Where can I fly my drone?

I get this question all the time. Mostly when people see me fly my drone downtown Cleveland, Ohio, (and anywhere else). There is still a lot of confusion as to where you are legally allowed to fly.

There are 2 types of drone operators – hobbyists (recreational) and commercial operators (Part 107 license holders, like myself). As a reminder, drones are legally defined as aircraft, so their operations are subject to regulation by the FAA. This regulation applies to both recreational and commercial operations and ALL drone pilots are required to know the type of airspace they plan to fly in.

Commercial drone operators (with Part 107 certification) are required to learn and understand much more about operations within the NAS (National Airspace), and it is a major part of the FAA knowledge test for remote pilot certification. The same goes for the hobbyist drone pilots: as of 2021 they are required to take the TRUST test, preparation for which gives them basic information about the airspace types (see my TRUST test blog post for more information on that)

Types of United States National Airspace (NAS)

When planning a drone flight, you need to determine what type of airspace you are intending to fly in.  If it is controlled airspace (Class B, C, D, or certain areas of E) then you will need to get FAA authorization to fly in these areas.   Controlled airspace is typically found within 5 miles of an airport that has a control tower in operation. 

How can I check what type of airspace I am in?

There are several ways to check what type of airspace you are intending to fly in.  The easiest way is with an app that was developed in conjunction with the FAA, called B4UFLY. It provides drone pilots with a status indicator based on their current or planned location in relation to airspace restrictions. Of course, there may be additional restrictions, such as state and local regulations, that may not be shown on the app.

There are a variety of other apps available for drone pilots, including Airmap, UASidekick, and Aloft to name a few, which help determine the airspace type and the ability to request FAA flight authorizations through the app.

Uncontrolled airspace drone flight operations

As the name implies, you won’t need additional FAA authorization if you are in uncontrolled airspace. You are free to fly there, as long as you comply with basic drone operation rules (flying under 400’, not flying over people or traffic, and not interfering with traffic patterns of takeoff and landing areas, if near an airport).

How to get FAA Authorizations to fly in controlled airspace

If you’ve determined that you are going to be flying in controlled airspace (Class A, B, C, D, etc.) you must apply for an airspace authorization for altitudes below the posted UAS Facility Map grid altitudes (this applies to both recreational and commercial drone pilots)

You can get these authorizations through a variety of apps (mentioned above) that are LAANC (Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability) service providers, which were developed in collaboration with the FAA and the industry.

If you are unable to get authorization through the LAANC network, you will have to get authorization through the FAA DroneZone.

You can probably figure out where to go from here with the information and the links I provided, but if you want more detail and are more of a visual learner, I uploaded a video tutorial on getting drone flight authorizations through the LAANC and DroneZone on my V1DroneMedia YouTube channel.

Can I get an FAA Authorization through the DJI Fly Safe Website?

No, getting an FAA Authorization is a separate step from unlocking a DJI Fly Safe No Fly Geo Zone. I explain the difference and give the tutorial on how to unlock the DJI Fly Safe No Fly Zones in my What is DJI Fly Safe blog post.

Can I fly my drone downtown Cleveland?

If you are specifically looking to fly downtown Cleveland (since I am local, I will elaborate on this subject), you will most likely be flying in Class D (controlled) airspace. This controlled airspace exists due to Burke Lakefront airport being located in downtown Cleveland and encompasses a 5 miles radius around the airport.  You will need to check the LAANC system to determine if the specific spot you are looking to fly in is within that controlled airspace and if so, you will need to get an FAA authorization to fly there. Simple, right? 

Something else to be aware of when flying downtown Cleveland is the fact that there may be TFRs (Temporary Flight Restrictions) in effect – typically in effect if there is a Cleveland Indians game – TFR prohibits any drone flying during that time.

I have a few spots I tend to fly at often around Cleveland, and you can read my post Where To Fly Drones in Cleveland to learn where that is.

