Hobbyist debating Part 107

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I'm about a month into owning a P3S, flying maybe 30 minutes every other weekend around my yard and a local field. I took the drone with me on spring break to Florida, contemplating Mexico trip in June (and reading up on that here, thank you all)

My question is this: If I have no intent to fly for $$$, is there any benefit to taking the Part 107 test?

Sorry if this is an overly rookie question, just looking for clarity in something so new to me. Thanks, Matt
 
It's a very good and valid question.

I find that flying under Part 101 (hobbyist) guidelines is a lot less restrictive.

One thing to keep in mind is that Part 107 isn't "just about $$" though. If you fly for anything other than your OWN PERSONAL enjoyment you might be defaulting to Part 107 flights. If any part of your flight goes outside of the hobby/recreational "box" then the flight defaults to Part 107 regs.
For instance someone asks you, "Hey can you take some aerial pics of my kids soccer game for us?" PART 107 even if you do it for FREE! Remember working for FREE is still WORKING.

I hope that helps in some way. Also remember that even though someone has their Part 107 certificate they can still fly as a hobbyist as well but you have to mentally declare one way or the other before the flight and the flight can't change later to fit your new desires.
 
Its often a trade off. Flying without contacting every airport, helipad, etc. is nice for 107 Pilots, but not having to go online for authorization in controlled airspace is a perk for hobby fliers. Of course, for me, not much interest in flying in controlled airspace if I couldn't add the pics to my portfolio.
 
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I'm about a month into owning a P3S, flying maybe 30 minutes every other weekend around my yard and a local field. I took the drone with me on spring break to Florida, contemplating Mexico trip in June (and reading up on that here, thank you all)

My question is this: If I have no intent to fly for $$$, is there any benefit to taking the Part 107 test?

Sorry if this is an overly rookie question, just looking for clarity in something so new to me. Thanks, Matt
I'm going to take the 107 exam for reasons other than commercial. NYS has pending legislation that is expected to pass and be in effect on Nov. 1st that essentially makes it legal violation for a recreational drone operator to Fly within 5 miles of an airport period,( among some other restrictions) no notification just don't fly. My small city and adjacent town is covered in class E airspace with a floor of 700ft. So the only way to fly is with a part 107 certification.. I expect some other states will follow suit. Actually I found studying the material including YouTube videos and practice tests to be enjoyable. Kind of like reading the posts on this site. You learn a lot, some of which is actually useful in flying your drone
 
I'm going to take the 107 exam for reasons other than commercial. NYS has pending legislation that is expected to pass and be in effect on Nov. 1st that essentially makes it legal violation for a recreational drone operator to Fly within 5 miles of an airport period,( among some other restrictions) no notification just don't fly. My small city and adjacent town is covered in class E airspace with a floor of 700ft. So the only way to fly is with a part 107 certification.. I expect some other states will follow suit. Actually I found studying the material including YouTube videos and practice tests to be enjoyable. Kind of like reading the posts on this site. You learn a lot, some of which is actually useful in flying your drone
Regular Class E (700 ft floor) wouldn't have any impact on eithe hobby or Part 107 flying as long as you stay under the floor. Part 107 flying is restricted to below 400 ft. Even Class E (sfc) would only impact Part 107 flying. Class E space shouldn't have any bearing on the legislation that you described.
 
I'm going to take the 107 exam for reasons other than commercial. NYS has pending legislation that is expected to pass and be in effect on Nov. 1st that essentially makes it legal violation for a recreational drone operator to Fly within 5 miles of an airport period,( among some other restrictions) no notification just don't fly. My small city and adjacent town is covered in class E airspace with a floor of 700ft. So the only way to fly is with a part 107 certification.. I expect some other states will follow suit. Actually I found studying the material including YouTube videos and practice tests to be enjoyable. Kind of like reading the posts on this site. You learn a lot, some of which is actually useful in flying your drone


Not sure this will pass legal challenges as you have described it. You say that the law will prohibit recreational "flying" within 5 miles of an airport. It is well established that cities/counties/states do not have the authority to regulate the air. (Although there is pending legislation in Congress that might allow some delegation up to 200 feet) That is well within FAA jurisdiction. What cities/counties/states can do is prohibit landing/taking off within 5 miles of an airport. (Typical land use/zoning laws) Yes, it is a very small minor distinction, but it makes the difference as to whether it will withstand legal challenge or not. Even if they make the minor change, it could be challenged because they are singling out private property within 5 miles of an airport that doesn't apply to others within the same zoning district. This is all so new, it's going to take years for the legal wrangling to get all settled on where that line is. Which is a challenge for those who travel and like to fly in different locations.

Like the previous poster said, Class E to 700ft wouldn't impact recreational as the limit is 400 feet anyway. It could possibly impact Part 107 flights because under those rules, if you fly higher than 400 feet, you must remain within 400 feet of a structure. In a case where you had to inspect the top of a 40 story building or tower, you could actually fly above it up to an additional 400 feet. In that case, you would indeed encroach on the Class E airspace and would need an airspace authorization.
 
Not sure this will pass legal challenges as you have described it. You say that the law will prohibit recreational "flying" within 5 miles of an airport. It is well established that cities/counties/states do not have the authority to regulate the air. (Although there is pending legislation in Congress that might allow some delegation up to 200 feet) That is well within FAA jurisdiction. What cities/counties/states can do is prohibit landing/taking off within 5 miles of an airport. (Typical land use/zoning laws) Yes, it is a very small minor distinction, but it makes the difference as to whether it will withstand legal challenge or not. Even if they make the minor change, it could be challenged because they are singling out private property within 5 miles of an airport that doesn't apply to others within the same zoning district. This is all so new, it's going to take years for the legal wrangling to get all settled on where that line is. Which is a challenge for those who travel and like to fly in different locations.

Like the previous poster said, Class E to 700ft wouldn't impact recreational as the limit is 400 feet anyway. It could possibly impact Part 107 flights because under those rules, if you fly higher than 400 feet, you must remain within 400 feet of a structure. In a case where you had to inspect the top of a 40 story building or tower, you could actually fly above it up to an additional 400 feet. In that case, you would indeed encroach on the Class E airspace and would need an airspace authorization.
Thanks for the reply but my understanding is that the FAA defers to local and state ordinance. So if the NY State law takes effect on November 1 it will be an offence for recreational UAV pilots to operate within 5 miles of an airport even in class G airspace.
 

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