so ive been flying for about two years now, got my part 107 last spring, and honestly i enjoy the work side of it way more than just flying for fun. ive done a few small real estate gigs, one construction progress job that lasted like 6 weeks, and a couple of event things for friends of friends. nothing crazy but it felt good and i actually got paid decently for the real estate stuff.

my day job is pretty soul crushing and ive been thinking more and more about whether i could actually make drone work my primary income. not like quit tomorrow obviously but like... is there a realistic path here? i know people say the market is saturated but i also see companies posting for drone operators pretty regularly on linkedin. is freelance the move or should i be trying to get on with a company full time? genuinely dont know which direction makes more sense and im probably overthinking it

honestly it depends a lot on where you live and what niche you go after. real estate is competitive and the rates have been dropping in a lot of markets because everyone and their cousin got a part 107 during covid. but inspection work, like cell towers, rooftops, solar farms, that kind of thing — thats where the actual money is and theres still a real shortage of people who know what theyre doing. the learning curve is steeper and you sometimes need additional certs depending on the industry but the day rates are much better.

i went full time about 18 months ago and i wont pretend its been smooth sailing the whole time. dry spells are real, you have to be comfortable with inconsistent income for a while. but i built up about 4 months of savings before i jumped and that helped a lot. if i were starting over id probably try to line up one or two semi-regular clients before ditching the day job, even if its just something small and consistent.

following this because im in almost the exact same spot lol. did my 107 eight months ago and have been doing weekend gigs but always wondered if full time was doable. the inspection angle is interesting i hadnt really thought about going that route