San Antonio Drone Mapping Services

One of the most common questions we receive at Lone Star Drone from our San Antonio drone mapping services is whether or not it’s legal to use this equipment at night. That’s an extremely good question, and it’s smart of them to ask. It wasn’t that long ago when people needed a special waiver, and also needed to have special risk mitigation strategies in place to fly a drone at night. But thanks to recent changes in the law, it’s legal to provide drone mapping services in San Antonio TX long after the sun goes down.

 

Important Rules Changes

For a long time, trying to have San Antonio drone mapping services performed at night was a very complex undertaking, with a lot of red tape. But the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) made changes on April 21, 2021 that have a major impact on nighttime drone flying. However, there are still a lot of regulations to be followed in order to provide drone mapping services in San Antonio TX in the safest manner possible – and to still be in compliance with FAA mandates.

 

Expert, Part 107-certified pilots (such as the ones who are part of the Lone Star Drone team) must comply with all FAA testing and training requirements in order to be able to fly at night. Our pilots already undergo training in just about every kind of flying condition imaginable – at night, in fierce winds and more. They’re already very well equipped to handle a drone in the most challenging conditions.

 

FAA rules also state that equipment used in providing nighttime drone mapping services in San Antonio TX must have anti-collision lighting that can be seen from at least three miles away. The light must be mounted on the top of the aircraft. We use this type of lighting on our drones in order to make sure they are as safe as possible.