![]() ![]() Buenrostro, who is also the founder of Women Who Drone, teaches the Intro to Drone Cinematography classes, which cost students $149.99 for an hour long session. The photography gear site last month expanded its offering from selling photo gear to launching PolarPro EDU, a series of live, one-on-one educational classes. Her class teaches students how to set up their drone if they already have one, as well as photography basics.įor remote students, she also offers drone lessons as a contractor through photo retailer Polar Pro. ![]() Airbnb takes a 20% cut of whatever the cost of the Airbnb Experience is, but hosts set their own price.Įlena Buenrostro offers drone flying lessons via home-sharing startup Airbnb Since the vacation rental company launched its “Experiences” service in 2016, drone pilots have been offering drone lessons to Airbnb customers.įor more: Tour operators take a flier on drone photography tripsĪirbnb Experiences is a concept where, instead of renting out their home, hosts offer up their services - whether it’s providing a cooking class, surf school - or yes, drone lessons. I had people request filming but I couldn’t get there because the roads were closed.” Drone lessons as a side hustleĪnother avenue for making money in drones? Airbnb. “We were hit pretty good with the last hurricane in Florida, but you need power to recharge your drones, and you need to be able to commute to the job site. “A lot of folks think you make a fortune during hurricanes,” Cook said. Dean specializes in using drones for post-storm damage inspections, which means he only gets that kind of rapid business in the wake of a storm.īut storms present even more challenges for the pilot. Most of a drone pilot’s business is weather-contingent, which means extreme cold and wind can shut down business, while the aftermath of a storm could mean an influx of business. Most pilots say about 20% of their total business comes from DroneBase, while the other 80% comes from personal clients they’ve generated through networking, SEO or word-of-mouth. “I can do three of those in an hour.”īut most pilots say that DroneBase doesn’t generate enough business for them to work full-time as a contractor for the company. “DroneBase jobs will kick out $70 for an inspection that takes me 15 minutes,” said Denver-based Dean. DroneBase’s packages range from $99 to $449 per job, and the contracted pilots get a cut. There’s also a growing list of companies that function as an “Uber for drone pilots.” Sites like DroneBase allow customers in need of aerial imagery to place an order for the images they want, and one of DroneBase’s contracted pilots will fly the drone and send them the images.ĭroneBase’s customers include real-estate agents or developers who want aerial images of their properties and insurance companies that want aerial images to help process claims for cases such as roof damage. ![]() Where does the business come from? Some companies like Washington, D.C.-based Measure market themselves as drone service providers and hire full-time pilots on staff. The Federal Aviation Administration also requires that commercial drone pilots have a license, which costs $150 and must be renewed every two years. Related: Only one drone pilot has ever been busted for flying without a license - and he got a warning For people flying occasionally, companies like or Verifly offer on-demand drone insurance, where pilots pay for shorter periods of coverage - some as little as by the hour. Some major insurance companies like State Farm will cover drones, which could be a good idea for full-time drone pilots. He recommends pilots have business liability, as well as hull coverage, which covers physical property damage. Moss’s insurance policy costs him $2,700 a year. Moss says he carries 13 batteries with him. 3.36% Karma drone on the low-end - primarily being used for traditional visual images like real estate photography - to the high-end, $40,000 Intel Corp.įalcon 8, which is used for surveys and inspections.ĭrones also require accessories, like memory cards, car chargers and cases. While DJI has an estimated 70% to 80% share of the market, other drones on the market range from GoPro Inc.’s An accompanying thermal camera, such as Flir’s For pilots who want to carry a thermal camera, the most popular drone is the DJI Inspire 2, which costs about $3,000. Flight planning startup Kittyhawk says the most commonly used drone among its users is the DJI Mavic Pro, which costs less than $1,000. Each level of thermography certification costs $2,000, and there are three levels (Dean has a level three certification).ĭrones range from about $1,000 to more than $10,000. Dean said that he lands most of his highest-paying gigs because of his thermography certification.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |