so ive been flying for about two years now, got my part 107 last spring and ive done maybe a dozen paid jobs on the side - mostly real estate stuff and one construction progress shoot for a friend of a friend. the money was decent but nothing crazy. right now i have a regular desk job that pays the bills but honestly i dread going in every single day and i keep thinking about whether i could actually do the drone thing full time.

the problem is i dont really know anyone whos made the jump and actually stuck with it. like i see people on instagram who claim to be full time aerial cinematographers but who knows if thats real or if theyre just good at making it look that way. i guess my main question is - is there a realistic path here or am i just daydreaming. i have a mavic 3 pro and a used inspire 1 that i barely touch. based in a mid-sized city in the midwest if that matters.

honestly i made the jump about three years ago and the first year was rough, like genuinely stressful. the real estate work is a good entry point but the margins are terrible if youre competing with guys who charge $150 for a full package. where i found traction was getting into the inspection side of things - roof inspections, cell towers, that kind of thing. it took a while to build relationships with the right contractors but that work is way more consistent than chasing realtors. you dont need crazy cinematic skills either, just reliable data and someone who shows up on time and doesnt crash into the roof.

mid-sized midwest city could actually work in your favor depending on your metro, less competition than LA or chicago. the inspire 1 is kind of a boat anchor at this point tho unless you have specific clients who care about the interchangeable lenses, i wouldnt lean on that for marketing yourself.

im kind of in the same boat as you so not super helpful advice here but i just wanted to say the instagram thing is so real, i cant tell whos actually making a living vs whos just posting and hustling for content deals. would be curious what your day rate looks like for the construction stuff, thats a niche i keep hearing is worth getting into