When out photographing Benicia rental homes for our listings, part of what I do is fly a drone to take aerial photos and video.  Even though people don't usually spend the money for this on rental homes, we do.  This allows us to show off a perspective on the homes or nearby area that you just don't get from standing on the ground.  We think this is best for everyone.

Well, the other day a friendly person saw me and said "Hey, I recognize you, you're the drone guy!"

I hadn't realized that I was so recognizable to be called "The Drone Guy!"

When he said that, I was finishing up and had the drone in a low stationary hover so I was able to chat with him for a minute, and answer a few questions.  After that, it occurred to me that I often get asked similar questions so thought I'd share some FAQ's.

Some common drone questions and answers:

Do you need to be licensed to fly the drone? 

Yes, for what I use the drone for I do need to be and I have an FAA Part 107 pilot license.

Why won't you look at me when I talk to you? 

Well, if I have the drone up in the air, I need to maintain visual contact with where I am flying.  It's kind of like wanting the driver in your car to keep their eyes on the road for safety reasons.  The drone is often at tree top, or power pole, height and collisions do occur.  I keep my eyes on the drone to avoid collisions.  I'm also not very talkative when focusing on the drone in flight.  I'm happy to talk once I have the drone either landed or in a very safe and stationary position.

Can the drone see into windows?

No, not really.  If you think about it, during the daytime outside is much brighter than inside a home.  When the drone is up in the air, windows look like dark squares, and small ones at that.  Just trying looking at a window across the street from you on a bright day.  You really can't see much inside, and that's when you're standing closer to the window than the drone is to the window.  The exceptions are very large windows, like at stores, with bright lights on during the daytime.  I haven't seen a house yet that his this situation. 

Have you ever crashed the drone?

Yes, more than once!  Depth perception is a real challenge when the background is a solid blue sky.  You can usually tell if you are higher than  compared to the distance of the drone.  It can be challenging to determine if an obstacle a city block away is the same distance from you as the drone in flight, or if one is closer than the other.  I understand that most frequent drone pilots have had crashes. 

Why is the drone over my house if you're taking pics of the house across the street?

I get asked this one a lot and the answer is simple.  Think of when you take a photo of your friend.  You are not standing directly over them looking down on the top of their head.  You are off to the side looking towards them to catch their smile.  The same concept applies to taking an aerial photo of a home.  The camera (drone) needs to be "off to the side" to get an angle looking back to the home to take the photo.

Isn't it illegal to fly over my house?

Short answer is "no."  Homeowners do not own the airspace over their property.  This is the jurisdiction of the FAA so that they can govern all aircraft consistently.  Even local police do not have jurisdiction over airspace since the FAA is Federal.  Per the FAA, the drone can fly in the air space above your house, just like an airliner can fly in the airspace above your house.

Of course, just like cell phone camera or any other situation, the drone is not to be used to invade people's privacy.  In this regard, the same "peeping Tom" types of laws that would apply to cell phone cameras also apply to drone cameras. The difference is that, just because you can see the drone, that doesn't mean it's looking at you.  It is most likely looking at the house across the street or down the block.

How high can it fly?

Legally, I can only fly it to an elevation of 400'.  Realistically, for the photos I need, it is usually no more that 150' above ground.  The technology of the drone would allow it to fly much higher, but I have no interest in getting in trouble with the FAA so I haven't tried.

How much does it cost?

Too much!  It's not just the drone itself but the batteries, controller and the rest of the kit.

 Do you have any other questions?  Let me know and I'll be happy to answer (so long as the drone isn't near a tree!)