Before You Buy a Drone
Drones can be a valuable tool on farms and ranches, supporting activities like monitoring crops, fences, livestock, and land conditions. Because agricultural operations are considered businesses, most drone flights fall under FAA Part 107 rules, requiring proper certification, registration, and compliance with safety requirements. Learn more using resources from the Farm and Ranch Drone Risk Management Program.
Federal Aviation Administration Part 107
The FAA is responsible for the safety of civil aviation. This includes drones since they operate in national airspace. The FAA collaborates with industry and communities to advance drone operations and integrate them into the national airspace
Part 107 refers to: The United States Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Title 14 (Aeronautics and Space) Chapter I (Federal Aviation Administration, Department of Transportation) Subchapter F (Air Traffic and General Operating Rules) Part 107 (Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems).
FAA Part 107 for drone pilots cover both recreation and commercial pilots.
Definitions
Drones
A drone is an unmanned aircraft controlled from the ground by pilots and/or flight software. The technical names for drones include unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) which are part of an unmanned aerial system (UAS). There may be references of UAS also meaning unmanned aircraft systems.
Unmaned aerial vehicles
An UAV is an unmanned aerial vehicle, also known as a drone. They require the use of a ground-based pilot, even when using autonomous flight programming software. UAV’s are described by the number and type of wings and/or rotors. The most commonly seen UAV are fixed wing – single rotor and quadcopters (4 rotors).
Unmaned aerial system
A UAS is an unmanned aerial (or aircraft) system, which includes the drone or UAV. It is defined by the Federal Aviation Administration as “An unmanned aircraft system is an unmanned aircraft and the equipment necessary for the safe and efficient operation of that aircraft. An unmanned aircraft is a component of a UAS. It is defined by statute as an aircraft that is operated without the possibility of direct human intervention from within or on the aircraft (Public Law 112-95, Section 331(8)).”
Small unmanned aerial system
A sUAS is a small unmanned aerial system, using a smaller sized drone. While there is not a readily available technical description of what a “small drone” actually is, the general idea is a drone that falls into a micro or small size category. Most off-the-shelf drones readily accessible to the public fall into the sUAS category.