so ive been flying commercially for about 2 years now, mostly real estate stuff and the occasional event gig, and im at the point where i'm making maybe 1500-2000 a month on the side while still working my day job. which sounds okay but it took forever to build up even that much work and i honestly dont know if i should just go all in or keep treating it as extra income.

the people i see online make it sound like you can just quit your job and start raking it in doing drone work but that really hasnt matched what ive heard from pilots actually doing it full time. most of them seem to be either grinding like crazy doing weddings and real estate 5 days a week or they locked into some kind of contract work with a company. i guess im wondering if anyone here has made the leap and what actually made it work ? was it a specific niche, having savings first, or just timing?

also curious if the construction and infrastructure inspection side is worth getting into. ive heard you need more certs for that but the pay supposedly is way better and more consistent than real estate

went full time about 3 years ago and honestly the first year was rough, not gonna sugarcoat it. what actually saved me was landing a contract with a local surveying company ? they didnt need me every day but it was steady enough that i wasnt panicking every month. i think the mistake most people make is trying to go full time off gig-to-gig work alone, that's brutal on your mental health and your bank account.

the construction inspection thing is real though. i know a few guys doing cell tower and utility line inspections and they're doing well. you'll probably want your Part 107 at minimum and depending on the state or the client they might want additional certs or insurance requirements. the barrier to entry is higher but thats also why there's less competition and the clients are less likely to lowball you.

id say keep the day job until you have at least 3-4 months of expenses saved and some kind of recurring client, not just one-offs. the real estate market can dry up fast when the housing market slows down, learned that the hard way

im kind of in the same boat as you actually, following this thread because i've been wondering the same thing. i did one real estate shoot last month and the agent basically wanted me to reshoot half of it for free because the lighting wasnt what she expected even though it looked fine to me lol. not sure thats the niche for me