Questions to get started

[Exios]

Hey everyone. I’m from Denver and am very interested in starting up a drone business. My interests in that field are real estate photos, landscaping, events, and eventually to see what the possibility is to do either lost pet recovery and/or lost game recovery with a thermal drone.

I will be signing up for a 107 prep and getting 107 soon.

I have a few questions I’m hoping you all can help with. First, I’m unsure of where to check for laws and regulations for doing any of these businesses in Colorado. Or even what aspects require permits. Any words of advice on best ways to check for the different towns and cities and counties on what is allowed, not allowed, and behind a permit?

Also, as for trying to ever go into thermal for pet or downed game recovery, I’m not sure who i should speak with and what info to tell them. I found a contact for a game warden in Denver but I’d like to have information to present instead of calling and risking starting on a bad note without information.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[AlexC]

Hey everyone. I’m from Denver and am very interested in starting up a drone business. My interests in that field are real estate photos, landscaping, events, and eventually to see what the possibility is to do either lost pet recovery and/or lost game recovery with a thermal drone.

I will be signing up for a 107 prep and getting 107 soon.

I have a few questions I’m hoping you all can help with. First, I’m unsure of where to check for laws and regulations for doing any of these businesses in Colorado. Or even what aspects require permits. Any words of advice on best ways to check for the different towns and cities and counties on what is allowed, not allowed, and behind a permit?

Also, as for trying to ever go into thermal for pet or downed game recovery, I’m not sure who i should speak with and what info to tell them. I found a contact for a game warden in Denver but I’d like to have information to present instead of calling and risking starting on a bad note without information.

Any help would be appreciated.

As much as many of these small towns want to play pretend, the sky is federal (FAA) the state only has authority where you touch earth. I have run into this twice and just told I was not breaking any FARs or state law, so please write the ticket, arrest me, or go away, just be sure to record everything. They will play in their phone looking for something and then go away. On the land angle of this most of it is protected under the 1st amendment same as if you had a selfe stick, once you go airborne it’s now in FAA land. (The only exception was in Texas for some odd reason)

Be VERY VERY careful with the downed game, the fish police have, if we are being honest, far too much leeway in how they conduct themselves.
If they want to push the angle of you were stalking/scouting game with the UAS is going to be a huge nightmare, police like to say the process is the punishment. I’d probably avoid the whole downed game angle.

Now.. If you could get the game warden to request your services (and record the conversation) that would be safe.

For pets, that’s a good idea, maybe reach out to the humane societies, petsmart, and animal control, think of who a panicked pet owner would call if their pet went missing.

One thing with thermals, it’s very hard to tell different 4 legged critters of similar size apart, so you’ll want to be able to quickly switch from a good high zoom visual camera to thermals and back.

Hunting yotes at night a year or so ago with a thermal optic I nearly shot a dog, thankfully the dog had a docked tail and the “nub” didn’t look right. Thermal takes getting used to (actually looking to add it to my UAS too)