so this happened a few weeks ago and its still kind of bugging me. i had a job for a construction company, site documentation stuff, pretty routine. but when i got there the site was way closer to the airport than what the client had told me ? like i pulled up airspace and it was solidly in controlled airspace, would have needed a LAANC authorization minimum. the client just kind of shrugged and said the last guy flew there no problem.

i ended up not flying, tried to explain the situation, and they were annoyed. didnt get paid obviously since no footage was delivered. i handled it okay i think but i felt bad about the whole thing and not sure if there was a better way to deal with it. do you guys do airspace checks before you even book the job or do you just show up and deal with it on site? feels like i need a better intake process or something because this caught me totally off guard

yeah you absolutely need to do the airspace check before you even confirm the booking, ideally before you even give them a quote. i ask for the address as part of my initial inquiry form, check it in B4UFLY and LAANC right then, and if theres a controlled airspace issue i flag it immediately and explain what authorization would be needed and whether it adds time or cost. most clients dont know any of this stuff and honestly appreciate being told upfront rather than having it blow up day-of.

also worth putting something in your contract about this ? i have a clause that basically says if the location isnt as described and creates regulatory barriers i couldnt have reasonably anticipated, i still get a kill fee. learned that the hard way with a similar situation. the last guy who flew there probably wasnt part 107 or just didnt care, which isnt your problem but you'll always be the one who has to explain the rules.

ugh i hate that situation. you did the right thing though, standing your ground. i had something similar with a wedding shoot near a helipad and the planner literally said "other vendors dont seem to have a problem" ? yeah because they might not have a license they actually care about losing lol. anyway yeah pre-screening the location is just part of the job now, i wont even respond to a quote request without the full address first