drone seen from below hovering in front of some rocky hills

Autonomous Aerial Systems Office

Important Regulations

Use the decision tree below to identify the policies applicable to your situation and read through them carefully. Failure to comply with Federal Aviation Administration rules may result in civil and criminal penalties.

  • Use this decision tree to quickly reach the policies relevant to your situation Are you flying as a UM associate?
    • UM Staff, Faculty, or Student What kind of flight are you planning?
      • Commercial Flying for compensation or research
        • I have my Part 107 license Whose drone is it?
          • It is a UM-owned drone Any drone purchased with UM funds is owned by the university and insured under its liability insurance policy
          • It is a personal drone Are you using it for UM-related work?
            • It is for UM-related work Marketing for UM, research under any UM department, etc.
            • It is not for UM-related work FAA regulations
        • I do not have my Part 107 license Course information
      • Recreational Flying for enjoyment or educational use (class projects, etc)
      • I want to hire a drone pilot Do you want a UM pilot or an external contractor?
        • I want to hire an AASO drone pilot Hiring rates
        • I want to hire an external Part 107 pilot/company Requirements
      • I want to rent a drone Drone rental rates
    • Non-UM Affiliate External organizations, non-UM person, etc
      • I want to hire an AASO drone pilot Hiring rates
      • I want to rent an AASO drone Drone rental rates
      • I want to fly my own drone on campus What kind of flight are you planning?
        • Recreational Recreational or hobbyist use of drones includes flying for enjoyment or educational use (class projects, for example)
        • Commercial Commercial use of drone includes flying for compensation or research
          • I have my Part 107 license Pre-flight requirements
          • I do not have my Part 107 license Part 107 training and exam

FAA Regulations

  • Hobbyist/Recreational Flights: Recreational or hobbyist use of drones includes flying for enjoyment or educational use (class projects, for example. Please see the for more details).  It does not include flying for any commercial or public university uses. 

    Commercial Flights: If you want to fly for compensation or marketing purposes, you are considered a Commercial User and require a Part 107 license. Please see the for more details. We advise acquiring a Part 107 to fly for research purposes as well.  

    Example Scenarios 

    • You plan to photograph and/or video an event or property, and you sell your media to someone else. You will fly under Part 107 
    • You are teaching a class at UM and wish to have your students fly drones as part of the course. Your students can fly as hobbyists, but you need to fly under Part 107.
    • You are a student in a UM course and wish to fly a drone for a class project. You can fly as a hobbyist. 
    • You are a UM student and wish to fly a drone to collect data for your research project. You will fly under Part 107.
    • You would like to hire a company to fly a drone on campus to video an event or property. The company you hire must comply with Part 107 and must have gone through UM's competitive bid process.

  • Recreational or hobbyist use of drones includes flying for enjoyment or educational use (class projects, for example. Please see the for more details).  It does not include flying for any commercial or public university uses. 

    The regulatory environment is complex, so please make sure to contact us before planning any flights or purchases so we can help. 

    • Please read the FAA's  that hobbyists must adhere to when flying.
    • Take  and carry proof of test passage when flying.
    •  with the FAA,  (PDF) your drones on the outside with the registration number, and carry proof of registration with you when flying.

    Contact the appropriate authorities before flying on the UM campus to avoid university violations.

    Per current FAA regulations and for everyone's safety, you must be at least 25 feet from all property and non-participating people, as well as being more than 5 nautical miles from an airport to fly as a hobbyist. Flying over the stadium is strictly prohibited under FAA regulations.

  • If you want to fly for compensation or marketing purposes, you are considered a Commercial User and require a Part 107 license. Please see the for more details. We advise acquiring a Part 107 to fly for research purposes as well.  

    • Contact us to discuss your flight plan and risk management measures 
    • Provide AASO with a copy of your current Part 107 certificate/license 
    • Provide AASO with a Certificate of Insurance with 91次元 listed as additional insured. The State of Montana requires a $2 million liability policy 

    Contact the appropriate authorities before flying on the UM campus to avoid university violations.

    Please submit documentation here. This includes FAA UAS registration, FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot License, and Certificate of Liability Insurance (if not affiliated with UM). 

  • If you want to fly for compensation or marketing purposes, you are considered a Commercial User and require a Part 107 license. Please see the for more details. We advise acquiring a Part 107 to fly for research purposes as well.  
    • Contact us to discuss your flight plan and risk management measures 
    • Provide AASO with a copy of your current Part 107 certificate/license 
    • UM related activities are covered by the University's liability insurance policy  

    Contact the appropriate authorities before flying on the UM campus to avoid university violations.

    Please submit documentation here. This includes FAA UAS registration, FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot License, and Certificate of Liability Insurance (if not affiliated with UM). 

  • If you are doing anything for marketing or research, for example, per Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations you must use a Part 107 pilot or obtain a Part 107 certification for yourself. 

University Regulations

  • If you work for UM and require drone footage that will be used for compensation or research purposes, you can hire an external Part 107 pilot or you can hire one of AASO's Part 107 pilots.   

    If hiring an external Part 107 pilot/company,  

    • Contact us and we can assist you in finding a Montana company
    • Provide AASO with a copy of their current Part 107 certificate/license  
    • Provide AASO with a Certificate of Insurance with 91次元 listed as additional insured. The State of Montana requires a $2 million liability policy

    before flying on the UM campus to avoid university violations. 

    Please submit documentation here. This includes FAA UAS registration, FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot License, and Certificate of Liability Insurance (if not affiliated with UM).

  • If you are planning to fly a personal UAS (one not owned by the University) for university-related work, you have a couple of options:

    1. UM needs to lease your UAS in order to properly insure your activity under the University's liability insurance policy.  The process of leasing your personal UAS may take up to two weeks, so start early. Our office can help with this!
    2. Or, provide AASO with a Certificate of Insurance with 91次元 listed as additional insured. The State of Montana requires a $2 million liability policy. 

    If you fly under a UM Certificate of Authorization, you will need to fly a UM-owned aircraft. This refers to any drone purchased with UM funds or leased by UM and therefore, insured under its liability insurance policy.

  • Contact the following before flying on UM-owned property:

    • Main UM Campus and South Campus (housing): Contact Cerise McLean and UMPD Dispatch to inform them of your plans and that you have been in contact with AASO
    • Campus Recreation fields: Contact Brian Fruit. If your activity is not UM related, there may be a charge for the use of the fields.
    • Lubrecht Experimental Forest: Contact Leah Crowley (406-880-7059)
    • Missoula College:
    • PEAS Farm: Contact Caroline Stevens
    • Bandy Ranch: Contact Leah Crowley (406-880-7059)
    • Flathead Lake: Contact Diane Whited