I hope you have a bit more clarity now about flying at your desired location. Comment here or on my YouTube video if you’ve found this helpful, and contact me if you have more questions or have a topic in mind that you’d like to learn more about. Have a safe flight!

What Are Virtual Tours

Virtual Tours

Since the COVID-19 Pandemic Virtual Tours have been getting a lot of attention because prospective customers and guests are either unable or are unwilling to tour spaces they would traditionally check out in person.

Several industries felt an increased need for such tours during the pandemic, especially residential and commercial real estate, assisted living, hospitality, event venues, and construction sites. Even after the initial lockdown is over, customers are still reluctant to visit these sites in person, which is where the virtual tours come into the picture (or computer screen near you).

The pandemic also accelerated the adoption of virtual tours for the travel industry, museums, parks, other public spaces that were shut down for quarantine but still wanted to provide services and content to their existing audiences and find new ones, as digital viewership increased unprecedently during this time, allowing to attract new customers.

Well, the good news is, now that the pandemic has accelerated everyone's level of adoption of and comfort with using digital technology, virtual tours are within reach for small and big companies alike. And the technology has come a long way since using panorama photo settings on your smartphone.

Benefits of Virtual Tours

Why should your business or real estate listing consider having a virtual tour? There are several distinct benefits:

·    They help showcase facility/property to customers that are unable or unwilling to come tour in person (especially during the COVID-19 pandemic reality)

·    They increase confidence in your business, especially for out of town customers, event planners, picky and technologically savvy customers that would only consider an option after watching a video or taking a virtual tour

·    They increase customer traffic and engagement by helping to move the customer down the sales funnel into the consideration phase, increasing sales conversion rates for businesses

·    They improve presence on Search: website visitors taking a virtual tour spend more time on your website, increasing their retention. What's more, having a 360 Google Street View that is included in a Google My Business listing makes it even more discoverable

Types of Virtual Tours

A virtual tour is a digital visualization and simulation of an existing space composed of photos or videos. It can include traditional ground and 360 aerial photos and video, floor plans, music, voiceover and guided narration, or subtitled text. Here are the popular types:

·    360 Photo/Panoramic Tours

·    Virtual Video Tours

·    360 Virtual Video Tour

Virtual 360 Photo Tour

Virtual Tours are most commonly associated with 360 Photo (or Panoramic) Tours, which are created with still cameras enabled to capture 360 images of each space, all of which are then linked together into 1 file that enables moving around those spaces via some wayfinding indicators (most likely arrows or circles), which can be labeled on the computer screen and clicked on to move forward in the tour using a computer mouse.

This type of tour has been a popular option for the real estate and hospitality industries. One of the useful applications of this type of tour is the ability of any business to include their virtual tour into their Google My Business listing, which helps customers to discover and tour the business through the company Google Search listing.

There are many choices of virtual tour software tools out there that vary in features (pictures and links to floor plans, etc.) and pricing along with them. Check out a virtual tour experience in this 360 virtual photo tour of a construction site in Avon, Ohio.

Virtual Video Tour

A Virtual Video Tour is a traditional 2D video walkthrough of a space, which can be combined with music, text overlay, narrated by voiceover talent, or guided by an expert through the space (realtor, museum guide, event planner, etc.).

This type of tour requires low effort on behalf of the viewer, as no additional clicking on a screen using wayfinding features is necessary. It can also offer up useful information at the right moment (through narration or text), such as key details about the property/venue that viewers normally wouldn't even know to ask. This type of tour has been popular for marketing facilities with the real estate industry, assisted living homes, museums, parks, and event/hospitality venues.

Just recently V1DroneMedia worked with Emerald Village Senior Living facility in North Olmsted, Ohio, to put together a Virtual Video Walkthrough of their facility, that enables their prospective clients and relatives to tour the property without visiting it in person.

Virtual 360 Video and Photo Tour

360 Video and Photo Tour is a very immersive visual content that creates a virtual reality-type experience without additional hardware other than a screen. The best use of such technology is to showcase an ‘experience’ vs. just an informative tour. It allows moving around the video by clicking and dragging the mouse around. And since videos rule the marketing world now, as highlighted in our Why Use Video in Real Estate Photography and Videography blog post, adding an immersive 360 virtual video tour would certainly add surprise and delight to any prospective client.

