FAQ

 WHAT IS A UAV?

A UAV is what we more commonly call a "drone".  This is a misnomer because we have been using drones in the military for a few decades now.  The initials "UAV" stand for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, or UAS for Unmanned Aerial System, per the FAA.  Drones are, in fact, the UAV's used by the military for warfare, such as the well known Predator and Reaper drones.  UAV's are what we use in the civilian world for flying in drone races, taking pictures and videos and other recreational and commercial purposes.

 The Museum of the USAF hosts drone races annually.

HOW LONG HAVE DRONES (UAVs) BEEN IN USE?

Drones have been around since WWI (Yes, they are that old). The very first one that was ever attempted to be used was basically a bomb with a small motor, a set of biplane wings and was launched from a small catapult on a cart. There are no surviving examples of them. It was a massive failure.  During WWII, the German Luftwaffe built their own version which the British dubbed "doodlebug", more commonly called the V-1 and it used a pulsejet engine and was directed by a mechanical navigation system. It was not very accurate and was more a weapon of terror than strategic importance.  After WWII, the USAF built a number of drones out of older jet aircraft that were not much more than super giant R/C airplanes and were used as targets for weapon system testing. By the early 80's we had finally come up with a large-scale drone that could be used for reconnaissance, which they later redesigned to carry weapons; the now-famous Predator drone and later specifically designed weapons platforms, such as the Reaper drone.

The use of UAVs in the civilian world never took off until after 2000.  Currently, there are more than a dozen different manufacturers of drones, making everything from children's toys to professional drones for film/TV, Search and rescue, police operations and a host of other industries, not including the military.

ARE DRONES (UAVs) EXPENSIVE?

The cost of drones varies based on what you are trying to do with them.  If you are just getting one to fly in your backyard, they can be as inexpensive as under $30 for the ones most commonly given to kids for Christmas and birthdays, but if you are using one for commercial purposes, such as display of video/photos to the general public (or to make money with them), then they can run anywhere from $150 - $30,000+, depending on what applications you are using them for.

HOW OLD DO YOU NEED TO BE TO OWN A DRONE?

You can own a recreational drone (the child's toy) at any age, but if you have one that has ADS-B and is RID compliant, you cannot officially own one until you are 12, as those must be registered with the FAA, just like a manned aircraft.  At age 16, a minor can get his/her UAV Operator certificate and be a licensed commercial drone pilot.  Obtaining your TRUST certificate (you can get that at any age) before then is mandatory and allows a drone operator to use their aircraft for recreational purposes only. TRUST cost nothing to obtain and it is a simple ten question safety test.  It is highly recommended for any and all recreational drone flying.

OUTSIDE OF THE MILITARY, WHAT ARE DRONES USED FOR?

We use civilian drones for a myriad of applications.  Current uses include, but are not limited to, collecting news media footage (much cheaper than a manned helicopter, and safer), obtaining aerial footage for movies/TV shows, police departments use them for accident investigation (and other operations), disaster damage relief assessment for local EMS and FEMA, aerial mapping, roof/property inspections for insurance and real estate sales, general real estate video/photography, 3D mapping (photogrammetry), tracking wildlife migration patterns, herd growth, crop health assessment, package delivery, Search and Rescue operations, construction site mapping and progress tracking, event photography and video, and a host of other things where a manned aircraft is either unavailable and/or impractical.  Film makers love drones because they can do the most of the same things as a manned camera aircraft at a fraction of the cost.  In some countries, Larger quadcopter drones are being used to fight fires in high rise buildings that are too tall to be accessed by ladder trucks.

WHAT TEMPERATURE RANGE CAN DRONES OPERATE IN?

Drones can operate in a fairly wide temperature range, with some being able to operate in colder or warmer temperatures and more inclement weather than others.  The DJI (one of the most commonly used brands) Mavic Air2, for example, can operate in temperatures ranging from -10*C/14*F to 40*C/104*F.  This allows operations during much of the winter, when it's too cold for most people to even go out of their house, all the way to some of the hottest days of summer in most places outside of Earth's tropical zone.  And most (not all) drones are not suitable for use in the rain.

CAN POLICE SPY ON YOU WITH DRONES?

The simple answer is yes.  But the simple answer does not tell the whole story.  As with all police activities, they are limited by the local laws, the US Constitution, and the FAA regulations.  What this means is that while they have the ability to do so, they are required to obtain a lawful search warrant, be on an active crime scene/search activity, or other lawfully authorized activity.  They cannot just arbitrarily look around your property without a lawful reason.  In other words, they cannot go looking for crimes with them.  And the FAA has rules that carry some very stiff penalties for violating those rules/laws.

CAN YOU LEGALLY SHOOT AT A DRONE IF IT IS FLYING OVER YOUR PROPERTY

NO.  Just like any other manned aircraft, shooting at a drone, at any time and in any place, is punishable by a very large fine, prison time, or both.  This also applies to pointing lasers at it as well.  The regulation that covers that is 18 U.S. Code § 32 - Destruction of aircraft or aircraft facilities which can be found here:   https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/32

HOW EXPENSIVE ARE DRONE SERVICES

Drone services can run from the hundreds of dollars to tens of thousands of dollars based on the operation requested, the scope of it and if there will require specialty systems on the aircraft (lidar, IR, or other very high tech payloading).  Now people see that and they think of how expensive it is, so why can't they do it themselves, but the answer is really simple.  What you are paying for is not only the time of the remote pilot, but the aircraft and it's cost to operate/maintain, the payloading of the aircraft, the time and cost of that pilot to be trained/tested to perform the requested service safely, insurance in the event of an accident and, in some cases, the cost to hire a mission observer to help keep track of the aircraft to insure safe operations if that UAV must go beyond line of sight from the operator.

  The pilots that Falcon Flight uses are trained in multiple roles to be able to perform all of the required services that we provide.