"We also do drone" appears on a lot of production websites. The question that separates a vendor from a liability is boring: who's the pilot, what certificate do they hold, and what happens to your insurance if the answer is "my nephew flies it pretty well." Here's what the paperwork actually means for the business hiring the flight.
The certificate, in plain terms
Commercial drone flight in the United States requires an FAA remote pilot certificate — the legal line between a hobbyist flying for fun and a professional flying for pay. The certificate holder is accountable for airspace rules, altitude limits, weather minimums, and keeping the aircraft away from people and property it isn't cleared to be over. When a facility hires an uncertificated "drone guy," the facility inherits the exposure.
- Your insurer will ask. Facility policies increasingly require proof of pilot certification and the operator's liability coverage before any flight over the property. Certified pilot plus commercial coverage is a five-minute paperwork exchange; the alternative is a claim dispute.
- Your site manager will ask. Active plants, event venues, and anywhere near an airport involve airspace classes and authorizations. A certificated pilot checks the airspace before quoting the job and files for authorization where the map requires it — it's routine, not heroic.
- Your lawyer would ask. If footage from an unauthorized flight ends up in your marketing, the marketing is evidence.
The certificate isn't about flying skill. It's about whose problem the flight is.
What it means for the footage
Planning is the difference between drone shots and aerial cinematography. A certificated operator scouts the airspace and the light, plans lines that serve the edit, and — because our aerial work is flown by the same crew shooting the ground coverage — grades and cuts that match. The facility flyover, the floor process, and the product close-ups feel like one film, not a drone reel bolted onto a corporate video.
Every ATex flight runs under an FAA remote pilot certificate with commercial coverage. Ask for the paperwork — the vendors worth hiring are the ones who look relieved when you do.