Pro Question

[GregS]

I am a rec flyer and know that I would need a Commercial license to take photos of homes for residential sales, and anything that I would benefit from. What about taking a photo of a friends home and giving to him? His home is not for sale, he just wants a photo from above. Is a 'thank you' a benefit?

 

[CadrePilot]

Just my opinion....

Are you flying recreationally? Are you flying for the enjoyment of it, playing with the camera, and creating images for fun that you then share?

Or are you flying with the intent of creating a gift to give away?

The situation you describe certainly seems innocuous, while close to the line at the same time.

 

[mavic3usa]

I am a rec flyer and know that I would need a Commercial license to take photos of homes for residential sales, and anything that I would benefit from. What about taking a photo of a friends home and giving to him? His home is not for sale, he just wants a photo from above. Is a 'thank you' a benefit?

You are fine to take a photo and share it with a friend, you don't need a license to do that.

 

[GregS]

Just my opinion....

Are you flying recreationally? Are you flying for the enjoyment of it, playing with the camera, and creating images for fun that you then share?

Or are you flying with the intent of creating a gift to give away?

The situation you describe certainly seems innocuous, while close to the line at the same time.

I really don't understand your questions. I thought I was pretty clear with my comments.

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

I really don't understand your questions. I thought I was pretty clear with my comments.

I may be wrong but I think the demarcation line between recreational and 'commercial' is the "intent" behind the flight.
I think that since the intention is to take photos for the 'benefit' the of someone and not your own pleasure would put the flight in the commercial grouping.

That said if nothing goes wrong .... who is to know?

I recollect one of the popular you tubers did a video about this after receiving a letter or call from the FAA, it might have been 51 drones.

 

[mavic3usa]

I may be wrong but I think the demarcation line between recreational and 'commercial' is the "intent" behind the flight.
I think that since the intention is to take photos for the 'benefit' the of someone and not your own pleasure would put the flight in the commercial grouping.

That said if nothing goes wrong .... who is to know?

I recollect one of the popular you tubers did a video about this after receiving a letter or call from the FAA, it might have been 51 drones.

Yes, there is the element of intent but it doesn't really matter if your intentions are for yourself or another. When you launch your drone, if that flight is intended for anything other than just having fun or recreational in nature, then you would need a part 107.

The OP said he intended to start a flight and then take pictures of a house so he can share it with a friend. That's the very definition of recreational. Same as if you take pictures of the mountains and share it with the family. However, if he were to take pictures of the house to give it to a friend who wanted a house photo to use for his real estate ad to sell his house, that would be considered a commercial flight. That would be my interpretation but like you said "who is to know" since the pilot is not obligated to quiz the homeowner about his intentions especially a single photo with no specific details (sure doesn't sound like a commercial request).

I believe Russ (51drones) has a part 107 and his videos are on the conservative side so naturally I think his position (from what I can tell) is to not take any risks and if it's not clearly recreational, easy enough to apply for a license. What happens to your photos after you take them doesn't change the intent of your flight when you took off with your drone but it's going to look mighty suspicious if a series of planned (professional) photos end up on the commercial business website promoting a product.

 

[CadrePilot]

I may be wrong but I think the demarcation line between recreational and 'commercial' ....

It's not recreational versus commercial. It's recreational versus everything else.

Too many get confused about arguing what they're doing (or intend to do) is not for gain, and therefore within the exception for recreational use.

 

[CadrePilot]

I really don't understand your questions. I thought I was pretty clear with my comments.

You're asking a specific question near what I would consider the line between recreational and non-recreational flight.

Do you intend to fly for the purpose of creating a gift for your neighbor? Some may argue that's not recreational.
Do you intend to fly recreational, happen to take some photos including your neighbor's house, and will probably give them a copy? Pretty clear that's recreational.

Either way, I'd assume you're no where near doing anything that could get you in trouble.

 

[Meta4]

You're asking a specific question near what I would consider the line between recreational and non-recreational flight.

Do you intend to fly for the purpose of creating a gift for your neighbor? Some may argue that's not recreational.
Do you intend to fly recreational, happen to take some photos including your neighbor's house, and will probably give them a copy? Pretty clear that's recreational.

Either way, I'd assume you're no where near doing anything that could get you in trouble.

This topic always gets into the silliest fundamentalist interpretations that go far beyong what the FAA intended or cares about.
The world is not that black and white.
It's quite possible to fly for fun and take a photo of his friends house for while flying for his own recreational purposes.