so ive been flying for about two years now, got my part 107 last spring and ive been doing a few jobs here and there on the side while still working my day job. mostly real estate stuff, did a couple construction site progress shots for a contractor friend. nothing crazy but the feedback has been good and honestly i enjoy the work way more than sitting in an office.

the thing is im starting to wonder if its actually possible to do this full time. like not just scraping together $300 gigs on weekends but actually making a real living. i see people online claiming they make 6 figures doing drone work and im honestly not sure if thats real or just courses trying to sell me something. does anyone here actually know people doing this full time? what niches actually pay? i feel like real estate is super saturated in my area already

the 6 figure stuff is mostly fantasy unless you're doing something pretty specialized or you've been at it for years and built up a solid client base. i've been full time for about 4 years now and my first two years were honestly rough, like patches of good months followed by nothing. what saved me was getting into infrastructure inspection - cell towers, bridges, that kind of thing. the pay is way better than real estate and there's less competition because you actually need to know what you're looking at and be comfortable flying in tight spots. if you can get any kind of thermography cert or work with someone who does roof inspections that's another decent path. real estate yeah, that market is kind of a race to the bottom in most places, everyone with a mavic is doing it for $150 now.

honestly the freelance life is doable but you gotta be realistic about the slow seasons and have some savings cushion before you jump. dont quit your day job until you're consistently turning away work, that's the rule i wish someone had told me earlier

im kind of in the same boat as you so i cant really answer your question lol but following this thread because same. i did hear that film and tv adjacent work pays really well but getting your foot in the door is almost impossible without knowing someone already in production