so ive been flying for about 2 years now, got my part 107 last spring and been doing a few side gigs here and there — mostly real estate stuff for a couple local agencies that my neighbor hooked me up with. its been decent but im wondering if theres actually a path to doing this full time or if im just kidding myself.

like the real estate shoots are fine but they're super seasonal and the agents always want to lowball you because "the other guy does it for 75 bucks" or whatever. i've been thinking about branching out into inspections or maybe mapping work but honestly i have no idea where to start with that. do you need extra certs for the inspection side of things? and how do you even find those clients.

just curious if anyone here has made the leap to doing this as their main thing and whether it was worth it. im not looking to get rich just want to know if its a realistic career or more of a side hustle situation

yeah I made the jump about three years ago and honestly it's been a rollercoaster but i don't regret it. real estate alone is not gonna cut it as a primary income, you're right to think about diversifying. the inspection work is where the real money is — cell towers, roofing, wind turbines if you're near any of that. some of those gigs pay really well per hour but getting your foot in the door is the annoying part.

for the inspection stuff you dont necessarily need extra certs to start but getting something like a thermography cert helps a lot if you want to do solar or electrical work. a lot of the tower companies also want you to be part 107 which you already are so thats good. i found most of my early clients just by cold emailing local roofing contractors and property management companies, its tedious but it works eventually. also look into Zeitview and DroneBase type platforms, they're not gonna make you rich but they fill in the slow weeks which matters when youre trying to pay rent

im kind of in the same boat as you so following this thread. i did one real estate shoot last month and the agent literally asked if i could "make the yard look bigger" lol. the 75 dollar guys are everywhere and it's frustrating