Commercial Drone Pilots

kcox506

kcox506

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 14, 2013
Location
Hayesville, North Carolina
Anyone out there do aerial photography for money? I have been constantly going back to the thought of continuing my drone work I had done many years ago. Back in 2014ish when it was the Wild West with no laws. I started doing work for people on the east coast and some fun personal projects. Had a blast and it took me places like the outer banks and on pirate ships..(seriously).

I want to get back into it. However, its 2022. I know I need my FAA license. I understand what’s required there. My question is, are any of you actively doing this sort of work and any tips/advice on anything related to commercial work today? I feel like this may be an oversaturated market at this point. But understand I only intend this as a side gig/hobby. I just enjoying flying and being a nerd.

Get me up to speed. Any feedback welcome. I know there’s probably plenty of hobbyist on here.
 
Realtors love using them for wide angle shots of properties.

We have several drones at work. I plan on using one for weekly progress photos on several planned developments that we have starting. They've also used them to do roof inspections and look for damage after some storms.
 
Loganwayne said:
Realtors love using them for wide angle shots of properties.

We have several drones at work. I plan on using one for weekly progress photos on several planned developments that we have starting. They've also used them to do roof inspections and look for damage after some storms.
Click to expand...

Yep I’ve heard of these uses. Seems like there’s always opportunity if you really get after it and chase people down. From real estate, construction, and stock footage. Seems to cover a wide range of fields that you could entertain.

I have a pretty outdate setup but it works still. If I can save some pennies I can get something that is a little more up to date with the tech and capability/quality. A lot has changed over the years and doesn’t appear to be slowing down.
 
We had a guy do energy audits for commercial & industrial facilities. Cheaper to fly a drone around than get someone on the roof and/or crawl around in the rafters/trusses, but you need a good camera & live streaming to get clear images of nameplates.
x2 on realtor videos too.
 
I have a client that hires a drone pilot with infrared camera for water leaks in roof applications. It’s invaluable for things like that. And can even be used for energy efficiency inspections as well, as it’s easy to fly around a building or home and see where warm/cool air is escaping.

Also, I would gladly take someone like that wheeling for a day/weekend to get some really cool shots.
 
Loganwayne said:
They've also used them to do roof inspections and look for damage after some storms.
Click to expand...

77GreenMachine said:
I have a client that hires a drone pilot with infrared camera for water leaks in roof applications. It’s invaluable for things like that. And can even be used for energy efficiency inspections as well, as it’s easy to fly around a building or home and see where warm/cool air is escaping.
Click to expand...

We have a guy that does this stuff for us at work. Apparently when you start to fly drones while making money shit gets complicated. According to him, you have to have the FFA license and then North Carolina requires there own license on top of this. We use the drone frequently to do roof inspections and field light inspections. He is very serious about his job. He will even have a radio monitoring FAA frequencies while flying in a area.
 
NCJeeplover said:
We have a guy that does this stuff for us at work. Apparently when you start to fly drones while making money shit gets complicated. According to him, you have to have the FFA license and then North Carolina requires there own license on top of this. We use the drone frequently to do roof inspections and field light inspections. He is very serious about his job. He will even have a radio monitoring FAA frequencies while flying in a area.
Click to expand...
Yep that's the main reason I didn't get my drone license it's 95% of a pilots license and fairly expensive
 
I never knew it was a thing....
 
Didn't know NC had its own requirement.. go figure. I am not surprised at all. I figured the Federal Aviation Administration of the United States - whose mission to is to regulate civil aviation and promote safety for the entire country, was good enough for the weaselly State of North Carolina. Guess not. The going rate for the FAA Part 107 Test is approximately $150. I can accept that. Can't find any info the NC exam cost.
 
I know a guy that say's he'll pay really well for some flyover footage of some very specific buildings at Bragg.
He has kind of a funny accent, and his name has a lot of consonants in a row that I can't pronounce.
Says he's pay in cash in an envelope left in a secure location, so it's nice and easy w/ no paperwork.
 
RatLabGuy said:
I know a guy that say's he'll pay really well for some flyover footage of some very specific buildings at Bragg.
He has kind of a funny accent, and his name has a lot of consonants in a row that I can't pronounce.
Says he's pay in cash in an envelope left in a secure location, so it's nice and easy w/ no paperwork.
Click to expand...
I think you mean 'Ft Liberty", since we have to appease the whining babies.
 
JSJJ388 said:
I think you mean 'Ft Liberty", since we have to appease the whining babies.
Click to expand...
1660086039542.png
 
Unrelated but still interesting. Maybe some of you have heard, but Ukrainians have been modifying regular civilians drones to drop grenades with extreme accuracy. I remember seeing a video a few days ago explaining what they were doing but it seems to no longer exist.

But here’s some interesting shots of them in action
 
Back
Top