How to make money with a drone – Commercial Use

Drones are now integrated with AI technology, making the majority of their operations self-contained. These innovations have created several opportunities for people to make a living in the sector. Drones are no longer used solely for entertainment. They’ve evolved into a viable business venture.

However, just like any other business, beginning a drone-based firm will present numerous challenges. Before you get in, there are a lot of questions to answer, a lot of fields to investigate, and a lot of things to consider.

Making Money with Drones Requirements

Using your drone to start a business can be difficult, especially if you are a beginner. There are numerous courses to take and decisions to make. Furthermore, it necessitates some effort on your part, including time, money, and hard work.

First steps before establishing a business with your drone:

Equipment

To earn money with a drone, you must first have one! There are a lot of different drones on the market, and deciding which one to choose might be a little overwhelming. Your use purpose and budget are the two most critical aspects to consider. Listing the tasks (inspection, surveillance, mapping), estimated location (indoor, outdoor) and required functions (photo, video, laser scanning, obstacle avoidance) of a drone will help to determine the right choice. Always, make a brief calculation, of how your equipment choice will affect your income. Consider: how long-time a drone can fly, how fast it flies, how much data it can capture in an hour, how much time it takes to set it up and operate, how much maintenance is required, etc.

Training

The next step after purchasing a drone is to learn how to handle it. Drone piloting is not as simple as it appears. Different industries demand different skills, and these skills have a learning curve. So, before you go into any business, make sure you’re prepared and know everything there is to know about flying drones. You might enroll in an online course, a community college course, or learn from a mentor and practice alongside them to improve your talents. Note that there is a different level of training required for remotely piloted drones and autonomous solutions – the higher level of automation, the less training is required.

License

To operate a drone commercially, you must first obtain a valid license. The process for obtaining a drone license is different depending on where you live. Operating a drone without a license can result in heavy fines and even jail time. Check with National Authority to find details on licensing and registration of the operator and drone itself.

Insurance for Drones

Flying a drone, especially if you are a newbie, can be dangerous at times. As a result, acquiring insurance right now is a wise option and most countries mandatory for commercial operations. It will assist you in safeguarding yourself in the event of an accident.

What Are Some Ways to Make Money with A Drone?

Now that you’re up to speed on the criteria, let’s look at some of the most common ways to earn money with your drone.

Aerial photography

Selling drone aerial photography and movies is one of the most common and straightforward ways to make money with your drone. You can photograph stunning landscapes and natural wonders and sell them online or create your own website. You can also take personalized photos and films and sell them to your customers. Launching your own YouTube channel and showcasing your skills to a wide audience is another option to make money with photographs and videos. You may also use these images to promote yourself and get paid for your work.

Photography and videography for events

Becoming an event photographer is another wonderful option to generate money by combining your photography skills with your passion for drones. Weddings, in particular, are a burgeoning sector with a high potential to generate money. Drones provide magnificent photographs and movies to be captured from angles not feasible from land, making event photography and filmmaking increasingly popular.

However, you will need some video abilities and creative editing to be successful in this industry. This is vital since videography is more in demand than traditional photography at events and weddings. You can begin by taking on some low-budget projects to build your portfolio, and then market your way up the industry ladder.

Real estate

In the real estate industry, drone for photography is in high demand. Attractive photographs and films taken from a specific angle by drones are extremely successful in advertising real estate and may even increase its pricing. Drones are also utilized to film and photograph commercial real estates such as hotels and resorts. Drones provide a terrific perspective for capturing the entire property and promoting everything it has to offer.

Despite the fact that it is a competitive industry, you can improve your reputation and portfolio by practicing on attractive properties in your neighborhood. Following that, you can contact several real estate companies or visit the owners of any high-end properties personally to show them what you have to offer.

Aerial surveying

Drones in surveying are a great way to quickly gain an understanding of the land. They can be used to create highly accurate maps and models of construction sites, which is essential for planning and execution. This task requires flying your drone over a designated geographical region and capturing images of various terrain features. This is an exciting industry in which to create a business and earn money with drones. Drones have recently supplanted helicopters in this industry since they can be operated remotely and have the appropriate flying capabilities to capture all of the subtleties of a given landscape.

Aerial surveys are utilized in a variety of applications, including digital mapping, feature recognition, topography, and archaeology. Additionally, the aerial photos you collect while surveying can be used to create 3D models and reconstructions. Aerial surveying, on the other hand, is a difficult and time-consuming task. So, before you enter the field, you must have the knowledge, expertise, and a credential.

Inspection Services

Drone operators have a lot of chances in the inspection market as it is one of the dominating applications of drones in the commercial sector¹. The use of drones in construction can make workers’ jobs more efficient and safer because they can be used for a variety of tasks, including surveying land, inspecting buildings, and delivering materials.

Construction firms, utility or service businesses, insurance providers, telecom companies, power providers, and other companies could be contacted for inspection work. Drones can also be used for electrical inspections, cell phone tower inspections, bridge inspections, gas pipeline and oil inspections, roof inspections, and other similar tasks.

Agriculture, Farming and Forestry

Drones are gaining popularity in agriculture, farming and forestry bringing relevant data for decision making, allowing to spray fields efficiently, monitor livestock and more. In many cases, farmers bring drone solutions in-house, yet there are many opportunities to provide services to this industry, especially where drone use is not a daily practice and service gets outsourced.

Environment, Disaster Relief

Drones are great assistance in environmental monitoring to assess risks for diverse nature objects and habitats, as well as serve as an instrument to collect more precise data about the population and migration of diverse species.  For disaster relief drones are often used for search and rescue tasks and damage assessment, specially equipped drones serve critical material deliveries, extinguish fires and more. These types of segments are mostly covered by government institutions, yet you can deliver your service through environmental projects and participate in public procurement to offer the service.

Drone deliveries

Another option soon to be here is to profit from a drone delivering packages. Drone deliveries are gaining popularity these days because they save time and money when compared to traditional delivery. But just not yet, – drone deliveries are long-awaited, but in most countries, regulations hold back drone delivery introduction to our daily lives. You have to be patient and ready to compete with larger companies offering services in the future.

Summary

The drone industry is rapidly expanding. More and more individuals are interested in purchasing a drone as a result of new technologies. It doesn’t matter if it’s only for the excitement of flying a drone or to make a living. So, if you know how to fly a drone and want to teach others, you have a large audience willing to pay for a course. You could either make videos and offer an online course, or you could take on small groups of students and teach them one-on-one. There are numerous internet programs that might assist you in recording a course. Begin by creating a curriculum and breaking it down into portions to make it entertaining and easy to follow.

¹ DRONE Industry Insights: Commercial Drone use-cases across the industry