Before you sign with a drone company, ask 15 questions across four areas: compliance and safety, planning and the shoot day, the creative work and the edit, and money, rights and delivery. Judge the answers by their detail. A company that does this work every week answers with your address, your date and specific rules. A company that does not answers everything with some version of “no problem.”
This script for the first call applies anywhere in the United States. To verify a pilot’s paperwork yourself, see our guide to hiring a drone pilot in Michigan. This is general information, not legal advice, and rules change, so confirm anything that affects your shoot with the FAA or the relevant permit office.
Compliance and safety
Commercial drone flights in the U.S. are governed by the FAA’s Part 107 rules. You do not need to know them. You need to hear that the company does.
1. Who will fly my job, and when did they last test or train?
Any flight for a business purpose must be flown under Part 107 by a certificated remote pilot. The certificate does not expire, but under §107.65 the pilot must have passed the knowledge test or completed recurrent training within the previous 24 calendar months. Ask about the person who will be on your site, not the owner of the company.
A strong answer sounds like: “Our pilot on your shoot holds a Part 107 certificate and completed recurrent training last spring. We will send the name so you can look it up in the FAA’s Airmen Inquiry database.”
A weak answer sounds like: “We’re fully licensed.” No name, no date, and no offer to show anything.
2. What airspace is my address in, and do you need authorization?
Under §107.41, a drone cannot fly in Class B, C or D airspace, or in the surface area of Class E airspace around an airport, without prior authorization from air traffic control. Most of that runs through LAANC, an automated system the FAA says can return approvals in near real time for flights at or below 400 feet. Requests above the published altitude for a location go to manual review and can be filed up to 90 days ahead. That is why your address should come up early in the call.
A strong answer sounds like: “Your building is in Class D airspace and the grid there allows 200 feet. We will request LAANC authorization for the date, and the rooftop shot you want fits under that ceiling.”
A weak answer sounds like: “We can fly pretty much anywhere,” or a quote that arrives before anyone asks where the shoot is.
3. Is there a stadium or other flight restriction near my date?
A standing FAA security notice bans drone flights within 3 nautical miles of any stadium seating 30,000 or more, up to 3,000 feet above the ground, from one hour before to one hour after Major League Baseball, NFL and NCAA Division I football games, as well as certain major auto races. The details are in the FAA’s stadium restriction handout. The FAA classifies it as national defense airspace, and violations can carry criminal penalties. Our Detroit stadium restriction guide shows how much of a downtown that circle covers.
A strong answer sounds like: “You are inside 3 nautical miles of the ballpark and there is a home game that afternoon. We should fly in the morning or move the date. We also check for temporary restrictions again the day before.”
A weak answer sounds like: “That only applies if you fly over the stadium.”
4. Will any shot go over people, over traffic or past sunset?
Each has its own conditions. Flying over people is allowed only in one of four FAA categories. Category 1 covers aircraft of 0.55 pounds or less with no exposed rotating parts that could cut skin. Categories 2 and 3 require an aircraft listed on an FAA-accepted declaration of compliance, and Category 3 aircraft may never fly over open-air assemblies. Sustained flight over moving vehicles is restricted under §107.145. At night and during civil twilight, §107.29 requires anti-collision lighting visible for at least 3 statute miles. Night flight also requires that the pilot’s test or training was completed after April 6, 2021.
A strong answer sounds like: “We will plan the route beside the crowd rather than over it, hold the street shot until the block is closed, and fit a strobe for the dusk pass.” For event work, that planning usually happens alongside the ground coverage.
A weak answer sounds like: “Sure, we do that all the time.” If a company promises a shot outside the standard rules, ask to see the FAA waiver that allows it.
5. Which aircraft will fly my job, and how does it handle Remote ID?
The FAA ended its grace period for Remote ID on March 16, 2024. Drones that must be registered have to broadcast identification, either from built-in equipment or an add-on module, and the FAA says operators who do not comply could face fines and suspension or revocation of their certificates. It matters for events too, because sustained flight over an open-air assembly requires Remote ID compliance.
A strong answer sounds like: “We will fly a standard Remote ID aircraft for the exteriors. The small FPV drone carries a broadcast module.”
A weak answer sounds like: “What’s Remote ID?” or “Nobody checks that.”
Planning and the shoot day
6. Can you send a certificate of insurance before the shoot?
Part 107 contains no insurance requirement. Your venue, landlord or permit office almost certainly has one, and some want to be named on the certificate with specific wording. Finding that out the day before the shoot is how dates get lost.
A strong answer sounds like: “Yes. Send us your venue’s required limit and wording, and the certificate will reach you and the venue before the shoot date.”
A weak answer sounds like: “We’ve never had an accident.”
7. Who gets permission for the site and any permits?
FAA rules cover the air. The ground belongs to someone, and property owners, parks and film offices can set their own conditions for commercial shoots that take off from their land. Someone has to own that paperwork and its fees. Your own prep is covered in our guide to preparing a property for a drone shoot.
A strong answer sounds like: “We will confirm launch permission with your property manager and apply for the park permit. The fee is a line in your quote.”
A weak answer sounds like: “You don’t need permission to fly a drone.”
8. Who will be on site, and will there be a visual observer?
Under §107.31, someone must keep the aircraft in sight with unaided vision for the whole flight, either the pilot or a visual observer. An FPV pilot wearing goggles cannot do that, so an FPV flight needs an observer. Our drone vs. FPV guide explains which kind of flying a project needs.
A strong answer sounds like: “A pilot and an observer for the fly-through, plus a ground camera operator. We brief your staff before the first battery goes in.”
A weak answer sounds like: “Just me. I can see everything through the goggles.”
