Why It Matters: The Risks of Hiring an Unlicensed Drone Operator

Anyone can buy a drone. Not everyone is legally authorized to fly it for hire. Before you hire someone to search for a lost pet, inspect your roof, or survey your land from the air, here's what's actually at stake if they aren't FAA Part 107 certified — and properly insured.

1. It's Illegal — And That's Your Problem Too

Flying a drone commercially (any flight done for compensation, including "just covering gas") without a Part 107 certificate is a federal violation. The FAA can fine unlicensed operators thousands of dollars per violation. If something goes wrong during that flight — property damage, injury, a close call with a manned aircraft — you, as the person who hired them, can be pulled into that mess. "I didn't know they weren't certified" is not a defense that protects your wallet or your name.

2. No Insurance Will Actually Pay Out

Here's the part most people don't think about: commercial drone liability insurance requires the operator to be flying legally at the time of the incident. An uncertified pilot operating for compensation is, by definition, flying illegally — which means if their drone crashes into your barn, injures a bystander, or damages a client's property during a job you hired them for, their insurance company can (and will) deny the claim. You're left holding the bag with no recourse.

3. No Airspace Authorization Means No Legal Flight Near Airports

Certified Part 107 pilots have the training and tools (LAANC authorization) to legally fly in controlled airspace near airports — which covers a lot of Maine, especially near Bangor International and regional fields. An uncertified operator either doesn't know they need authorization, or flies anyway and hopes nobody notices. Either way, that's a risk you're now carrying.

4. Unsafe Operations Put People, Property, and Wildlife at Risk

Part 107 certification isn't just a piece of paper — it means the pilot has been tested on airspace regulations, weather minimums, emergency procedures, and aeronautical decision-making. An untrained operator flying at night, over people, or in questionable weather isn't just breaking rules — they're increasing the odds of a crash that could hurt someone, damage property, or (in search and recovery work) actually harm the animal you hired them to find.

5. Unreliable Data, Wasted Time and Money

For infrastructure inspection, mapping, or thermal search work, the value is in the data — and that data is only useful if it's captured correctly. Certified, experienced operators understand flight planning, sensor calibration, and how to read thermal returns accurately. An inexperienced operator can hand you blurry imagery, missed hot spots, or a "clean" report that simply missed the target — costing you the time and money spent on the flight, and potentially delaying a real recovery or repair.

6. No Accountability If Something Goes Wrong

Licensed operators are accountable to the FAA — their certificate is on the line, which creates a real incentive to fly safely, keep records, and follow the rules. An unlicensed operator has nothing to lose in the same way. If they make a mistake, walk away, or do a poor job, you have little to no recourse.

Bottom Line

Hiring a Part 107 certified pilot isn't about paperwork for its own sake — it's what stands between you and the legal, financial, and safety risks of an uninsured, unaccountable operation flying over your property, your land, or your search area. At Savvy Drones 207, every flight is conducted under an active FAA Part 107 certificate, with proper airspace authorization and insured operations — so you can trust the process as much as the results.

Don't Just Take Our Word For It

Every FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot is listed in the FAA's public Airmen Registry — you don't have to trust a badge on a website, you can verify it yourself.
 

Brian Hawthorne, Newport, ME is a registered FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot. 

Search the FAA Airmen Registry →

Search by last name to confirm FAA certification status and ratings.