Hiring a Drone Pilot? Ask for Part 107 First
Any drone flight done for business purposes, real estate photos, construction documentation, an inspection, even a social media clip for a company page, legally requires the pilot to hold an FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate. It is not a formality, it is the line between a legal commercial flight and an illegal one.
What Part 107 actually covers
The certificate means the pilot has been tested on airspace classes and authorizations, weather, flight restrictions, operating rules, and emergency procedures. In practice it means the person flying over your property knows whether that airspace requires an authorization, what altitude is legal, and how to operate around people and structures. Certified pilots also operate inside the FAA system, authorizations for controlled airspace, registration, and currency requirements.
Why it protects you as the client
- An uncertified commercial flight is an FAA violation, and the problem can land on the project, not just the pilot.
- Media from an illegal flight is a liability sitting in your listing or your marketing.
- Certification is the simplest available signal that an operator takes the craft seriously.
- It takes one question to check: ask for the certificate number.
The one question to ask
Before any drone flies your property, ask: are you Part 107 certified? A professional answers instantly. Unified Aerial flies every job in the Texas Panhandle under Part 107, with 4 years of piloting experience behind the certificate.