okay so my buddy keeps telling me i should just get my part 107 even though i really only want to do maybe a few paid shoots a year, like helping out small local businesses or shooting some footage for a friend's restaurant or whatever. im not trying to build a whole career out of this.

the test fee plus studying time feels like a lot for something i might use three or four times a year. but then again i dont want to just be flying illegally for money either because that seems like a bad idea obviously. is there a middle ground here or do i just need to bite the bullet and get it done

yeah just get it. the studying honestly isnt that bad if you use one of the prep courses, i think i spent maybe two weekends on it and passed first try. and once you have it its good for two years before renewal. even if you only do a handful of jobs a year the peace of mind alone is worth it — last thing you want is some client posting your footage publicly and then someone reports you and suddenly you're dealing with the FAA without the cert. not fun from what ive heard.

tbh i was in the exact same spot and i got it mainly so i could legally charge people without stressing about it. ended up finding way more work than i expected once i could actually advertise that i was 107 certified — i think some businesses specifically look for that now because they've had bad experiences with randos who didn't know the rules. so it kind of paid for itself faster than i thought it would