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The need for skilled drone pilots is rapidly increasing. Every year, more and more industries rely on drones and drone pilots to perform tasks that are either cost-prohibitive or nearly impossible to do otherwise. Drone jobs continue to be in demand nationwide.
Drones can help businesses and governments save time, money, and even lives. There are many opportunities to build a career around drone operation in a variety of industries.
The first step to starting a drone business is certification. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires all drone pilots to demonstrate their competence by passing a certification test before operating a drone. Commercial drone pilots are defined as anyone receiving compensation for operating an unmanned aerial vehicle.
The number of industries that use drones is more significant than you may expect. Many people have built freelance businesses around operating drones, while others find that the skill to fly a drone comes in handy as a supplement to their full-time job.
There are many use cases for remote pilots operating unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Here is a brief list of some of the industries that use drones most often.
The compensation for commercial drone services can range widely depending on the type of work you’re doing. Basic services, such as real-estate photography, can start as low as $25 per hour. Still, highly experienced drone operators can charge as much as $200 per hour.
DroneBase, a company that connects insurance companies with freelance drone pilots, pays a flat rate of $70 per flight. An aerial capture for insurance can take between 20 and 30 minutes.
Getting started with DroneBase is as simple as creating a profile on the company’s website. Branching out on your own may be more difficult. However, once you’re established, you can introduce yourself to local insurance companies to offer your services.
Construction and mining companies often pay high rates for their drone use. A beginner pilot can expect to charge $50 per hour for land survey work. Skilled pilots that know how to work with 3D mapping technology can charge as much as $500 per hour.
Freelance work is less frequent in these industries, as mining and construction companies often purchase their own drones and train their employees on how to operate them. If working your way up the company ladder isn’t your style, try learning specialized skills like capturing and processing 3D scans for environmental mapping to increase your value to these companies.
You likely won’t find freelance work in the public safety sector. Law enforcement agencies and fire departments usually train their employees to operate their unmanned aircraft.
It’s unlikely that these agencies would hire someone specifically for their ability to fly a drone. However, if you’re already working in the public sector and wish to add drone pilot to your job description, obtain a Part 107 license and learn some related skills like drone mapping as you improve your drone flying.
Hollywood offers some of the most lucrative drone jobs if you want to make the big bucks for flying a drone. If you are a skilled videographer able to operate a UAV, you can pull in $200-400 per hour for short shoots and as much as $2,000 on the high end for a full day.
Landing a job as a drone operator in the film industry requires a high level of proficiency in drone cinematography. Before someone hires you to work on a movie, you must create a portfolio of work that attracts attention.
Many of the other industries working with drone operators, such as energy, transportation, and agriculture, pay an average of roughly $100 per hour. It’s important to understand that while freelance work offers reasonable hourly compensation rates, the volume of work is not consistent. Many drone pilots sell their services as a part-time side hustle.
As with the insurance industry, DroneBase is a good starting place for freelance drone pilots looking to work with the energy, transportation, and agriculture industries.
While drone flying is a fun pastime for many, it can also lead to lucrative career opportunities. Skilled drone pilots are increasingly sought after across a variety of industries. If you’re a drone pilot looking to turn your hobby into a profession, read on for everything you’ll need to know to start a drone career.
Per regulations set forth by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), any drone operators looking to make money flying drones (i.e. flying drones for commercial purposes) are required to pass the FAA’s Part 107 Commercial Remote Pilot certification test in order to do so legally.
With the demand for aerial photography and videography at an all-time high, it’s never been easier for drone pilots to make money. Weddings, real estate listings, as well as advertisements for hotels, resorts, golf courses, etc., are just some segments that have a growing need for aerial photography and videography. Pilots can also monetize their aerial photos and videos by selling them through stock agencies such as Alamy, Shutterstock, and Storyblocks.
The demand for drone pilots outside of aerial photography and videography has also been on the rise. Drones have proven they’re cost-effective and safer alternatives to work that traditionally required the use of expensive helicopters or placed personnel in potentially dangerous and/or hazardous situations. The construction and utilities industries are increasingly relying on drones (and drone pilots, naturally) to survey large areas aerially and to carry out asset/structural inspections. Public safety entities are also turning to drones to assist in search and rescue efforts as well as aerial surveillance and monitoring, further increasing the need for drone pilots.
Below are some of the best drones currently available on the market worthy of consideration for operators interested in exploring a career flying drones
The DJI Air 2S features a compact, foldable design that weighs in at less than 600g. It comes equipped with a 20MP camera powered by a 1” CMOS sensor with 12.6 stops of dynamic range. In addition to capturing 5.4K/30 FPS and 4K/60 FPS video, the DJI Air 2S also come with a wealth of autonomous functionality such as Intelligent HDR, hyperlapse, and panorama.
Check out our hands-on review of the DJI Air 2S with Women Who Drone.
The Autel Robotics EVO Lite+ is an ideal choice for drone operators that do most of their work at night. Thanks to its 20MP camera with a 1″ CMOS sensor and its intelligent moonlight algorithm, the Autel Robotics EVO Lite+ is perfectly suited to capture hi-res stills and HDR video at up to 6K with vibrant nighttime details even at high ISO settings.
Drone operators looking to create hi-res content will want to check out the Autel Robotics EVO II V2 Pro. It is the only foldable drone currently on the market capable of capturing 48MP stills as well as HDR video natively in 6K thanks to its 1” Sony IMX383 sensor. It also boasts up to 40 minutes of flight time courtesy of its 7100mAh rechargeable battery.
The DJI Mavic 3 marquee feature is its two onboard cameras: a 4/3” CMOS Hasselblad camera and a Telephoto camera with Full Frame equivalent focal lengths of 24mm and 162mm respectively. Capable of capturing 5.1K/50 FPS and 4K/120 FPS videos, the DJI Mavic 3 also features additional upgrades such as an extended flight time of up to 46 minutes, up to 15 km of video transmission range, as well as its built-in APAS 5.0 and Advanced RTH functionalities for omnidirectional obstacle sensing and avoidance.
Check out our hands-on review of the DJI Mavic 3 with Dirk Dallas.
The DJI Phantom 4 Pro+ V2.0 features a 3-axis-stabilized gimbal camera powered by a 1” CMOS sensor capable of shooting videos in 4K/60 FPS and 20MP stills at bursts of up to 14 FPS. The onboard FlightAutonomy system includes dual rear-vision sensors and infrared, giving the DJI Phantom 4 Pro+ V2.0 five directions of obstacle sensing and four directions of obstacle avoidance. The improved OcuSync 2.0 HD transmission system also ensures stable live video streaming while the drone is in flight.
Be sure to also check out the following drone pilot networks. They’re excellent resources for aspiring drone operators in search of drone-related work opportunities in the enterprise and public sector industries:
There are many opportunities for work in the drone industry. However, being licensed to fly a drone is just the beginning. If you want to succeed at making a career out of professional drone operation, you must master your skill set.
To maintain a commercial drone license, you must be a member of a UAV organization like the AOPA. It’s smart to become active within your organization to meet other pilots who can give you advice. You may also consider taking professional UAV courses to help you gain further operational proficiency.
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