so ive been flying for about 2 years now, got my part 107 last spring and ive been doing small gigs on the side mostly real estate stuff and a couple construction progress shoots. the money has been decent but not like quit your job decent you know. my main job is pretty soul crushing though and im at the point where im seriously considering whether drone work could actually replace it.

the thing is i dont know anyone personally who does this full time so i have no real frame of reference. like i see people online claiming they make 6 figures but that always feels like someone selling a course rather than an actual pilot talking. just trying to get a realistic picture from people who are actually out there doing this day to day. is there a particular niche that actually pays consistently or is most of it feast or famine freelance stuff

honest answer — it took me almost 3 years before i felt like i wasnt constantly stressed about money. the real estate market was my bread and butter for a long time but it ebbs and flows with housing inventory and that got rough in - when things slowed down a lot in my area. what actually stabilized things for me was getting a couple recurring contracts with a property management company and a solar inspection outfit. the inspection side is way less glamorous than shooting architecture but the pay is solid and they need you on a pretty regular schedule.

the 6 figure guys arent lying necessarily but most of them either have a team, do commercial or industrial work thats highly specialized, or they live somewhere with a ton of construction activity. if your market can support it and you hustle hard the first couple years its doable but go in with savings. seriously dont quit your day job until you have at least 6 months of contracts lined up.

im kind of in the same boat as you so following this thread. i did one real estate shoot last month through a local agency and it went well but i have no idea how people actually find steady clients. do you just cold email contractors and stuff or is there a platform that actually works for drone gigs