The issue for so many people and small companies is they simply do not have the time, financial resources, or willingness to go through full fledged flight school to obtain their pilot’s license (“airman certificate”) which the FAA currently requires for flying drones under a Section 333 Grant of Exemption.
So What Should I Do?
There is a terrific loophole in the FAA Section 333 process: a business can apply and receive a Section 333 Grant of Exemption to fly drones commercially and legally, even if the employees and business ownership does not have a pilot’s license, as long as the person actually flying the drone does have a pilot’s license.
Therefore, it is perfectly fine for a company to hire outside licensed pilots to fly their drones. Some companies are cropping up that will supply other companies with licensed pilots who are already familiar with flying drones. One is a client of ours. But there simply are not enough available at this time.
So What is Your “Secret”?
I learned several years ago that many traditional radio-controlled aircraft hobby clubs sanctioned by the AMA (Academy of Model Aeronautics), including my very own rc club, have members who are already FAA licensed pilots who love flying remote controlled airplanes, helicopters, and multirotors – aka drones.
A company can simply call up or visit the AMA model clubs and ask if any of their members are licensed pilots who might be interested in being hired to fly drones for their company.
There is a very easy way to find the contact information for all the clubs in your area: A simple link where you type in your zip code:
http://www.modelaircraft.org/clubsearch.aspx
Scroll down to see a sample search result for the Los Angeles zip code.If your company would like assistance filing its own Section 333 petition to fly UAS commercially, contact firm principal Jeffrey Antonelli at 312-201-8310 or fill out the contact form below and we will contact you.
If you are a small real estate or home inspection company, you are eligible for our $2,500 Drone Democracy program: click here.
Sample search on AMA website for Los Angeles – over 40 RC clubs to recruit licensed pilots from within just 25 miles of zipcode 90012!
