After a six-month process, Mike Porter of Port Ludlow is going full steam ahead with his drone photography business High Flight Photo, which serves Kitsap, Jefferson and Clallam counties.

Porter, 74, always loved aviation and photography. "[Then] all of a sudden this drone thing came about," he said, and he was able to combine both passions.

"It's really quite easy to fly," he said of his DJI Phantom drone, which cost about $1,300. Porter uses a handheld controller to operate the drone. The drone is linked to his iPad so he can view what the camera above is seeing.

While flying the drone is quite simple, the quest to obtain FAA authorization was anything but, Porter said. He needed liability insurance so he could take pictures for real estate agents and home owners. The process frustrated him so much he finally went to Washington D.C. in early May.

As a retired U.S. Air Force and Alaska Airlines pilot, Porter had an advantage in his pursuit for FAA commercial drone use approval, since the FAA only approves exemptions for commercial drone use to licensed pilots.

Porter named his business after Canadian aviator John Gillespie Magee's 1941 poem "High Flight."

"High Flight" is the story for any aviator, Porter said. With his drone business, he said he really has "slipped the surly bonds of earth," as the opening line of the poem reads.

Once he received authorization, Porter was able to obtain liability insurance for his business, something he said all prospective commercial drone operators should do.

"Most people look at a drone as an extension of a camera," he said. "But it's really a camera mounted to an airplane."

Even though the DJI Phantom is fairly small and lightweight, Porter said if one of the four rotors were to break, the drone would spin out of control.

Porter said he must follow basic operational rules set by the FAA, including giving way to all manned aviation operations, remain at or below 400 feet above the ground and avoid prohibited areas.

He also said he tells the people around him what he's doing when operating in public places, out of respect for privacy.

Since the FAA is still working on rules for unmanned aircraft flight, Porter said many real estate agencies are hesitant to hire him. However, he has a close working relationship with real estate agent Kevin Miller in Port Townsend and Jefferson County, for whom Porter is his exclusive aerial photographer.

Miller said aerial shots offer a more encompassing view of properties, giving prospective buyers a better idea of the location.

"We've always tried to stay on the cutting edge of technology for our clients," Miller said. "This is the next step forward."

After the initial challenge of getting authorization and insurance, Porter said he can't believe how well everything is going.

"Six months ago I was frustrated with the FAA and now I'm overwhelmed with business," he said. But he's not done yet. Drone use as a tool in aerial land surveying is a growing field, Porter said, adding that he hopes to move into that market.

Porter's business is online at

highflightphoto.com.