I have recently acquired my Part 107 Certification with the intent to start a commercial operation here in New England. I have certain skills and knowledge to make me at least confident in what I'm trying to do, not the least of which is already owning my own business that I started 14 years ago. Let me cut to the chase.
I just googled Aerial Photography/Videography competitors in the area to get an idea of what's out there. I found several and visited the site of the first ten. Not one mentioned any certification, be it 333 or 107. Not one mentioned being insured either. Now that's all fine and good but what bothered me is that the majority of what I saw violated many rules that are part of 333 and 107 while promoting their aerial businesses. In the promotional videos I saw
-flying close/above clouds
-clearly flying above 400ft
-flying at night
-flying directly over busy intersections
-flying over crowds
-pictures of several private properties at once(chances of rights to do so of all properties involved are slim)
-flying very close to very small children
-realestate work
just to name a few. My dilemma is this: I feel that the market is and will be flooded very shortly with people trying to cash in on the aerial craze. I am sincerely hoping that by earning my Part 107 Certification I will separate myself from the "fly-by-night" folks. However, I am worried that I will held to a standard higher than those who choose to disregard the law and operate illegally by those that enforce the rules. I have never, ever considered myself the type to be a whistle-blower but then again I guess I've never had any reason to be. Once I push full speed forward with this venture I feel like I'm going to have to do everything I can to gain an edge. Since no one is advertising certification/insurance, do you think it's enough to focus a small part of the website to that? Do I flat out say "don't be fooled by the competition, hire a pro". I would appreciate any input.
I just googled Aerial Photography/Videography competitors in the area to get an idea of what's out there. I found several and visited the site of the first ten. Not one mentioned any certification, be it 333 or 107. Not one mentioned being insured either. Now that's all fine and good but what bothered me is that the majority of what I saw violated many rules that are part of 333 and 107 while promoting their aerial businesses. In the promotional videos I saw
-flying close/above clouds
-clearly flying above 400ft
-flying at night
-flying directly over busy intersections
-flying over crowds
-pictures of several private properties at once(chances of rights to do so of all properties involved are slim)
-flying very close to very small children
-realestate work
just to name a few. My dilemma is this: I feel that the market is and will be flooded very shortly with people trying to cash in on the aerial craze. I am sincerely hoping that by earning my Part 107 Certification I will separate myself from the "fly-by-night" folks. However, I am worried that I will held to a standard higher than those who choose to disregard the law and operate illegally by those that enforce the rules. I have never, ever considered myself the type to be a whistle-blower but then again I guess I've never had any reason to be. Once I push full speed forward with this venture I feel like I'm going to have to do everything I can to gain an edge. Since no one is advertising certification/insurance, do you think it's enough to focus a small part of the website to that? Do I flat out say "don't be fooled by the competition, hire a pro". I would appreciate any input.
