Santa Barbara Drone Pilot
About SB Drone Pilot
I got excited about flying drones after seeing videos of great white sharks off the coast of Santa Barbara. Since then I have spent hundreds of hours flying over the Santa Barbara coastline monitoring and recording the treasures of our local coastal community especially marine life like sharks, dolphins, seals, sting rays, fish, and sea birds. As an FAA 107 certified drone pilot, I am trained and authorized to fly drone missions for commercial and research applications. If you are a non-profit with a compelling mission, I may be able to fly for your organization at no cost. Send me a note and I'll see what I can do. I am also happy to help with surveys, monitoring, and inspections. I'm also available to document events like races or regattas. Sorry, I don't do weddings or parties.
What's FAA Part 107?
The FAA requires that all drone pilots be trained and certified before flying drones for any non-recreational purpose. FAA Part 107 certification requires extensive training and a passing a rigorous exam. The FAA also has strict regulations about where and how high a drone can be flown.
What this means to you: (1) I am legally permitted to fly commercial/research drone missions, and; (2) I will carefully review air space requirements surrounding your mission and will obtain FAA approval as necessary.
FAA CERTIFIED REMOTE PILOT
Example missions I've flown
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Surveying and tracking of juvenile great white sharks for CSULB's Shark Lab and UCSB's Benioff Ocean Institute's SharkEye Project
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Promotional videos for Montecito Trails Foundation and Los Padres Forest Watch
About my drone
I fly a DJI Mavic Air2. It has a 48 MP camera and supports 4K video at up to 60 fps and has a 34 minute flight time per battery. It is a compact "fold-up" drone that can easily be transported to any filming site.