NASHVILLE, TN, August 7, 2024—UAV Coach, the nation’s top provider of drone education and training, has released a newly updated version of Drone Pilot Ground School to help drone pilots pass the FAA’s Part 107 test. The updated course was recently released on July 24 as the company celebrates 10 years of working to support drone pilots.

“We are so excited about this updated version of Drone Pilot Ground School,” says Brad Tucker, CEO of UAV Coach. “Our focus at UAV Coach has always been on helping commercial drone pilots gain the knowledge and skills they need to be successful, and this newly updated course is the perfect way for us to celebrate ten years of doing this important work.”

UAV Coach launched Drone Pilot Ground School on June 21, 2016—the same day the FAA released the Part 107 rules. Since launching, over 65,000 drone pilots have used the course to earn their Part 107 certification. UAV Coach students have over a 99% pass rate on the test, and the company is trusted by nationally recognized organizations like the NYPD, NBC Universal, Granite Construction, and Tesla to train their drone pilots.

Drone Pilot Ground School walks students through the Part 107 test, covering key topics in a self-study format. The new version of the course has been completely updated, including:

• New videos and course content fully up-to-date for 2024.
• New personalized study plans to help students succeed and progress at their preferred pace.
• New virtual flashcards to provide even more study tools to help students pass the exam the first time.
• New Spanish subtitles for more accessible learning.

To celebrate its 10th anniversary, UAV Coach is offering $100 off Drone Pilot Ground School now through August 14. See an example lesson from the updated course now.

About UAV Coach

UAV Coach is the nation’s top provider of drone education and training. UAV Coach specializes in helping people get their commercial drone license through their online test prep course, Drone Pilot Ground School, with a 99% pass rate, which has helped over 65,000 drone pilots pass the FAA’s Part 107 test. UAV Coach offers free and paid educational resources for drone pilots, including in-person training and free access to the FAA’s TRUST for recreational flyers. UAV Coach was founded in 2014 with the mission of empowering drone pilots every step of their journey.

Media contact: Zacc Dukowitz (Zacc@UAVCoach.com)

The post UAV Coach Celebrates 10th Anniversary with Newly Updated Part 107 Course appeared first on UAV Coach.

This month marks UAV Coach’s 10th anniversary.

To celebrate the anniversary, we’ve released a newly updated Drone Pilot Ground School, our test prep course for the FAA’s Part 107 exam.

We’ve completely reimagined the course with:

• Brand new videos
• Virtual flashcards
• Personalized study plans
• Spanish subtitles

And a lot more, which we’ll cover below in this article.

To celebrate the new version of the course, we’re offering $100 off thru August 14th.

Sign up now to get the discount.

Celebrating Ten Years by Doubling Down on Our Commitment to Drone Pilots

When UAV Coach first started in 2014, the FAA’s Part 107 certification didn’t exist. From 2014 to 2016, the only way to operate drones commercially was to obtain a Part 333 exemption.

In 2016, the FAA released the Part 107 rules.

On the same day the rules came out we launched Drone Pilot Ground School, our online test prep course to help drone pilots pass the Part 107 test.

Since then, we’ve trained over 65,000 drone pilots to become Part 107 certified. Our students have over a 99% pass rate on the test, and we’re trusted by nationally recognized organizations like Tesla, the NYPD, and NBC Universal to train their pilots.The journey to get to this point has been incredible. And all of our success has come from you, our students.

That’s why we wanted to celebrate UAV Coach’s 10th anniversary by creating a completely up-to-date version of Drone Pilot Ground School.

[Want to see what the course looks like? See inside one of our lessons!]

The original course was made in 2016, just before the FAA released the Part 107 rules.

After a few years, we felt like we could do better. So we completely redid Drone Pilot Ground School, reshooting videos, creating new lessons to address notes from our students, and making the learning experience more seamless.

Now, we created a completely new, up-to-date version of Drone Pilot Ground School to provide the very best resources for our students—keep reading to learn more about the updates we made.

What’s New in Drone Pilot Ground School

Here’s a closer look at the updates we made in the new version of Drone Pilot Ground School.

NEW Most Updated Industry Content

We guarantee that you will be getting access to the industry’s most up-to-date content so that you can have confidence in passing the FAA exam.

Our videos are NEW as of July 2024, no outdated videos here!

Here’s a look inside the new course:

NEW Personalized Study Plans

Complete the course in one week or spread it out over the course of two weeks or one month. With our study plans, you’ll be able to pace your training to your ideal completion time.

NEW Virtual Flash Cards

Our course now includes digital flash cards to provide even more study tools to help you pass the exam the first time. Guaranteed.

NEW Spanish Subtitles

Although you need to be able to read, speak, write, and understand English to become a certified drone pilot; we now offer Spanish subtitles for more accessible learning.

Ready to become a commercial drone pilot?

Get $100 off the newly updated Drone Pilot Ground School now.

