Tell us a little about your job at GreenSpark!

My job title is Marketing Associate, so this means I help everywhere I can! On the day to day, I gather residential and commercial drone footage, create content for social media, help with customer outreach and engagement through our Solar Ambassador Program, and data entry and management.

What is an FAA Drone Certification and how do you get one?

An FAA Drone Certification, also known as a Part 107 certification, is required for commercial drone pilots to get in order to fly. To get this certification you must pass the Part 107 “Unmanned Aircraft General – Small (UAG)” knowledge test with a 70% or above.

Now that you have your drone license, where do you fly your drone?

Now that I have my drone license I mostly fly my drone at customers houses to get pictures/videos of their completed arrays. On occasion I will visit commercial sites to get drone photos/videos of those arrays.

Do you carry a log book?

Yes I do! In my log book I track the date I am flying, where I am flying, temperature, wind speed, visibility, cloud cover percentage, if there are any restrictions for this flight, the weather, and the start and end time..

What are some of the rules around flying drones?

• You are not allowed to fly over people if they are not under a covered structure or in a stationary covered vehicle 
• If you are in controlled airspace you need to request authorization to fly there from the airport, you can do this through LAANC (Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability)
• Your drone must be registered through the FAA in order to fly it

Do you need permission to get drone footage of someone’s solar array?

I technically do not need permission to fly over customers’ houses as long as I am following the FAA guidelines, however, I do communicate with customers in advance to make sure they are aware of when I will be getting their drone footage.

What is your favorite part about flying your drone?

My favorite part of flying a drone is being able to capture certain views that I would not be able to see if it weren’t for the drone!