so ive been flying for about 2 years now, got my part 107 last spring, and honestly i keep looking at my day job and thinking... why am i still here. i do weekend shoots for real estate agents mostly, sometimes events if someone asks, and last month i pulled in just under $1400 which felt huge but i know thats not consistent at all.

the thing is i dont really know anyone who does this full time. like actually full time, not the "i make money on the side" thing. i keep seeing people on instagram claiming they travel the world and get paid for drone footage but that feels like the 1% of the 1%. is there actually a path here or am i romanticizing it. my bills are pretty manageable, no kids, rent is under 1k so its not like i need six figures to survive. just trying to get a realistic picture before i do something dumb

honest answer ? it's doable but real estate and events alone probably wont get you there unless you're in a market where demand is insane and you can undercut nobody while still charging enough to live. the guys i know who actually went full time mostly diversified into inspection work, cell tower stuff, stuff that pays per job and not per pretty photo. one buddy of mine does roofing inspections and he's booked solid just from a couple contractor relationships he built. not glamorous but he flies like 4 days a week and makes more than he did in IT.

the instagram travel thing is real for maybe 12 people total so yeah ignore that. but sustainable local commercial work is 100% a thing if you treat it like a business and not a hobby that pays sometimes.

im kind of in the same boat as you actually so not much advice to give but following this thread. i did one job for an architecture firm last month and they said they'd call again so fingers crossed that turns into something regular. $1400 in a month part time sounds pretty solid to me tho ngl