Would You Let A 16 year Old Drive Your New Ferrari?
Why Having Your Part 107 Certificate Isn’t Enough
“The FAA now requires anyone operating a drone for commercial purposes to obtain an official license, known as the Part 107.”

How Hard Is It To Fly A Drone?
Recently an agent from a large commercial real estate firm asked “How hard is it to fly a drone, my neighbor just started a company and we were just going to hire him to do it, he has a license” While it’s a question we’ve gotten a lot I had to stop for a second and ponder how to answer. It’s such a relative question, how hard compared to what? That’s like asking what’s the best car to buy, the answer would vary significantly depending on who you’re asking. If you’re asking a mother of 4 young kids, you’d get a completely different answer than if you asked a single bachelor. Or asking who’s the best basketball player of all-time, there really is no easy answer and depends on a several variables (it’s Michael Jordan BTW, but lets not digress). The quick answer is not very easy, especially when you consider all the potential risks of having your neighbor do it.
The FAA now requires anyone operating a drone for commercial purposes to obtain an official license, known as the Part 107. With the Part 107 airman certificate put in place by the FAA, there are many pilots that have obtained the certificate and have suddenly positioned themselves as “drone experts” of sorts. NOT SO FAST MY FRIENDS! While the license is by no means easy to obtain, you’re leaving your agency, business, or enterprise in the hands of a virtual novice, its analogous to letting a 16 year who just received his license drive your high powered super car such as a Ferrari or Lamborghini. Having a Part 107 license with little to no flying experience doesn’t make you a drone expert anymore than having a drivers license suddenly makes you a driving expert. (Note: this goes for pilots that have manned pilot licenses as well)

“It takes years and years, or at the very least several months to learn the subtleties and nuances of flying a drone…”
No Substitute for Experience
They say it takes 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to become world-class in any field. Now while we aren’t suggesting you require drone pilots to have 7–10 years of drone flying experience before hiring, (the commercial drone industry is very young and you’d be hard pressed to find many that satisfy this “rule”), it does hold some merit. It takes years and years, or at the very least several months to learn the subtleties and nuances of flying a drone (especially when it comes to cinematography). Certified or not it, while it is an important step in legitimizing a company, as with most things experience trumps everything. At Skyport Drones not only are our pilots certified (some having manned licenses) but we also boast several hundred hours of flying experience to boot.
“When it comes to contracting drone companies for aerial services and/or consulting work we strongly advise learning more about the company. Don’t be afraid to ask questions…”

When it comes to contracting drone companies for aerial services and/or consulting work we strongly advise learning more about the company. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, in addition to seeing a few examples of their work, inquire how long they’ve been flying, what are some of their credentials, what projects are they working on etc. etc. Getting clear answers to these questions will go a long ways in letting you know if you’re picking the correct agency.
Conclusion
When it’s all said and done there is no substitute for experience, hours of upon hours of diligent study, flying, and sweat equity are needed to safely and effectively pilot drones. So the next time you’re thinking of hiring “the neighbor next door that has a drone”, or the “company” with their Part 107 license but started 3 months ago, just ask yourself this question would you let a 16 year old who just got their license drive your new Ferrari? If the answers no, consider giving Skyport Drones a call.
All Skyport Drones pilots are FAA certified and licensed with hundreds of hours worth of flying experience under their belts. Contact us for a FREE Consultation to discuss how Skyport Drones can help you.
info@skyportdrones.com
