so ive been flying for about two years now, got my part 107 last spring and have been doing the occasional gig for friends and family but nothing serious. lately ive been really thinking about trying to make this an actual income source, maybe not full time right away but like a solid side thing that could turn into something more.

the thing is i genuinely dont know if theres enough demand in my area (mid-size midwest city, not huge) or if the market is already saturated with people doing the same thing. every time i search online i see stuff like 'drone pilots are in high demand!!' but that feels like marketing fluff to me. what actually pays? real estate seems obvious but i keep hearing the margins are terrible now because everyone and their cousin has a mavic and is undercutting.

anyone actually doing this as a primary income or serious side hustle? what niches did you end up in and how long did it take to get there? would really appreciate honest answers, not the 'just network and hustle' generic stuff

honest answer from someone whos been at it about four years - real estate is rough unless you can do volume or bundle it with photo editing and floor plans and all that other stuff agents want. the guys i know who are actually making decent money are either doing cell tower inspections, construction progress docs, or they got into the insurance inspection space. the insurance work especially has been pretty steady for me, its not glamorous but the clients are consistent and they dont really haggle on price the way real estate agents do.

it took me probably 18 months before i'd call it a real side hustle and closer to three years before i stopped doing my old job part time. mid-size city isnt ideal but its not hopeless, a lot of my clients are in suburbs or smaller towns nearby anyway and they just werent getting serviced. worth checking if theres any industrial stuff near you, refineries, large construction projects, that kind of thing. thats where the actual money tends to be in my experience.

im kind of in the same boat as you actually so ill be watching this thread. i did land a few real estate jobs off thumbtack and the pay was genuinely depressing lol. like $75 for a full property shoot after driving 40 minutes. hard to see the path from that to anything sustainable but i know it exists somehow