That is not true.. If you sell something or even give some pictures (a realtor friend for example). for no money you are still breaking the law and are flying for commercial purposes. Not sure how they would catch rec pilots selling photography, but it is illegal. I have heard realtors can lose their license for using UAV pilots that are not certified or using a drone themselves for their business.
how does that make any sense at all? for some reason, the drone community thinks their "practice" is new and therefore following new and special rules unique to the world. this isn't new territory whether we are talking about intent, dual-licenses, commercial vs non-commercial, irs, laws, etc.
of course the realty industry can do whatever they want, i guess they can pull your license if you look cross-eyed at the client's wife. if they catch you breaking the law, any law, fine.
but here's my opinion. if you drone is individually registered, it is a commercial drone for the purposes of insurance and for part 107 and every time it takes off, it's a commercial flight meaning it cannot operate under the rules of recreational. you can still fly for fun and if you do and you take pictures, you can sell them. a 107 pilot who takes off intending to fly for fun captures 1 hour of footage and then next week someone wants that footage, he's supposed to overlook his 107 and remember that when those photos were taken, it was a fun flight? i dunno, i'm not 107, what's the industry practice for this?
same as the opposite. if you are a recreational pilot, every time you take off, it's a fun flight. your intent is recreational and your intent is never commercial and it can never be commercial because you don't have 107. what happens after that doesn't change your intent. if you sell a photo, it doesn't covert your recreational flight into a commercial flight. it might prove your intentions were ill but it's silly to try to label each and every flight based on what happens with the footage over the next few years or what route was flown, or any other criteria other than what counts for the IRS or the FAA....which is intent. as a recreational flyer, every time i fly, i fly with the intent to have fun and after that, whatever happens happens. if i post a fun video on yt and don't monetize it, my intent is proven at that point. if someone else takes my footage and use it and then send me $1 for kicks, how does that change my intent? did that person just turn me into a criminal? if a year later, a production company says we love that footage you posted on yt last year of your hawaii vacation, we'll pay you for it to use 2 shots, am i supposed to not accept the payment because the flight was recreational or because i don't have a 107? it's like selling something on ebay, you can sell without being a commercial business; you can sell to a certain extent without have a business license. it's all about intent.
that's how i am moving forward and if the drone community doesn't like it....