Experiences such as city and museum tours, other types of venue/event spaces that want to showcase its atmosphere (coffee shops and restaurants, sports, public and private events, and venues, etc.) would get the most benefit out of this type of tour.

What's more, drone technology made aerial 360 views now accessible to include in such a tour, giving another exciting perspective for the viewer. Check out V1DroneMedia Cleveland 360 aerial drone photos to get a feel for this experience.

Aerial 360 video tours have become especially popular in the travel industry, as they can showcase large locations with a guided narration easily, while still giving viewers an interactive experience.

Virtual Tours is also a tool that enables team collaboration and customer transparency in the Construction industry, allowing to walk the site remotely to see the progress of work and speed up decision making. Check out our construction site 360 videos and photo tour here, which incorporates both aerial and grounds views.

Are you ready to take your marketing to the next level with interactive and immersive virtual tour experiences?

V1DroneMedia can deliver all types of virtual tours and has provided these services to the delight of many customers, as evidenced by our excellent Google reviews. If you are not sure what type of tour suits your needs or want a consultation and a quote, Contact Us today, and we will be sure to get back to you quickly!

Drone Pilot - Airline Pilot's Plan B During The Pandemic

My airline history and job status with the pandemic

My name is Jason Damman, and I am a 20-year captain with ExpressJet Airlines (doing business as United Express and Continental Express before the United and Continental merger). I know that many pilots, much like me, are sitting at home/not flying due to the COVID epidemic. Many of us are on company leave, on reserve out of the base, waiting for furlough once the government aid to the airlines runs out, or potentially already lost our job and looking for a new one. While this type of industry slump isn’t something that we could have predicted when we started pursuing aviation careers, events like 9/11 and the COVID epidemic can cripple our industry and turn everything upside down in a matter of days.

Looks like this time around with COVID the industry took a nosedive for a while (way worse than 9/11), and according to many sources, it is not expected to fully recover to pre-COVID levels until 2022. Of course, we all hope that this will not be the case, but at this point, we must assume this is the state of things for the foreseeable future.

What else can you do with your airline pilot skills?

While I am in this limbo state, it doesn’t stop me from working on my side gig that has the potential to develop into a full-time gig if enough time is put into it (and we have lots of it now). This side gig is a Drone Services Provider (or DSP) business, which is much easier to get airborne with (pun intended) if you have an airline pilot license than for anyone else. Because any certified pilot can get certified to fly drones commercially (FAA Part 107 certificate) much quicker than folks that are not. This is usually one of the biggest obstacles for people who want to fly drones commercially, as getting Part 107 FAA certification requires passing an aeronautical knowledge exam, like what you must pass for a private pilot certification. You can find detailed information about getting this pilot certification on the FAA website at here and here.

The reason I am here telling you about this is that if you are a certified pilot, you can do this too, while you are in this limbo state with lots of time on your hands. This will give you another skill/tool to help you in your job search beyond airlines, if that’s what you are doing now.  I don’t know how many companies are hiring pilots now (maybe private jet management and cargo transportation companies), but even they have a limited capacity to absorb the pilot surplus that is being created with the pandemic disrupting the airline industry.

State of the Drone Industry in 2020

Remember how there was a pilot shortage in the airline industry just a few months ago? Well, there is kind of a similar situation in the drone industry now - lack of qualified, knowledgeable drone pilots to complete flight missions for companies that have nationwide needs. Although many of these drone gigs are contract or per property/asset, meaning you can choose to do them when you have time, there are already many full-time jobs available also, and new jobs/job descriptions are being created every day due to a lot of drone experimentation and new use cases and workflows being created in various industries. 

