A travel content creator wants to film a follow-me shot by launching their drone from the passenger seat of a moving SUV on a scenic Nevada highway through sparsely populated desert. Is this permitted under standard Part 107?
Why →Under the standard rules of 14 CFR § 107.25, operating a small UAS from a moving aircraft is prohibited, but operation from a moving land or water vehicle is permitted when two conditions are met: the flight is over a sparsely populated area, and the drone is not transporting another person's property for compensation or hire. Both conditions are written into the rule itself, so no waiver is needed for this scenario. All other Part 107 rules, including visual line of sight, still apply.
The trap →The waiver answer is tempting because § 107.25 is on the waivable list, but a waiver is only needed to go beyond the rule, for example over a populated area. The sparsely populated allowance is in the rule text itself. Note the exception covers land and water vehicles only, not moving aircraft.
Field note →For follow-me vehicle shots over populated areas, the path is a waiver through FAA DroneZone. Over sparsely populated terrain the rule already allows it: keep visual line of sight, and remember the exception disappears if you are carrying someone else's property for hire.