Depending on the complexity of your project, that might cost more than outright purchase of a cheaper(er) drone, but I would argue this is a net win. A whole little business niche gets created, and most of the drones in the sky are 1) flown by experienced operators, and 2) high-quality and therefore probably easier to control.
And if any of the regs in part 91 end up applying-
FAR 91.13 (a) just says aircraft have to be operated safely. "No person may operate an aircraft in a careless or reckless manner so as to endanger the life or property of another." So unless they were buzzing your house that might be hard to prove.
The regs are loose around dropping items, too- FAR 91.15 [1]. They don't talk about needing property owner permission or anything. Maybe you could twist that in your defense since it is so loose- if something did fall from a UAV.
[0] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airspace_class_%28United_States...
[1] http://rgl.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Guidance_Library/rgFAR.nsf...
[1] http://www.flightsimaviation.com/data/FARS/part_91-119.html
The only thing that really strikes me as a bit problematic is "casual" commercial use in which someone like a real estate agent uses a hobbyist-type drone to do a little aerial photography. These rules seem a bit stringent for something like that although the reality may be the rules for commercial use just get ignored at these kind of margins.
- An FAA UAS operator certificate will be required for commercial use. I don't think the details of what this will entail have been worked out yet but it explicitly will not have the same level of rigor as a pilot's license.
- Requires the operator to maintain line of sight to the drone.
- Can't fly over people not involved in the flight.
- Certification isn't required for hobbyist use.
- Considering a more flexible framework for drones under 4.4 pounds.