Can I use a UAV in the state of Arkansas as a press photographer?If I am using it for hobby and say someone says hey I like that photo. Can I sell it to them?Can the FAA tell me to stop flying my UAV as a press copter?
No, not under current state and federal law.
Not according to the FAA.
No the FAA are so stupid in this way. As soon as you take any money they can get you for it. For a hobby it's fine. If you sell it to them secretly and not make a business out of it, you could do it. But be very careful. Somebody from TBS got $10000 fine just because they were filming for money.
To use a UAV for any commercial purposes, including images that are to be sold or published, you need a Certificate of Authorization from the FAA.. You need to contact your local/regional FAA office for particulars. You can take images for your own use, if you don't compromise some ones privacy. That opens a whole new can of worms. It's often viewed, much like planting a camera, inside a hotel bathroom.
To be a legit press photographer, you have to be an employee of a press organization, with a formal ID card. If you aren't, you cannot claim any press privileges, and you are therefore acting as a private citizen. Laws and ordinances against Peeping Toms and/or Stalkers will then apply - anyone who objects to you spying on them can report you to the police who will probably want to apply the full force of the law. On the other hand, if you suggest to someone that they might like an aerial photo of their house, and they say yes, then you are in the clear to take the photo and sell it to them. Landowner's permission is the key.
