been seeing ads for a few of those platforms where you sign up as a drone pilot and they connect you with clients who need work done in your area. Dronebase and a couple others I cant remember the names of right now. curious if anyone here has actually used them consistently and whether the pay is decent or if they take such a big cut that its barely worth showing up.

I get the appeal because finding your own clients is genuinely hard especially when youre starting out and dont have much of a portfolio yet. but I also feel like those platforms probably have a ton of pilots signed up and the work gets spread pretty thin. maybe im wrong though

used dronebase for maybe a year and a half. its fine for filling gaps but i wouldnt build a business around it. the pay per mission is okay but not great once you factor in drive time, prep, editing if they want it. also the briefs they send you can be pretty vague sometimes and youre kind of on your own figuring out what they actually want. good for building hours and getting comfortable working for real clients though, i'll give it that

I tried one of those platforms when I first got my 107 and honestly it helped me realize what the actual workflow of a professional shoot looks like ? like how long things really take, what clients expect, how to handle weather delays and reschedules. The money wasn't life changing but as a way to get reps in before going out on your own I think there's value there. Just dont expect it to replace real client relationships, those are way more valuable long term and the margins are obviously better when theres no middleman taking a chunk.