Pilot FAQ

Informational. This is help content, not a contract. The Pilot Independent Contractor Agreement, the Pilot Deliverable & Conduct Standards and the Pilot Payout Policy control.

Who can become a pilot?

You need all of the following: you're 18 or older and legally authorized to work in the United States; you hold a current FAA Remote Pilot Certificate (Part 107) with recency within the last 24 months; you fly a registered aircraft that meets Remote ID rules; you carry the required insurance; and we've accepted your sample work. We don't require a minimum number of flight hours. You work as an independent contractor: you choose when, where and whether to work, you can fly for other platforms and businesses, and there are no required meetings or training.

What Part 107 proof do I upload?

Photos of both sides of your certificate, or a screenshot of your FAA airmen record. We verify it; a typed certificate number alone doesn't count. Before every flight you check the airspace, NOTAMs and TFRs and obtain any FAA authorization or waiver the flight needs; Send a Drone doesn't check airspace for you. Tell us right away if a credential lapses.

What insurance do I need?

UAS or aviation liability insurance of at least $1,000,000 per occurrence, annual or on-demand, covering each mission date. Upload your certificate of insurance as a PDF and we verify it. If your policy offers personal-injury or invasion-of-privacy coverage, we recommend it. If your policy form allows it and we ask for a specific program, you name Send a Drone, LLC as an additional insured. A lapse suspends your account automatically until you update it.

What equipment do I need?

Your own aircraft, batteries, cameras, controllers, devices and transportation. We approve each aircraft you register. A camera of about 12 megapixels or better is a guideline, not a hard rule. Before each flight, you record your own airworthiness determination in the app.

How are missions offered?

You set an operating base and service radius, and you're offered only missions inside it. A mission is offered only after the customer has paid and everyone whose consent is needed has given it, so you won't accept work that falls through for lack of consent. Offers show the service, the general area, the requested date and the fixed payout; the exact address, boundary map and site contact appear after you accept. Offers expire after the time shown, currently 4 hours. You can always decline.

What's the Mission boundary?

The area on the mission's map that you may deliberately capture. Parcels or common areas without consent are outside it. Capture only inside the boundary, keep neighbors and people incidental, and never make a person, a dwelling interior, or on multifamily missions a unit, balcony or window, the subject of a shot.

What do I do when I arrive?

Confirm the site matches the address and boundary, and check with the site contact that access and consent are unchanged. Record that confirmation in the app. If anyone on site says they didn't consent or raises a privacy concern, stop capturing that subject, stay courteous, report it, and don't continue that part until we confirm. You're paid the trip amount if the mission is then cancelled.

Who decides whether a flight is safe and legal?

You do. As remote pilot in command you have final authority and responsibility for airspace, authorizations and safety. Before every flight you complete the preflight confirmation in the app, and the flight can't start without it; if conditions change materially before you fly, you confirm again. Record any no-go in the app with Report no-go and the reason. A documented, good-faith no-go isn't a breach and never counts against you. Flying after a no-go, flying without a preflight confirmation, or continuing after a consent objection is grounds for suspension.

What if I need to cancel after accepting?

Use Withdraw from this mission as soon as you reasonably know, before you start travel, and pick the reason. Weather, airspace, safety, equipment failure, illness or emergency are never held against you. Three withdrawals for other reasons within 30 days lead to a review, never an automatic pause or fee. Not showing up without arriving or letting us know is a no-show and counts as a confirmed performance failure. There are no fines or penalties.

What do I deliver?

The app shows every required item, which are critical, and your progress. Stills are edited JPEGs, 4000–6000 px on the long edge. Video, where included, is MP4, 1080p or higher, 24–30 fps, stabilized and silent. Mark an item unable to capture only if it doesn't exist or can't be captured safely or lawfully, with a one-line reason. Upload by 10:00 a.m. property-local time the next day; a late upload is flagged, never fined. Edit only exposure, white balance, cropping, straightening and lens correction; we handle privacy blurring.

What is a recapture?

If a critical item is missing or unusable because of your error, or fewer than 75% of required items are accounted for on a flyable mission, you recapture at no charge. Your payout pauses while it's open; if you'd already been paid, a recovery obligation is recorded. Your bank account is never debited.

How much will I earn?

Each service pays a fixed dollar amount, never a percentage of the customer's price. Every offer shows its payout before you accept, and once you create a pilot login and confirm your email, your dashboard shows the full Pilot Payout Schedule, before you apply or accept any terms. Every mission has a minimum payout. The posted payout covers all travel. We charge you no fees and take no percentage.

What about trips that don't result in a completed mission?

If you recorded travel and the customer cancels, a consent objection or review stops the mission, or access fails and you couldn't capture enough, you're paid the trip amount in the Pilot Payout Schedule. A weather, airspace (including an FAA authorization you couldn't obtain) or safety no-go after recorded travel also pays the trip amount, from Send a Drone. Without recorded travel, nothing is paid for that attempt.

When am I paid?

When quality review marks the mission complete, your payout becomes eligible 3 business days later (with no open recapture) and is released to your Stripe Connect account. Payouts are never same-day.

What if I disagree with a payout?

Email support@sendadrone.us with the subject "Payout dispute — [Mission ID]" within 30 calendar days. We send a written decision within 20 business days. If you disagree, ask for owner review within 15 business days; an owner who didn't make the first decision decides within 15 business days.

Who owns the photos?

Send a Drone does. You assign the copyright when you create the files, and you may use them only to fly and deliver the mission. You have no portfolio right; public use needs written permission from both the customer and us. Delete your local copies within 30 days after the mission closes.

Are pilots rated?

Customers can rate completed missions 1 to 5 stars. Your account pauses for review if your average over your last 5 paid missions falls below 4.0, or if you have 2 confirmed quality or performance failures within 90 days. We tell you the reason and consider your response. Customers see only your first name and last initial.

How do I report an incident?

If someone is hurt or property is being damaged, call 911 first. Then email support@sendadrone.us within 24 hours with the subject "Incident — [Mission ID]". We acknowledge within 2 business days. You also handle any report the FAA requires.