so i got my part 107 about six months ago and ive been trying to figure out what kind of work is actually worth pursuing. real estate seems saturated in my area and i dont really want to do weddings. a guy at my local flying club mentioned that telecom inspection work pays really well and that tower climbers are actually being replaced in some cases by drone pilots for initial assessments before anyone goes up.

i looked into it a bit and it seems like you need specific software knowledge and maybe thermal capabilities which i dont currently have. my setup right now is just a mavic 3 classic so im guessing thats probably not going to cut it for serious inspection work. but before i go buying a whole new kit i want to know if theres actually a realistic way in for someone who doesnt already have connections in that industry. do they hire through platforms like dronebase or is it more direct relationships with the tower companies themselves

ive done a handful of tower jobs through a subcontracting company and the mavic 3 classic is actually fine for a lot of the visual inspection stuff, dont let anyone tell you otherwise. the big thing they care about is your ability to fly close and stable around metal structures, interference can be gnarly up there, and also your documentation workflow. they want organized deliverables fast, not artistic shots.

dronebase and aerialytic are worth signing up for but honestly most of my work came from reaching out directly to telecom infrastructure companies and also the companies that manage tower portfolios, not the carriers themselves. its a slow process getting on their approved vendor list but once youre on it the work tends to be fairly steady. expect to do a test job or two basically for cost just to prove yourself

thermal is becoming more of a requirement for certain inspection types yeah but for tower work specifically its more about the zoom capabilities and your ability to document systematically. i went through a certification course for tower inspections and honestly half the value was just having that cert on paper to show clients, the actual technical content wasnt anything i couldnt have figured out. whether thats worth the money is up to you but it did help me get my first real contract faster than cold calling alone was going