so ive been flying on the side for about two years now, mostly real estate stuff and a few construction progress shoots, and im starting to wonder if theres actually a real living in this or if im just kidding myself. i have my part 107 and a decent setup, mavic 3 pro plus a used inspire 2 i picked up last year for more cinematic work.

the thing is i have a pretty stable job right now in IT and the drone stuff brings in maybe 600-900 a month depending on the season, which isnt nothing but its also not quit your day job money. i keep seeing people on here and reddit saying they cleared 80k+ freelancing but i genuinely dont know if thats realistic for most people or just survivorship bias from the guys who got really lucky or already had connections in film/construction/whatever.

anyone here actually made the jump? what did the first year look like financially? im not expecting it to be easy im just trying to figure out if its even worth seriously pursuing or if i should keep it as a side thing that pays for my gear

honest answer? the first year was rough for me. i jumped in 2021 after getting laid off which wasnt exactly planned lol but it forced me to hustle. the real estate market in my area was hot so that helped a lot but i think the thing people dont talk about enough is how much time goes into the non-flying stuff — bidding jobs, chasing invoices, editing, client emails. easily half my working hours are admin garbage.

the 80k thing is real but its not usually just flying, most of the guys doing those numbers have retainer clients or they've niched down into something specific like cell tower inspections or infrastructure work where the day rates are actually good. straight up real estate volume can get you there if your market supports it but you're basically running yourself ragged. i'd say keep the day job until you've got at least 3-4 steady clients who book you regularly, not just one-offs. that recurring stuff is what makes it viable

im kind of in a similar spot so following this thread. i only do events and some agriculture mapping stuff on weekends and honestly dont even know how to start thinking about it full time. the agriculture side seems promising though if you can get the right software certifications to go with it