so ive been flying on the side for about 2 years now, mostly real estate stuff and a few weddings here and there. i have my part 107 and a pretty decent kit ? mavic 3 pro plus an older inspire 1 i picked up cheap for bigger jobs. im making maybe 800-1200 a month on top of my regular job which honestly isnt bad for part time but ive been wondering lately if i could push this into something full time.

my day job is fine but its not exactly thrilling and i keep thinking about what it would look like to actually do drone work as my main thing. the problem is i dont really know anyone doing it full time and i cant tell if the people claiming to make good money online are just selling courses or if its actually realistic. like is there enough consistent work out there or is it mostly feast or famine. would really appreciate hearing from anyone whos made the jump or tried to.

made the jump about 3 years ago and honestly it took longer than i expected to get stable. first year was rough, second year i started figuring out which clients actually pay consistently and stopped chasing one-off wedding gigs. for me the turning point was getting a few construction companies on retainer for progress photography ? not glamorous but they pay reliably and the shoots are pretty straightforward once you set up the workflow. real estate alone is brutal because theres so many pilots undercutting each other. if i was starting over id focus harder on commercial and industrial clients way earlier. you probably already know this but the 800-1200 part time is actually a decent sign that you have something to build on, a lot of people struggle to even get to that point.

not full time myself but my buddy does inspections ? cell towers and rooftop stuff mostly ? and he says thats where the real money is if you can get certified for it. apparently the inspection side pays way better than photo/video and theres less competition because you need extra training and sometimes specific gear. just something worth looking into if the creative side isnt paying enough on its own