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Checklist ...Before You Hire A Drone Pilot

Before you hire a drone pilot for your mission, consider this checklist of requirements:

Pilot Qualifications

What to look for with drone pilot

F(n)Gravity’s chief pilot, Danny Burk, is:

    • An FAA-licensed commercial (“Part 107”) drone pilot.
    • An FAA-licensed commercial/instrument (“Part 61”) pilot of “real” planes.

Equipment

What to look for with drone pilot

F(n)Gravity’s drones include several DJI’s Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 and a DJI Mavic 3. They shoot 4K video (5.1K for the Mavic) and high-resolution JPGs and/or RAW stills. We bring a backup of all gear to each shoot in case of any equipment issues. If part of your work includes ground photography, we shoot with a Canon 5D Mark IV using a 24-70mm telephoto lens. (See more details on our Equipment page.)

Batteries

What to look for with drone pilot

F(n)Gravity brings 7 Phantom 4 Pro batteries for each flight, each with about 25 minutes of flight time plus 3 batteries for the Mavic 3 with 35 minutes of flight time for each. We also bring a recharging battery for about 4 more batteries worth of time.

Insurance

What to look for with drone pilotF(n)Gravity carries $2 Million in liability insurance. Higher limits can be obtained for specific jobs.

Safety

What to look for with drone pilot

We adhere strictly to all FAA requirements. We also have an FCC license and radio for two-way communications with air traffic control and nearby planes.

Guarantee

What to look for with drone pilot

We provide a 100% client satisfaction commitment. If you are not totally satisfied with the results from a flight that is not event-specific, we will reshoot at our expense until you are. If the flight is event-specific (so another time won’t work) and you are not satisfied and there’s nothing we can do to make it right, you will be fully refunded all amounts paid. (See our Guarantee page for more detail.)

Night Time?

What to look for with drone pilot

With less light before sunrise and after sunset, there are many additional considerations that go into capturing stills and video. Our Mavic 3 drone is particularly “skilled” at capturing images in low light. Also, flying a drone after sunset and before sunrise requires additional lighting. We bring all required lighting to each shoot (even when we don’t anticipate flying at night).