How to make money off your drone

Perhaps you want to make a few youur bucks or possibly build a thriving business out of your aerial photography. Drones yojr become so accessible and inexpensive that just about anyone can afford to do aerial photography today. Something that was once limited to the professionals is now available for photo amateurs, enthusiasts, and deone. Aerial photographs are quite impressive and are sought out by event planners, art collectors, and by a variety of industries and businesses. It has become easy to sell your aerial images and make money with your drone. The first thing you need to know before you want to start selling photos or videos taken with your drone is that the images have to be top quality. Nobody will purchase blurred images that look like they were taken with a cheap drone or by an inexperienced photographer. As you take on more contracts and start making money, you can buy more gear and gadgets for your drone like a gimbal and other items that will give you the opportunity to take better photos. Now that you have the proper equipment and are ready to take on that first gig, you have to do some groundwork before getting started. First, research the regulations regarding operating drones in your country and in the areas you predict that you will be flying your drone. Different laws are in place and they are adapting to this new activity regularly. Some countries, like the USA, now require you to register your drone before taking it to the skies.

Drone Training

Flying drones was a hot trend a few years ago. Some people think drones, also known as unmanned aerial vehicles UAV , are just toys. That statement is true to some extent because you can do a lot of fun things with it. For instance, you can create beautiful pictures with your family and friends during your vacations or getaways. You also can create stunning videos and capture events from unique angles. And if you look at drones, they can be more than a plaything that you fly with remote control. When used correctly, you can generate a steady stream of income from operating a commercial drone. In this post, you will learn how to make money with a drone. Most of the ways listed below will require you to make money by taking photos or drone footage. The beauty of drones is that you can take pictures from unique angles and get nearer to your subject without being physically there to capture the shot. If you can master flying a drone and getting comfortable with its features, then the suggestions below will be right up your alley.

#1. Earn money selling aerial photos and footage

Also, some of the suggestions below will require you to possess specific and highly-developed skills to help add value to your existing services. However, you can still make money as long as you know how to capture good photos using a drone. As mentioned, taking photos using a drone is your best bet for making money with it. Before considering drone photography, you need to be mindful of who you plan your services in. Two industries that need aerial photos as part of their job are real estate agents and architects. The former could use the photos to help give their potential buyers a better view of the property from different angles. The latter can use drones to take pictures of buildings, inspect the quality of construction, and survey sites, to name a few. Mapping out a piece of land or property is common with a drone.

There you have it — a complete guide on how to make money with a drone. Likewise, there are many different companies that need drones for a range of reasons. Drone business opportunities. For example, drone video and photography is becoming increasingly popular for weddings. What is the groundwork you need to lay before you can make money with a drone? In many cases, drones end up being more practical and effective than sending a person into the area. Think of it this way — Consider that you have the option to hire two drivers. This can be a very profitable business.

First, you will need to make a small investment

The following are the industries you will need to look forward to building relationships iff, if this is where you want to get into to make money with a drone:. How much coverage you should go for will entirely depend on the type of clients and the type of work you do, of course. They are suitable for huge inhabited areas which are jour dangerous or even impossible to reach by land. Leave this field. You can also choose to work full time as a drone instructor for a drone institution, provided you have built the necessary portfolio. The same goes with online stores, but the fees are a little bit different. Having a drone job is another how to make money off your drone lucrative way to make money with your drone, other than looking makke drone business opportunities. You could be the best drone operator in the world and be the best in your niche in terms of technical skills but if you are not willing and cannot market and sell hiw services you are probably not going to make money with droe. In fact, all the strategies that apply to the reselling of other goods also will work with drones. All these operations can help farmers reduce plant damages, cut costs, and have the higher yield with their crops. Flying and niche specific skill level to make money with a drone While you do not have to be a drone Jedi masterwe recommend you at least have a year worth of practice flying under your belt before you try and sell your services in order to make money with hour drone. Drones are being used to secure sensitive areas from trespassers.

