Right now you are breaking a federal law if you use an unmanned aerial photography drone for any commercial purposes near people. Until the FAA allows it you can not fly a UAS except over unpopulated areas (where the kids / Dads fly model airplanes). Put a camera on it and things get even more tricky given restrictions Washington is weighing presently. So be careful with those business plans and where you put your money until the FAA figures this out and don’t forget your liability insurance does not cover illegal activity.
Here is a hint of what the folks at the FAA are thinking:
“… operations in civil airspace have different priorities. Civil performance standards are often more stringent, especially in the areas of reliability. Public expectation for a safe aviation environment drives our very high standards.”
“Currently, there are no means to obtain an authorization for commercial UAS operations in the NAS. However, manufacturers may apply for an experimental certificate for the purposes of R&D, market survey and crew training.”
Translation: You are going to pay a boat load of money to get an FAA approved UAS to fly over populated areas for commercial uses. Not only will you have to get FAA approval for the aircraft but for the guidance and control system as well. Not to mention the training. And guess what there are no FAA training areas set up at this point for you to be properly trained.
FAA site: http://www.faa.gov/about/initiatives/uas/uas_faq/
