Your Drone Questions. Answered. YDQA: Ep 130- "Can You Fly Over People Without a Waiver? Wingtra’s Category 3 Breakthrough Explained”
Can drone pilots legally fly over people under Part 107 without a waiver and what does Category 3 approval actually change?
In this episode of Your Drone Questions. Answered, host Chris Breedlove welcomes back Benton Szejk from Wingtra to break down the current state of operations over people in 2025. They cover what’s allowed under Part 107 today, how Category 3 works, and why Wingtra’s fully integrated parachute system is a major milestone for professional drone operations.
The conversation also dives into Wingtra’s latest payload announcements, including ultra-high-resolution inspection capabilities, real-world use cases like airport runway inspections, pavement crack detection, and how AI-ready data is transforming surveying and infrastructure workflows.
Topics covered include:
- What Category 3 operations over people really mean
- How Wingtra achieved waiver-free approval under Part 107
- Practical use cases in urban, infrastructure, and public-asset mapping
- New Wingtra payloads and inspection workflows
- Where drone regulations may be heading next
Learn how these advancements impact mapping, surveying, and inspection professionals working in complex, populated environments.
https://www.faa.gov/uas/commercial_operators/operations_over_people
https://uasdoc.faa.gov/listDocs?docType=oop
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