Do a search for drone pilot jobs in whatever job search engine you use, and you will see the openings, in different industries and with different pay scales. If you have other than aviation degrees and professional experiences (especially photography, cinematography, software development, engineering, construction management, surveying/mapping), you will be even at more advantage in this industry. A 2013 industry report released by the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International projected more than 100,000 new jobs in unmanned aircraft by 2025.

And the actual drone pilot work is mostly contact-less, so it is COVID and quarantine friendly.

What’s more, due to drones disrupting so many industries with faster, cheaper, more efficient solutions to completing tasks traditionally done by humans or other tools, the drone industry is predicted to experience growth rates far outpacing those of many traditional industries (including airlines). Here is a Business Insider Intelligence Drone Market Outlook outlining drone use growth in major industrial and service industries.

Is drone business a viable long-term job/income replacement?

Will becoming a drone pilot replace your income? Probably not, or at least not right away, but again, it all depends on how much you choose to pursue it and market your services. You can always use this as a side gig to supplement your main income, especially if you don’t have a regular 9 to 5 job (which is the airline industry, essentially).

How to get started in the drone industry for airline pilots

Of course, getting a Part 107 certificate will not make you an experienced drone pilot, that is just the first step.

I grew up building and flying radio-controlled airplanes, which is how I got into aviation, so I already had a lot of experience in remote control flying prior to picking up a drone. So, when I started experimenting with drones, I picked it up pretty quickly due to that past experience, but even then, I put in a lot of time practicing my flying, photography, video skills and learning various software processing tools - skills which even now, 5 years later, I am still honing every week as I am working on projects for clients.

So for someone who has never picked up a drone before, the next step after getting your Part 107 certificate would be to get proficient in flying (just like with the airlines, you need to get those flight hours in), and then honing other valuable skills that enable to produce value out of visual data that was captured, not to mention getting your name out there to be considered for drone jobs. However, the possibilities in this developing industry are endless, if you have the interest and the drive.

The easiest way to enter the drone industry is by providing videography and photography services (although most competitive, as well), and that may be the way to get started, but you can take it beyond that and develop skills to use drones in Search and Rescue, Surveying, Mapping, Construction, Delivery, Agriculture, etc. Possibilities are endless if you have an interest and the drive to grow and make this a legitimate side gig or your next career.

If you find this information helpful, please share with your network, airline industry friends, and relatives, and leave comments so I can gauge if this was helpful and whether I should cover the subject of drone business setup in more detail because there is a lot more to it than just FAA Part 107 Certificate to get started!

Also please check out my Website if you are interested in learning what type of work I’ve done and what industries I serve, contact me for job inquiries, and follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn!

Sign up for a drone class notification list if you are interested in taking a class with me!

Drone Use For Real Estate Marketing

Traditional real estate photography can be limited in its ability to capture the information a prospective tenant or buyer needs before leasing or purchasing a property. With the accessibility and increasing affordability of drone technology in the last 5 years, it is easier than ever to showcase almost any property from an aerial view, providing much more information about a property to prospective buyers.

How does aerial video fit into your real estate video marketing strategy?

This marketing tactic is extremely important nowadays, as most prospective buyers browse listings online before requesting to see a property, and the more visual you can make that listing, the higher the odds that you will have more showings. Video reigns in the marketing world now. According to Wyzowl's State of Video Marketing Survey, 66% of consumers in 2020 prefer watching a video to reading about a product, as well as spend more time interacting with the websites/product listings that are showcased with video. And, of course, video is much better shareable content for real estate agent social media pages. You can read more about the importance of video marketing in our blog post Why Video For Your Marketing Content.

Aerial photos and video are not just pretty pictures

We can see more from a bird's eye view, so aerial views provide information that prospective buyers want to have about the location. For residential real estate, seeing property size and back yard layout in one quick shot (lake, pool, outdoor recreation area, privacy) can help inform buyers, appeal to their emotions, and make them visualize themselves there. Here is an example of a real estate aerial video shot by V1DroneMedia of a lakeside residential property – it can be more appreciated from a bird's eye view with that stunning back yard. Of course, higher-end listings use drones more often. Those properties have more to showcase, and high-end homeowners want to hire an agent who will make sure that their property is represented with its maximum potential to attract more demand from buyers.

