It’s a great question and the basic answer is yes… However…<\/p>\n
Aeromodeling enthusiasts have mounted cameras on their model aircraft for years and taken aerial photographs of the local flying site, their backyard and even themselves as they remotely operate their aircraft, and the ability to do so still exists today. However, modelers must be respectful of the privacy of others and understand that the publishing of photographs of someone or someone’s property in print, in a media such as Facebook\/YouTube or even emailing the photos to family and friends could be viewed as an invasion of privacy. AMA’s current guidance in this area states:<\/p>\n
\u201cThe use of imaging technology for aerial surveillance with radio control model aircraft having the capability of obtaining high-resolution photographs and\/or video, or using any types of sensors, for the collection, retention, or dissemination of surveillance data\/information on individuals, homes, businesses, or property at locations where there is a reasonable expectation of privacy is strictly prohibited by the AMA unless written expressed permission is obtained from the individuals, property owners, or managers.\u201d<\/p>\n
It would seem like it should be a simple transition from flying a model aircraft with a camera mounted on it to doing professional aerial photography\u2026 Unfortunately, however, it\u2019s not as simple as you might imagine. The taking of aerial photographs as a business endeavor or even selling your personal artistic aerial photographs is deemed to be a commercial enterprise. In 2007 the FAA published a clarification of its policy on the operation of unmanned aircraft for commercial purposes.<\/p>\n
The crux of the issue is in the following policy statement..<\/p>\n
\u201cThe current FAA policy for UAS operations is that no person may operate a UAS in the National Airspace System without specific authority. For UAS operating as public aircraft the authority is the COA, for UAS operating as civil aircraft the authority is special airworthiness certificates, and for model aircraft the authority is AC 91-57.”<\/p>\n
“The FAA recognizes that people and companies other than modelers might be flying UAS with the mistaken understanding that they are legally operating under the authority of AC 91-57. AC 91-57 only applies to modelers, and thus specifically excludes its use by persons or companies for business purposes.”<\/p>\n
The FAA is currently working on new regulation that will allow the commercial and public use of UAS in the National Airspace System in the future. But for now, in order to operate under the current regulatory structure, you have to apply for and receive either a Special Airworthiness Certificate in the experimental category if you\u2019re are a commercial operator or a Certificate of Authorization (COA) if you\u2019re a public entity. At the bottom of the blog is a link to a PDF copy of the notice that was published in the Federal Register in 2007. The notice explains the policy statement in more detail, and below is a link to the FAQs that specifically answer questions regarding flying UAS for commercial purposes…<\/p>\n
https:\/\/www.faa.gov\/about\/initiatives\/uas\/uas_faq\/#Qn7<\/a><\/p>\n You can also get additional information via the following link to the FAA Fact Sheet \u2013 Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS)…<\/p>\n https:\/\/www.faa.gov\/news\/fact_sheets\/news_story.cfm?newsId=6287<\/a><\/p>\n Below are links to a\u00a0copy of the UAS fact sheet and a PDF copy of FAA Order 8130.34a that establishes the program for issuing special (experimental) airworthiness certificates for commercial UAS operations.<\/p>\n Federal Register Notice – 2\/6\/2007<\/a> Rich Hanson \u00a0 ——————————————————————————————————————————————-<\/p>\n December 7, 2012<\/strong><\/p>\n The GR Blog post above was recently highlighted in the December \u20182012\u2019 AMAToday<\/em> e-newsletter which generated a significant amount of interest and comments to the Blog. Having read through a number of the comments I thought it important to add a couple of points of clarification\u2026<\/p>\n Many modelers have in the past and rightfully continue today to take aerial photographs from their model aircraft for their personal recreational enjoyment. However. it\u2019s important to understand that AMA\u2019s programming does not include the use of model aircraft for commercial purposes, and the AMA member personal liability insurance does not cover the commercial operation of unmanned aircraft. Though AMA openly supports the safe and responsible commercial use of unmanned aircraft in the national airspace system, its responsibility is to advocate for and to protect the rights and privileges of its members and the aeromodeling community.<\/p>\n The information provided in this blog is intended to provide general information to those using their model aircraft to take video or still photographs and to impart the distinction between UAS aerial photography conducted for recreational purposes and photography that would otherwise be viewed as commercial in nature. Individuals interested in conducting aerial photography for commercial purposes should seek detailed information from the resources provided at the bottom of the Blog.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, some of the comments submitted were not appropriate for posting to the Blog. Please keep in mind that this blog is not an opinion forum. The GR Blog is intended as a communication tool. It is designed to provide the AMA readership with up to date information regarding AMA\u2019s government relations activities and critical governmental processes that impact our hobby. The comment feature is provided to allow readers to ask questions, provide feedback and to clarify issues. It is not for personal exchanges, to espouse opinions or to voice criticism. As we all know, there are many other forums where you can express your views to your heart\u2019s content.<\/p>\n Rich Hanson It’s a great question and the basic answer is yes… However… Aeromodeling enthusiasts have mounted cameras on their model aircraft for years and taken aerial photographs of the local flying site, their backyard and even themselves as they remotely operate their aircraft, and the ability to do so still exists […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":3955,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-635","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/amablog.modelaircraft.org\/amagov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/635","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/amablog.modelaircraft.org\/amagov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/amablog.modelaircraft.org\/amagov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amablog.modelaircraft.org\/amagov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amablog.modelaircraft.org\/amagov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=635"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/amablog.modelaircraft.org\/amagov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/635\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":825,"href":"https:\/\/amablog.modelaircraft.org\/amagov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/635\/revisions\/825"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amablog.modelaircraft.org\/amagov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3955"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/amablog.modelaircraft.org\/amagov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=635"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amablog.modelaircraft.org\/amagov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=635"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amablog.modelaircraft.org\/amagov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=635"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nUAS Fact Sheet – 7\/2011<\/a>
\nFAA Order 8130.34A – 10\/27\/2010<\/a><\/p>\n
\nAMA Government and Regulatory Affairs<\/p>\n
\nAMA Government and Regulatory Affairs<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"