#1. Earn money selling aerial photos and footage

By V Kadamatt Buying Guides. Drones are becoming ever more popular and with it come new opportunities. Want to make money with a drone? Now is certainly the time! How would you like to make money with your cool little flying machine? But how do you get there? How do you get your first paying gig? What are the equipment you will need?

What is the groundwork you need to lay before you can make money with a drone? This article will answer all of the above questions. Read on, if you want to make money with your drone!

Do you need the most expensive drone out there to get started? Most certainly not! In fact, if you are just getting started, getting the best drone possible is probably not the best decision in terms of budgeting, especially if it is limited.

If you want to make money with a drone, you have to plan wisely as a beginner. That being said, a hobby grade quadcopter will definitely not cut it even if you are starting out in the advertising line and you will need something powerful enough to handle marketable photography and video.

So what are your options, really? The following are some examples of minimum budget as of you. These are of course, rough examples and prices are subject to change but as you can see, the budget varies significantly. What niche you intend to go into to make money with a drone will ultimately determine how much you end up paying for your drone.

Of course, if you get a cheaper drone like the Phantom 3 4K, you may have to upgrade rather quickly in order to expand your client base and to be able to fly year-round in every possible weather conditions. If your budget is limited, you can get away with it, but getting something in the Inspire series will make you future proof, in case you want to quickly expand the work you do into action sports and film making.

Like the drone itself, the accessories you need to make money with a drone will entirely depend on the niche you will get. Below is a rough list. Do you need to get certified to make money with a drone?

Do you need the Part certification? Short answer is, yes. To qualify for a remote pilot certificate Partan individual must either pass an initial aeronautical knowledge test at an FAA-approved knowledge testing center or have an existing non-student Part 61 pilot certificate.

So what do you do? Simple — study and pass for the Part certification exam and get certified. The FAA has put up a study guide. However, this might not be enough and some questions can take you by surprise.

We highly recommend the Drone Pilot Ground School. Though it costs some money, it will almost certainly guarantee a pass which is far better than spending money and time to retake the test multiple times! While how to make money off your drone do not have to be a drone Jedi masterwe recommend you at least have a year worth of practice flying under your belt before you try and sell your services in order to make money with a drone. In the meantime, you should focus on building relationships in the niche of your picking.

Another skill recommended while going about trying to make money with a drone is to know how to maintain and repair your drone in case something goes wrong. Think of it this way — Consider that you have the option to hire two drivers. Both of them are great drivers, but one of them has the skill to work under the hood and fix things if something goes wrong with your car.

Who would you hire? Most of us would pick the one with the extra skill! Drones are much like vehicles in this regard. While flying to make money with a drone, any number of things can go wrong to impede your project including broken or unbalanced props, broken motors, gimbal obstructions, body imbalances and many other malfunctions.

While you do not need to have the technical know how on how to engineer a drone or program a flight controller, you will be at a significant advantage if you know how to assemble a drone kit into a fully functional drone. Flying skills are of course, not the only thing you will need to have in order to make money with a drone.

Whatever niche you pick, you need to develop specific skill sets for that niche. This is where you should start small. For example, unless you have been doing aerial videography for a long time, you should probably steer clear of trying to get into action sport cinematography. The ideal place to start for a beginner with absolutely no niche specific skills would be something like real estate photography and other types of advertising.

You could be the best drone operator in the world and be the best in your niche in terms of technical skills but if you are not willing and cannot market and sell your services you are probably not going to make money with drones.

At least not. Starting a drone service business is no different from other businesses. You need to have a framework for getting clients, closing the sale for your services, retaining them and scaling to ensure that your business grows. Landing a few gigs here and there may be great to make some pocket money to buy a new TV, but if you want to make a living, you NEED to know how to market and sell.

If however, your goal is to simply make some pocket money, you may try out online services like DroneBase. Not only because will you earn more, you will OWN your clients and your business. As humans, we make mistakes. This is true even for skilled, professional pilots in the business.

