Got a client wanting early morning flights (like 5am starts before sunrise) for a construction site. Apparently the GC wants minimal disruption to work. I know night ops need a waiver.
How hard is the waiver process? Is it even realistic for a small operator? Any tips?
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Sign inActually this changed! As of 2021 you don't need a waiver for night operations anymore. You need:
The M3E has lights built in that meet the requirement. Just make sure your Part 107 cert is current and you took the updated test.
Jess is right but just adding - the lights need to be on the drone, not just on you. Stock DJI lights work but they're not super bright. I added some aftermarket strobes for dawn/dusk work. Cheap insurance.
Also worth checking if the site has its own lighting. Mapping with active construction lights can be... interesting. Shadows everywhere.
One thing to consider - your camera performance at dawn/twilight might not be great for mapping. The M3E does okay but you might need to slow down your flight speed or lower altitude to get good overlap. Test before you commit to the client.
We do a lot of dawn flights for solar farm inspections (thermal works best early morning). Mapping is trickier but doable. Just plan for slightly longer flights due to reduced speed. And bring coffee. Lots of coffee.
Wait really?? I completely missed that. Taking the recurrent next month anyway so I'll make sure it covers night ops. That's awesome news, thanks!