okay so my brother keeps telling me i should get my part 107 even though i dont fly commercially or anything, just weekends at the field and occasionally some shots for my own instagram stuff. he says its good to have but i dont really understand why id need it if im not getting paid. the test looks kind of intense from what ive seen, lot of weather and airspace stuff that feels way over my head honestly

is there actually a reason to get it or is he just being overly cautious? i fly a mini 3 pro mostly and stay under 400ft, never near airports

your brother isnt wrong but he might be thinking about it differently than you are. the main reason most recreational guys get it anyway is so they have the option to take paid work if something comes up, like a friend asks you to shoot their real estate listing or whatever, you dont want to have to turn it down. also some locations require it even for recreational use if youre flying in controlled airspace and need a waiver through laanc or dronezone. its not like the test is that bad once you sit down and actually study, took me about 3 weeks of evenings.

honestly for pure hobbyist stuff i wouldnt stress it. i flew for two years before getting mine and never needed it. but i'll say this, studying for the exam actually made me way more aware of what i was doing wrong without knowing it. the airspace stuff in particular, i was flying in places i probably shouldnt have been just because i didnt realize. so theres that side of it too i guess, you come out just knowing more about the rules which is probably not a bad thing