Who needs Part 137 certification?

Drone pilots who perform agricultural spraying need Part 137 certification. More specifically, this certification is essential when:

• Dispensing any substance intended for pest control or plant life propagation, such as pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides designed to prevent, destroy, repel, or mitigate pests that affect plants and crops.
• Applying any compound used as a plant growth regulator, defoliant, or desiccant.

This certification is mandatory for pilots conducting these types of operations, whether the application is in rural farmlands, over forests, or urban areas for purposes like controlling weeds along roadsides or managing mosquitoes.

When Part 137 Certification is Unnecessary

Part 137 certification does not apply in situations such as:

• Remote sensing or data collection via drones that do not involve chemical dispensation.
• Application of substances like plain water over crops which doesn’t involve any of the chemicals listed under Part 137 definitions.

Drone operations intended for non-chemical tasks or where the substances used are not classified under the regulations for economic poisons or similar treatments do not require this certification. This specificity underlines Part 137’s focus on chemical application for agricultural and ecological conservation purposes.

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