9. Who makes the weather call, and what happens to my date and deposit?
§107.51 requires at least 3 statute miles of visibility and sets minimum distances from clouds: 500 feet below and 2,000 feet horizontally. Every aircraft also has wind limits, and rain ruins footage even when it does not ground the drone. Weather cancellations are routine, so the terms should be routine too.
A strong answer sounds like: “We make the call the day before based on the forecast. A weather move costs you nothing, and we hold a backup date when we book.”
A weak answer sounds like: “We’ll figure it out,” or a contract that treats a weather delay as a client cancellation.
Creative and the edit
10. Can I see full projects like mine, and who flew them?
A highlight reel shows a company’s best seconds from its best days. A finished project shows what you will receive. Stills, cinematic video and FPV fly-throughs are different crafts, and skill in one does not prove the others.
A strong answer sounds like: “Here are three complete hotel projects. The pilot who flew two of them is the one assigned to yours.”
A weak answer sounds like: A single montage, or footage the company cannot say who shot.
11. Who edits the footage, and how many revisions are included?
Flying is only part of the job. Shot selection, color, pacing and music turn clips into something a marketing team can publish. When editing goes to someone who was not on site, context gets lost and revisions slow down.
A strong answer sounds like: “The crew that shoots also edits. The quote includes two rounds of revisions, and you see a first cut before color is final.”
A weak answer sounds like: “We send you the files,” when what you needed was a finished video.
12. What formats and aspect ratios will I receive?
A horizontal video for a website and a vertical cut for social are framed differently in the air. If the pilot does not know about both before takeoff, you end up cropping, and cropped aerials often lose the subject.
A strong answer sounds like: “4K horizontal for the site, vertical cutdowns framed on the day, and 20 edited stills at full resolution.”
A weak answer sounds like: “You can crop it however you like.”
Money, rights and delivery
13. What does the price include, and what would change it?
Prices vary widely because the work does. UAV Coach’s drone services pricing guide (April 2026) puts real estate photo shoots at $300 to $500, real estate video at $1,000 to $2,500, and brand or commercial video at $2,000 to $5,000. A quote is only comparable when you know what sits inside it. Our drone photography cost guide breaks down what drives the range.
A strong answer sounds like: “This is a fixed quote. It covers planning, the flight crew, the edit and two revisions. Permit fees, travel beyond 50 miles and rush delivery are listed separately.”
A weak answer sounds like: An hourly rate with no estimate of hours, or a total with no list of deliverables.
14. Who owns the footage, where can I use it, and can I have the raw files?
Under U.S. copyright law, the creator generally owns the work. According to the U.S. Copyright Office’s circular on works made for hire, a commissioned work is made for hire only if it falls into one of nine listed categories and both parties sign a written agreement saying so. Without that or a written transfer, you receive a license, so its scope needs to be on paper.
A strong answer sounds like: “You get a perpetual license for web, social, paid ads and print. Your brokers can use it too. Raw footage is available for a stated fee, and we ask to show the work in our portfolio.”
A weak answer sounds like: “It’s your shoot, so it’s all yours,” with nothing in writing.
15. When will I have the finished work, and how is it delivered?
Drone footage usually feeds a launch, a listing or a monthly report with its own deadline. A delivery date written into the agreement is the only kind you can plan around.
A strong answer sounds like: “Stills within three business days and the edit within a week of the shoot, by download link.”
A weak answer sounds like: “Pretty quick, usually.”
How to score the call. Count the answers that mention your address, your date or a specific rule. If most of them do, the company has done this before. If most are reassurance, keep calling.
The 15 questions, ready to print
| # | Ask | Listen for |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Who will fly, and when did they last test or train? | A name and a date within 24 months |
| 2 | What airspace is my address in? | Airspace class, altitude limit, LAANC plan |
| 3 | Is there a stadium or other restriction near my date? | Game schedule checked, backup time |
| 4 | Any shots over people, over traffic or past sunset? | Categories, route changes, lighting |
| 5 | Which aircraft, and how does it handle Remote ID? | Built in or broadcast module |
| 6 | Can you send a certificate of insurance first? | Yes, with your venue’s wording |
| 7 | Who gets site permission and permits? | They do, with fees in the quote |
| 8 | Who is on site, and is there a visual observer? | Named roles, observer for FPV |
| 9 | Who makes the weather call? | Clear terms, no penalty, backup date |
| 10 | Can I see full projects like mine? | Complete work, flown by your pilot |
| 11 | Who edits, and how many revisions? | Same team, stated rounds |
| 12 | What formats will I receive? | Horizontal, vertical and stills |
| 13 | What does the price include? | Fixed quote, itemized extras |
| 14 | Who owns the footage, and what about raw files? | Written license and raw terms |
| 15 | When and how is it delivered? | Dates in the agreement |
How we handle this at RAW Digital Group
Our pilots are in-house and hold FAA Part 107 certificates. We check airspace, stadium restrictions and permits before we quote a date, not after. A visual observer joins the pilot when the shot needs it, and always for FPV. Your venue receives a certificate of insurance before the shoot.
The same crew flies, shoots the ground footage and edits. We deliver 4K video and stills in horizontal and vertical formats. Stills arrive in days, and edited video usually arrives within a week.
Usage rights and any raw footage terms are written into every proposal. Our starting prices are published: aerial photo from $450, aerial video from $1,500 and FPV fly-throughs from $2,500. You get a fixed quote before booking, with weather and reschedule terms included.
We are based in Detroit, fly across Michigan and travel out of state. Our aerial reel includes Caesars Windsor, the Detroit Opera House, Einstein Bros. Bagels, The Residences at Water Square and the Gordie Howe International Bridge.
See our drone photography service, then get in touch and ask us all 15.