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According to the FAA, 1 million drones were sold for Christmas, 2015, and another 1.5 million will hit airways after the 2016 holiday season. Many new drone owners will want to take their new toys out for a whirl.
But you can’t just run outside in your pajamas willy-nilly and start photographing everything in sight. There are some restrictions.
Unless you already hold a valid pilot’s license, you will require FAA certification to operate a drone for commercial use - by passing a general aviation knowledge test and taking a class.
Commercial drones must weigh less than 55 pounds. They can only be flown to a maximum altitude of 400 feet and must stay a minimum of five miles away from airports.
No spy missions: You must maintain visual contact with the craft at all times.
Unlike conventional photography, drones can help home hunters see a home’s surroundings, with images that can show the precise topography in two or even three dimensions. This comes in particularly handy with sprawling luxury estates, but soon, drone images are expected to become routine for moderately priced homes as well.
Other uses for drones are still being discovered, becoming standard tools for home inspectors, roof inspectors, insurance companies and appraisers.
Prudent operators should probably obtain liability insurance to protect against claims for property damage, injuries or an invasion of privacy. And consider notifying neighbors as a courtesy.
Over the next decade, drones are expected to have an economic impact of $80 to $90 billion.
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