Drone articles · ORBITCINE BLOG
Drone articles and news
Drone articles from a working pilot team, covering drone law, no-fly zones, registration, flying techniques and hiring aerial photography
Hiring a Drone Team: Do You Need a Permit, and What Should You Check?
Do you need a permit to hire a drone team? Who applies, what documents the pilot team must have, and which jobs need Specific Category approval under CAAT's 2026 rules…
Pool Villa Drone Photography: What Shots Help Win More Bookings
The pool villa shots to get, the best light, what to prepare and the flight rules owners often don't know, for images that make booking decisions easier…
Drone Land Photography: What Shots Make a Listing Stand Out
The drone shots a land listing needs, what to prepare before flight day and the limits on showing boundaries, with a real example from Phetchaburi…
FPV drones: what they are, how they differ from standard camera drones, and when to use them
What an FPV drone is, how it differs from a standard camera drone, which jobs suit FPV and what permission is needed before flying…
Drone wedding photography: flight rules, must-have shots and what to prepare
What to know about drone wedding photography: the flight rules involved, must-have shots and what to prepare before the big day…
Drone battery care for longer life and safety
How to charge, store and use your drone's LiPo batteries safely and make them last…
The professional drone pilot's pre-flight checklist
The pre-flight checklist professional drone pilots actually use — legal checks, weather, equipment and emergency plans…
How to get a drone pilot license in Thailand
Want to become a drone pilot? Here's where to start — the requirements, documents and steps to register as a remote pilot with CAAT…
Drone registration with the NBTC and CAAT, step by step
What documents do you need to register a drone with the NBTC and CAAT, and what are the steps? Everything in one article, by the ORBI…
How much does drone photography cost? What to check before hiring a team
What affects the cost of hiring drone photography, plus 5 questions to ask before choosing a team — so you get good value and a safe job…
Drone no-fly zones in Thailand: where you can fly, where you can't, and what to check
Everything you need to know about drone no-fly zones in Thailand — types of restricted areas, the relevant laws and how to check an area…
Browse drone articles by topic
We've organized our knowledge about drones in Thailand into categories, so both people hiring aerial photography and pilots who fly themselves can find what they need faster.
Where to start
Choose based on what you're about to do. If you're about to hire a drone team, start with the first group. If you fly yourself or are about to become a pilot, start with the second. Every article has a quick-answer box at the top for busy readers, plus sources you can check.
Drone articles for clients
- How much does drone photography cost? What to check before you hire a team — the factors that make flight jobs cost different amounts, and questions to ask before hiring
- Drone wedding photography: what to know — flight rules on the day, must-have shots and what the couple should prepare
- How is an FPV drone different from a standard camera drone? — which jobs need FPV and what to ask the team before hiring
Drone articles for pilots who fly themselves
- 4 types of drone no-fly zones — airport radiuses, VTP/VTR/VTD areas in the AIP and temporary no-fly notices
- Drone registration with NBTC and CAAT — steps, documents to prepare and what to check before flying
- Getting a drone license in Thailand: where do you start? — the path for anyone who wants to start flying paid jobs
- A professional pilot's preflight checklist — what to check before every takeoff
- Drone LiPo batteries: care for longer life and safety — how to charge, store and carry them on a plane
Every article is written by the ORBITCINE pilot team, registered with the NBTC and CAAT and flying real jobs. Legal information references official documents, such as CAAT's flight conditions, the AIP Thailand and agency announcements, with source links at the end of each article. If you find information that doesn't match the latest announcements, let us know on LINE and we'll check and correct it.
Terms you'll often see in our articles
- CAAT — the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand, responsible for remote pilot registration and flight conditions
- NBTC — handles drone registration as radio communication equipment
- AIP Thailand — the Aeronautical Information Publication, which publishes the boundaries of prohibited, restricted and danger areas
- VTP · VTR · VTD — codes for prohibited, restricted and danger areas in the AIP
- VLOS — flying while the remote pilot keeps the drone in visual sight at all times
- FPV — flying a drone through goggles that show a live feed from the camera on the drone
- LiPo — lithium polymer batteries used in most drones, which must be charged and stored carefully
- UAS Portal — CAAT's online system for reporting flights and checking where you can fly during special announcements
- Temporary no-fly zones — areas where CAAT bans flights for a period of time, such as during royal ceremonies or security events
- 9 km radius — the distance around an airport or temporary landing site where flying is prohibited unless permitted
- 90 m flight ceiling — the maximum height above ground under CAAT's general conditions
- PDPA — Thailand's personal data protection law, which matters when photographing people at events with attendees
Free tools for drone pilots
Besides articles, we offer free pre-flight planning tools — no sign-up required.
Frequently asked questions about flying drones in Thailand
Do you need permission to fly a drone in Thailand?
Drones that meet the criteria in the announcements must be registered with the NBTC (for the aircraft and radio frequencies), and pilots must be registered with the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) — especially for commercial flying. Read the full steps in our article Registering a drone with the NBTC and CAAT, step by step
How do I know if the area I want to fly is a no-fly zone?
Check the coordinates before every job against sources based on official announcements. Don't rely on memory from previous flights, because temporary no-fly areas can be announced at any time. Use No-fly zone map by province to check for free
How close to an airport can I fly?
Aerodrome control areas and control tower areas set a no-fly radius of 9 kilometers from the reference point — wider than many people expect. If you need to fly inside that radius, you must apply for permission in advance. Details are in the article Drone no-fly zones in Thailand
What kind of weather should you not fly in?
Avoid flying in thunderstorms, strong gusts or low visibility. Pilots should check the METAR reports and TAF forecasts for the airport nearest their site before deciding. Check them on Flight Briefing – pre-flight check which shows aviation weather reports alongside cloud, rain and storm maps.
Roughly how much does it cost to hire drone photography?
Pricing depends on the type of job, shooting time, location, editing and urgency, so there's no fixed figure. Alongside the price, check whether the team is properly registered and how clearly the scope of work is defined. Read more in How much does drone photography cost?
I don't have a pilot. Can I hire a team?
Yes. ORBITCINE's pilots are legally registered and take on aerial photography and video jobs nationwide, handling everything from site checks and flight permits to delivering the final work. Contact us for a quote here
Have a question our drone articles haven't answered?
Ask our pilots — answers are free, and your question might become our next article.