Playing around with drones as a hobby itself is no risk free joke, let alone flying for commercial use! Large lawyer fees and spending a fortune on paying fines is a risk that drone pilots will always be taking, just by merely flying.

Getting a drone insurance will provide you protection against accidental damages caused by your drone third party liability claims and to the drone. How much coverage you should go for will entirely depend on the type of clients and the type of work you do, of course.

It is important then, to consider potential risks and go for a policy that reflects your needs. If you are using multiple drones, you will have to cover them separately! There are many companies that offer drone insurance policies. Following are some examples we are not affiliated with any of them and it is by no means a comprehensive list.

If you love flying drones and RC crafts and love the idea of making money flying a drone, there is no better time to start your drone service business.

The FAA has finally regulated the commercial drone market under part Aspiring commercial pilots have to take the FAA part test and pass it, in order to operate drones legally. This has removed the skepticism in hiring drone pilots.

Moreover, since the regulation has only been passed, the industry is still in its early stages and the competition has not peaked as of. The barrier to entry in terms of initial costs is at an all-time low. You also do not even need an office or a bunch of employees.

With proper client-getting framework in place, you can be a successful lone-wolf drone pilot and make money flying a drone. One of the most common and lucrative ways to make money with a drone is to get a job. For many of you out there, marketing and running your own business might be a challenge. If this is the case, then you might want to get a drone job instead. If you want to make money flying a drone independently in the sUAS world, you will need to build your reputation!

With the increase in demand for piloting instructions, becoming a drone instructor is an excellent path to take to make money with a drone if you have the necessary skills, certifications and reputation. If you go the independent route, you can either choose to instruct your clients in a one on one basis or setup an online course or start a blog of your. Online course platforms like Udemy are a great way to market your course materials.

You can also choose to work full time as a drone instructor for a drone institution, provided you have built the necessary portfolio. Companies that manufacture drones for different fields like agriculture, search and rescue operations and military look for drone pilots capable of instructing their clients on how to fly their crafts safely.

With engineering qualifications, you can work in product development, technical support, UAV maintenance technician or QA. Research is another option. Recommended : If you are just starting out and want to get a feel for the type of work you might have to do AND you are in the US, check out DroneBase.

How do you start and get successful in the drone service business industry? Pick a niche and focus all your efforts into it. If you want to make money with your drone, you must build your skills, relationships and build clients in that niche.

Do not think you can do everything at once, especially if you are just starting. The biggest mistake you can do is to dilute your efforts by spreading too. If you are just starting out and do not have spectacular flying or other skills specific to a niche, then you should pick a niche that is suitable for you.

Real estate photography for example has a much lower barrier to entry in terms of skill compared to action sports cinematography or power line inspections. The amount you can charge your clients will of course, be directly proportional to your skill set, but remember that there is always a starting point to.

You absolutely do not have to wait until you learn every possible skill before you can start your own drone service business. In fact serving customers is probably the best way to improve your existing skills and build your portfolio.

You can always move into a different, more skill demanding work later on in your drone career. If you are just starting out, the best way for you to get into the game of making money with drones is to offer your service to potential clients for free or for an incredibly low price. Obviously, you are not running a charity so you will have to make it clear to your clients that they will have to pay for your services if they want more from you.

5 ways to make money with a drone

You finally did it. You bought your dronehave a few hours of flying under your belt and understand what it means to practice safe, ethical flying. Fortunately for you, there are countless ways to take advantage of this blossoming industry. Are you proving drone services to customers? Check out this combination services and copyright license agreement form. Drone photography is changing the face of real estate as we know it.

I’d love to learn about…

Forget anything below. Think golf courses, beachside resorts, amusement parks, hunting lodges, or ranches. Ooh, what about ski lodges? Practice, practice, and more practice. The more hours of flight time, the better. Last year, my cousin had her wedding in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. One of her guests?