Part 107 is the legal minimum: an aeronautical knowledge test with no flight time requirement at all. A Commercial Pilot License requires a minimum of 250 logged flight hours, a medical certificate, an instrument-rated understanding of weather and navigation, and a practical checkride with an FAA examiner. When a decision has to be made about marginal weather, a confined approach or traffic in the pattern, that training is what you are actually hiring.
Our booking calendar asks for 3 days minimum, which covers most work in uncontrolled airspace. Sites under controlled airspace usually clear through LAANC within minutes, but a manual FAA authorization can take up to 90 days — so tell us early if your site is near a major airport. For emergency and post-loss documentation we mobilise within 24 to 48 hours.
Usually, yes. Proximity to an airport does not prohibit flight; it means the operation needs authorization, and often an altitude ceiling lower than the standard 400 feet. We check the UAS Facility Map for your coordinates and tell you before you commit to anything what altitude is available and what the approval path looks like.
We reschedule at no charge. We will not fly a mission in conditions that compromise safety or data quality — wind beyond the aircraft's limits, ceilings below our required visibility, precipitation, or icing. You are told as early in the morning as the forecast allows, not on arrival.
You do. Full commercial rights transfer to you on final payment, in writing. We retain a copy for twelve months as a courtesy in case you need it re-delivered, and we never publish or license your imagery — you will notice this site shows no client work at all, which is deliberate.
Yes. Night operations are permitted under §107.29 provided the pilot has completed the required training and the aircraft carries anti-collision lighting visible for three statute miles. Our pilots are current and our aircraft are equipped. Twilight and night work is often the best light for architectural and resort photography.
It depends on the aircraft and the situation. Part 107 §107.39 defines four operational categories for flight over people, each with different requirements. We will tell you plainly which operations are available to us at your venue. If the geometry cannot be made safe, we propose an alternative rather than fly it anyway.
Yes. We are based in Camden, SC, and cover South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia, with nationwide deployment available for retained clients. Travel beyond that is quoted with the proposal, and for retained clients we deploy nationwide.
Every proposal is fixed-fee, based on the site, the deliverables and the airspace involved — never an hourly meter. Indicative starting points are listed on each service page. Retained clients on recurring schedules are priced per visit at a lower rate.
Everything runs through this site. Submit the request form for a specific date and site, or the contact form for anything else — both reach the flight desk directly and are answered within one business day. Every request receives a reference number beginning with ALX; enter it on the Check a Request page along with the email address you used to see its current status. You also receive an email the moment a decision is made.
Still unanswered?
Send it to the flight desk. A pilot reads it — not a call centre — and you will have an answer within one business day.