so ive been flying for about 3 years now, got my part 107 last spring and been doing small jobs here and there — real estate stuff mostly, a couple construction site gigs. nothing crazy. my day job is fine but i keep thinking about whether this could actually be a real thing full time.

the real estate market around here has slowed down a lot so thats not super reliable anymore. wondering if anyone has actually made the jump to doing drone work as their main income and if so what kind of work keeps the bills paid. like is it inspection work? mapping? i honestly dont know much about the inspection side of things but ive heard theres decent money there if you know what youre doing.

not trying to quit tomorrow or anything just genuinely curious what the landscape looks like for people actually doing this

yeah it's doable but real estate alone wont get you there, you're right about that. i made the jump about two years ago and honestly the thing that saved me was getting into infrastructure inspection — cell towers, bridges, that kind of stuff. pays way better and theres more consistent work if you can get in with the right contractors. the learning curve is real though, its not just flying, you gotta understand what youre actually looking for and be able to document it properly.

mapping and photogrammetry is another solid lane, especially if you can get into construction or surveying. a lot of survey firms are still figuring out how to integrate drones and some of them will basically pay you to teach them while you work for them which is a nice spot to be in. took me a while to find my niche but once i did things got a lot more stable. dont sleep on the ag sector either if youre in a rural area, thats grown a lot.

im kind of in the same boat as you honestly, part 107 and doing real estate on the side. curious what rates you're getting for construction sites if you dont mind sharing, i feel like im undercharging but i also dont want to price myself out since im still building a portfolio