Southeast Wyoming | stxfarmer - 1/19/2016 20:11
At the precision Ag Summit in Jamestown ND today I learned some interesting things that were disappointing to hear. At the conference one of the speakers defined what commercial use looks like in the FAA eyes. He said that any agriculture operation over 1 acre is not considered a hobby farm and this means that all other ag uses for drone are considered commercial. In order to use a drone on these commercial operations the operator needs to have a section 333 exemption and the flyer needs a pilots license. In a conversation I had with someone after the conference I made the argument that we as farmers owned the drone and were not hiring it out to make money off of the drone. To me that means private use but since the drone is used to make management decisions for your farm which save/make you money they can argue that you are profiting from the use of the drone. This was very disappointing to hear today and I would love to hear if someone has a different interpretation of the rules.
Was this person actually employed by the FAA or was this some "expert" hoping to charge for the professional services rendered by the business he represents?
A Google search and surfing the net will turn up applications and approval documents for Section 333 exemptions. The documents, admittedly very few, which I have looked at are from those wanting to provide a service for others.
It will be nice to have the waters settled as the rush slows down, which may be some time from now. |
Agriculture Use = Commercial Use (Section 333)
