. If you liked this episode, please leave me a review and if you post a comment that you did on Instagram and share with a friend – someone you feel that would benefit, I will give you a shout on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, where everywhere we are on SocialMedia!

It's very stressful world out there June 3, 2020 so if you are listening close to the drop date of this episode please take care – all of you. No matter where you are in the world…. I am hoping and praying for positive change, unity and peace. So peace to you – thank you.

Sound effects obtained from https://www.zapsplat.com"

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