Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) and why it's a game changer for drone services

The Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) system became available to commercial drone pilots in mid-2018 and became available to recreational drone pilots in July 2019. The LAANC system is a partnership between the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and private industry, and provides drone pilots with access to controlled airspace at or below 400 feet as well as provides Air Traffic Professionals with visibility into where and when drones are operating. The system effectively provides commercial drone pilots with instant FAA authorization using a third-party app. More information can be found at FAA’s website.

Prior to LAANC, FAA authorizations for commercial pilots flying in controlled airspace took weeks and sometimes months to approve. This delay was a hindrance to many commercial drone flights in controlled airspace and was the source of too much uncertainty in scheduling flights. The LAANC system solves this problem and now allows commercial drone pilots to be much more responsive to their clients when many projects like real estate transactions and property assessments are very schedule-driven.

The LAANC system available at approximately 400 air traffic facilities covering about 600 airports. Dronetelligence’s service area is covered by the LAANC system, and this will allow us to be responsive to our client’s aerial imaging needs.

UPS Recently Wins FAA Approval to Fly Delivery Drones

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has granted UPS air carrier certification under Part 135 for delivery via drones. The Part 135 certification will allow UPS to fly as many drones as it would like, and does not set a limit on the scope of their proposed operation. The Part 135 certification also allows UPS to exceed the 55-pound limit set by the FAA Part 107 rule, as well as operate beyond visual line of sight and at night without further authorization. Follow drone-related news to see how this impacts Part 107 pilots and other commercial drone use.

Although this is a monumental ruling by the FAA, don’t expect deliveries to start flying to your house just yet. Implementation of this plan will take significant planning and resources. Over time, it appears that UPS has a long-term plan for drone delivery to hospitals, expanding and improving detect and avoid technology, and partnering with drone manufacturers to design and build specialized drones for delivery.

Not All Drone Photographs are Created Equal

Exposure, aperture, white balance, ISO, gimbal pitch speed, ND filters…all of these factors affect the overall quality of photographs and video captured with a drone. It is paramount that your UAS pilot not only be skilled in piloting his or her drone safely, but also possess the photographic skills to collect the high quality shots you need to enhance your real estate listing.

Much of these skills take years to get proficient at, and a good photographer never stops learning. From my own experience in being an amateur astrophotographer, I can attest to the trial and error that is involved in getting “the perfect shot.”

At the end of the day, the drone and camera system are a sophisticated tool. It is up to the photographer / artist to make sure the photographs and video are desirable and marketable.

The FAA Can Fine Realtors for Hiring non-Licensed Drone Operators

In a 2018 blog post by Joelle Coughlin/AIA, it was confirmed by the FAA in an email response to a licensed Part 107 drone pilot that unlicensed drone pilots can face fines starting at $1,100 per occurrence and those who knowingly hire unlicensed pilots (like Realtors or even real estate developers) can face fines starting at $11,000 per occurrence. For more information, please see Joelle Coughlin's blog post here.

Although it may be tempting to go hire the neighbor kid down the street that just bought a shiny new drone that has been showing you all of the cool footage he can get in the neighborhood, and pay him a nominal fee to collect some aerial photos of one of your listing, resist the temptation! In this competitive real estate market, it just takes one call to the FAA from a disgruntled real estate agent to start the investigation process and fines can be levied not only against the unlicensed drone pilot (yes, even a kid and/or his or her guardian), but also you as the one who hired the pilot.

Do the right thing. Hire an FAA certified Part 107 drone pilot to take your aerial photos and you'll have the peace of mind that you're not breaking the law and being subjected to steep fines. Additionally, your Part 107 certified pilot should carry at least $1M in drone liability insurance (something that most realtors likely don't have coverage for).

Make Your Client's Listings Stand Out Using Drone Technology

In today’s tech-savvy culture, there is no excuse for having poor quality photographs and video in your client’s real estate listings. Realtors are quickly seeing the benefit of drone technology and high resolution aerial photography to make their client’s listings stand out among the sea of competition. In this competitive market, it is advantageous to make your listings stand out and close the deals faster. Drone-based aerial photography can give you that competitive advantage! Here are some of the reasons that you should consider hiring a Part 107 FAA certified drone pilot to collect high resolution aerial photographs to enhance your listings:

1. Aerial photographs provide a completely different perspective of the property

   Typical residential and commercial real estate listings include a variety of ground-based photographs that highlight the exterior and interior areas of the property building and easily-accessible exterior areas. For larger properties with considerable acreage, these ground-based photographs do not fully show the potential buyers the extent of the property and the amenities it has to offer. With drone-based aerial photography, Realtors now have endless possibilities to make their listings stand out above the others, and to highlight certain aspects of the property that ground-based photographs simply cannot capture.

2. Aerial photographs and video help sell properties quicker

   Realtors have a goal of selling their client’s properties quickly. Drone-based aerial photography helps Realtors gain a competitive edge and for a very reasonable price. The price of hiring a Part 107 FAA certified drone pilot to collect aerial photographs is typically 0.1% to 0.3% of the overall property price. According to statistics reported by Real Estate Magazine, properties with accompanying aerial images are 68% more likely to sell than properties without aerial photography. That number continues to increase. Using drone technology also gives Realtors a true advantage over their competitors and shows that they are keeping on top of industry trends.

3. Making marketing easier

   Realtors have so many tasks to tend to during the marketing, advertisement and selling of a property that, many times, it’s difficult for them to carve out the time to take and process high quality photographs and video for the listings. This is compounded by the fact that Realtors juggle numerous listings simultaneously. Part 107 FAA certified drone pilots can make the marketing portion much easier for a nominal fee. The high resolution photographs and videos can be packaged according to the Realtor’s and seller’s needs, post-processed to include property-specific captions and details, and provided as a digital download for quick upload to their website. This is a large weight off the shoulders of Realtors and allows them to get back to doing the part of the job they do best; selling.