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Drones: Why You Should Get One

In the past few years, the world has seen a huge rise in the sales and registrations of unmanned aerial systems (UAS), more commonly known as drones. At the beginning of 2018, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported more than one million UAS registrations in the United States alone. The applications of these systems go far and wide and have been used in very creative ways. These applications include hobby flying, emergency first response, mapping and surveying, photography, and even the not-so-legal application of flying drugs and other contraband into prisons and across borders. However, this post will focus on hobby flying and commercial photography.

The main advantage of UAS is that they can do a lot of the same things that traditional manned aerial systems, or planes and helicopters, can. After the initial purchase price, they hardly require any additional spending, can be used for very fast response, and can go places that helicopters can’t, due to their relatively small size. Of course, nobody expects unmanned systems to fully replace traditional manned systems. Instead, these systems will simply augment them.

Another huge advantage of drones is their accessibility to the general public due to their low price and the lack of requirement of an expensive pilot’s license. Any amateur photographer can go out and buy the DJI Mini 2, a UAS with a stunning 4K camera and a top speed of around 30mph, for $450 to date. The Mini 2 is so small and lightweight that a user doesn’t have to register it with the FAA. (One still must obey their rules though.) Sure, it isn’t cheap, but when you compare it to the price of a helicopter, it costs hardly anything. Anyone, and I mean anyone, can learn to fly these in a matter of minutes, including my grandma, who struggles to operate a flip-phone in 2020. Of course, it may take practice to get good at it, but even that doesn’t take as long as some might expect. Very recently, I purchased the predecessor to the Mini 2, the Mavic Mini, and have gotten some truly incredible shots with it, one of which is the banner photo of this blog post.

Regarding rules and registration, if one just plans on flying for recreation, there is no need to get any kind of license or certification to fly it. However, if one plans on being compensated in any way off it, they must get a Part 107 license from the FAA. From what I have heard, this involves a quick, straightforward, 60-question multiple-choice test that costs $160 to take. Once you pass that, you’re free to fly commercially. The cost of the test is nothing to worry about, however, as one can easily make anywhere from $200/hour to a whopping $5,000 per session for something such as real estate photography or building inspection, according to Hi Fly Photography. These numbers are easily corroborated by many different sites.

In conclusion, if you’ve been tossing around the idea of purchasing a UAS, there’s never been a better time. For less than $500, you can purchase a very capable UAS, have a lot of fun, and get some great photography. If you’re interested in making your money back, it’s easy to tap into this very under-served market. If you’re looking for a beginner but still great UAS, I can’t recommend the DJI Mavic lineup highly enough, which has options ranging from $400 to $3,500.

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