so ive been flying for about two years now, mostly just for fun and some real estate stuff on the side for a friend who does property listings. i have my part 107 and a mini 4 pro and honestly the footage ive been getting lately has been pretty solid. my friend keeps saying i should charge more and actually market myself but i dont really know where to start or if its even worth it as like a main income thing.

the real estate gigs are fine but its not consistent, sometimes i get three in a week and then nothing for a month. ive seen people online talking about doing construction site inspections and cell tower stuff and that sounds like it pays way better but i have no idea how you even break into that. do you need specific equipment or certifications beyond 107? or is it more about just knowing the right people. any of you guys doing this full time or is it more of a side hustle situation for most people

honestly the inconsistency thing is just kind of the reality of drone freelancing unless you really hustle the networking side. i went full time about three years ago and the first year was rough, like genuinely stressful. but real estate alone was never going to be enough, you kind of have to diversify. i ended up picking up a few insurance companies that need roof inspections after storms and that became way more reliable than listings work because the demand doesnt really follow the housing market the same way.

for the construction and cell tower stuff you usually need more than just 107, most of those clients want to see some kind of COI which is just liability insurance, and for towers specifically a lot of companies want to see that youve actually done it before which is the annoying chicken and egg problem. i basically offered to do a couple jobs almost at cost just to get the portfolio and references going. not the fastest way to make money but it worked. the pay on infrastructure work is genuinely much better than real estate once you get in though.

im kind of in the same boat as you actually so ill be watching this thread. i did a couple events last summer and made decent money but yeah the feast or famine thing is real. my buddy told me to look into Dronebase or Zeitview for finding gigs which i havent fully explored yet but apparently some people pick up steady work through those platforms. no idea how competitive it is though