The two major concerns with drone operations is weather and controlled air space.
Weather
In order to fly our UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) we need no precipitation. We can fly right after it rains and we do often. If fact, some of our best photos were taken right after it rained. It tends to add contrast. The wind needs to be seventeen miles per hour or less. Our current UAV is capable of flight in higher wind speeds but it’s rough on the motors.
Controlled Air Space
As FAA licensed drone pilots, we are allowed to fly up to four hundred feet. Manned air craft fly at five hundred feet and above. Also, there are different types of controlled air space. Most of the air space under 18,000 feet is Class E airspace. We can fly freely in this airspace. Other airspaces which are controlled are close to airports or military installations. These can be no fly zones or sometimes we just need to let the FAA know we will be flying in the area.
This is a aeronautical chart of the Omaha Metro. Think of the dark magenta lines as an upside down wedding cake. The two circles in the middle are the areas that affect drone operations.
This is a screen shot from B4UFLY application. The circle to the North is the controlled airspace for Eppley Airfield. Drone Pilots have the ability to request LAANC in this area and still fly. While altitude restrictions may apply we usually have the ability to still work in this area. The red circle to the South is the controlled air space for Offutt Air Force Base. This area will require an FAA waiver to work here. The decision process has been taking about a week. Limiting altitude in the waiver request is key to getting approval. The FAA will not approve air space waivers unless the operation can be conducted safely.
This is a screen shot from the DJI Fly Application. DJI is the leading drone manufacture and has geofenced certain air spaces in the metro. The yellow sections are warning areas and the blue sections are authorization zones. You can see that the geofencing is based off of airport locations or helicopter pads. Most of the zones can be unlocked but the determination to fly is up to the pilot. Millard Air port is show on the South West section of the map. While the air space is Class E (we can fly it) the operation depending on location could be unsafe. If we had a request to fly and take photos at the entry or exit of that runway we would consider it unsafe and not fly that operation.