It goes without saying that forgoing professional real estate photography is a big mistake, as highlighted in this Most Common Selling Mistakes article, but pretty soon forgoing drone photography/videography will become just as big of a mistake for advertising a home, as aerial visuals will become an industry standard, especially for higher-end homes.

According to A Study Of Drones in Real Estate

·  83% of home sellers prefer an agent who uses drones

·  High volume agents use aerials 3.5x more often than low volume agents

·  Large properties and high dollar homes use aerials more often

For commercial real estate, drone visuals can answer numerous questions. Who is the anchor tenant? Is there parking nearby? How accessible is the property to the main roadways? What other valuable infrastructure is nearby to attract prospective employees? Here is a video of a commercial property produced by V1DroneMedia that does just that.

Aerial views provided by drones can showcase many of these insights quickly and help rent or sell commercial property faster. It is even more impactful to promote a property with aerial video when the property is very big and has many buildings/facilities. If the facilities inside are expansive as well, a drone can help showcase that space the same way. Here is an aerial video of an Olympic training facility, Spire Institute, in Geneva, Ohio, combining outside and inside aerial footage highlighting the amenities and size of the indoor and outdoor training facilities, ultimately helping the owners to sell the property to an out of town investor.

Ways to showcase a property virtually, whether through an aerial video or a virtual tour (as close as it comes to seeing the property in person), has become even more important nowadays, when the world is dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, and prospective clients are unwilling or unable to come tour the properties. We cover this in more detail in our Virtual Tours Explained blog post.

Can real estate agents fly drones to take aerial pictures and video?

Can real estate agents and brokers do it themselves? It is possible, if willing to learn a new skill and invest time and financial resources. And in the case of flying a drone for commercial purposes, one must also get a Remote Pilot Certificate (Part 107) that makes them compliant with FAA regulations. This means studying to pass an initial aeronautical knowledge test at one of the FAA-approved testing facilities and, as of now, taking a recurrent FAA test every two years thereafter.

Besides having the certification, one would need to buy a drone, learn to fly it proficiently, know how to take good pictures or video that showcase property from the best angles and with the best lighting, learn to edit them with various video and photo software applications, and it is highly recommended to also have liability insurance.

If you have decided to outsource this work and hire a drone pilot, you should make sure that they are qualified to perform the work. Here are the top 5 things to consider:

1. Is the pilot licensed?

2. Is the operator insured?

3. Are they knowledgeable about airspace, flight restrictions, and authorizations?

4. What is the pilot's experience level?

5. Do you like their previous work/portfolio?

We cover this subject in more depth in our blog post Hiring a Drone Pilot

How much do real estate aerial photography and video cost?

Drone photography rates can start at a couple hundred dollars for simple aerial photos, with a professionally produced aerial video ranging from $400-$1200 depending on the customer requirements, number of shooting locations, FAA authorizations, and level of post-production editing required. Any type of custom video that goes beyond the features and benefits of the property will most likely cost more.

Sometimes the decision to produce an aerial video comes down to a cost/benefit analysis of whether you can afford this type of marketing to help you sell or rent a property. If it is a higher-end home that has many outdoor features to showcase, of course spending $300-$1200 on a listing that can yield you $15K+ in commission makes sense. According to the Study of Drones in Real Estate, drone usage for marketing increases for listings at $600K and climbs up slowly from there. There are other considerations as well - if your colleagues in the market are using aerial video to convince customers to list properties with them, then you may have to do the same just to stay competitive even with lower-priced properties.

So, are you ready to get some real estate drone photography for your property? If you are in the Northeast Ohio area, contact V1DroneMedia for a quote and check out our Real Estate website page for more information, photos and videos. We offer menu and package pricing and also started offering 360 virtual tours, so the property can be showcased from both the inside and the outside. Start wowing your clients and happy selling!