The post Want to Become Part 107 Certified? Get $100 Off Our Newly Updated Test Prep Course, Drone Pilot Ground School appeared first on UAV Coach.

In the last few years, drones have helped make several improvements in construction, from increased accuracy in reporting, to improving safety conditions, to cutting costs and increasing efficiency.

AI-driven mapping software has developed alongside drone technology. This software contains powerful systems for processing a drone’s raw visual data to provide detailed maps of construction sites.

Image source

But one of the biggest winners in the advent of drones in construction work have been the clients.

With drones making it easier and easier for companies to provide visual data on the progress of a construction project, clients can now get quick updates on how things are proceeding. These updates include detailed maps of the entire site with GPS points, which allow you to zoom in and view small details of the area.

Detailed visual reports can then be shared with stakeholders, helping everyone involved in a construction project to see what has already been done and what work is remaining.

Below we’ll cover what drones are doing to improve construction operations, and also give you some concrete information on what the construction drone market looks like and how you might be able to break into it as a drone pilot.

Drones in Construction: How Are Drones Used on a Construction Site?

The big benefit to using a drone in construction is getting quick, accurate visual data of a site.

This data can then be used in a number of ways. It can be shared with clients, with internal teams, used to help improve safety, and to focus efforts toward completing a project faster.

Why Is Visual Data So Important on a Construction Site?

Construction projects are often huge operations, with a lot happening over a large area. While building, visual information is the only way to know what’s happening on-site.

Project managers for construction companies will tell you that real-time control of the project is one of the most difficult things to maintain. Real-time control requires real-time data.

Typically, data is collected by construction personnel walking a site by foot, manually gathering information as they go. But this process is labor-intensive and slow, and doesn’t allow companies to react quickly to changes on the ground.

For example, after a big rain a site could have changed dramatically, rendering data collected the day before obsolete. If a potential problem on the site is missed for even a few days while a new report is created manually, the delay could result in significant setbacks, which could end up pushing the project over budget, sometimes by millions of dollars.

Now compare this to the speed and efficiency of using a drone in construction work instead.

With a 15-minute flight, a drone pilot can gather the same visual data that it might take a surveyor working for a construction company half a day to collect by walking on foot.

And the construction drone’s data will be more thorough and more accurate because the drone can capture visual footage constantly while in flight. This footage can later be processed automatically using software created just for this purpose into several different kinds of maps of the entire site.

Also, there are places on construction sites that are just too dangerous for a person to enter. After all, you’re not going to ask someone to walk around the edge of a sinkhole, or send someone onto the roof of a condemned building.

But a construction drone can fly overhead and create a record of everything happening within a dangerous area, providing crucial information that will help determine how to proceed.

Here are some of the ways you’ll find people using drones in construction right now:

• Pre-planning
• Reporting to customers
• Identifying safety concerns
• Tracking progress and identifying potential problems / delays
• Creating 3D and orthomosaic maps, which can be used for all of the above purposes, as well as to measure stockpiles of various materials on the construction site

Image source

Eight Trillion a Year: Big Opportunities for Drones in Construction

Eight trillion dollars a year—that’s how much the construction industry is currently worth.

But it’s incredibly inefficient. In fact, the typical commercial construction project runs 80% over budget and 20 months behind schedule.

This inefficiency presents a massive opportunity for drones in construction, as 3DR’s CEO Chris Anderson has pointed out.

On-screen, in the architect’s CAD file, everything looks perfect. But on-site, in the mud and dust, things are different. And the difference between concept and reality is where about $3 trillion of that $8 trillion gets lost, in a cascade of change orders, rework, and schedule slips. Drones are meant to close that gap.

– Chris Anderson, CEO of 3DR

If drone pilots can capture just a small fraction of that three trillion through working drones on construction projects it will permanently change the way construction companies do business for the better. And it will also mean a huge influx of reliable income for anyone working with drones in construction.

How Companies Are Using Drones in Construction: Five Ways Drones Are Changing the Way Construction Is Done

Drones are changing the way construction companies do business, helping them coordinate teams more efficiently, track progress more regularly, and complete projects faster with less waste.

Here are five ways drones are being used in construction operations right now.

1. Pre-Planning

Visual data collected by drone can help construction companies get a solid understanding of the entire site before they begin construction.

This pre-planning data can show possible drainage spots, changes in elevation, and other factors that can help determine the best places to build, dig, or stockpile materials. For example, if a map created with drone data reveals that a certain area is in a floodplain, that’s probably not the best place to build.

Drone data can also be used in pre-planning to give designers and architects a clear sense of how a new building might look next to an existing one, which helps them understand how the new project will impact the area from both a practical and an aesthetic viewpoint.

2. Keeping the Client in the Loop

Photos, videos, 3D models, and orthomosaic maps created with drone data can be used to provide clients with detailed, real-time reports on how things are progressing on-site.

On larger construction projects, there are often multiple stakeholders in multiple locations who are all eager to know how things are progressing.

Without a drone collecting visual data, clients would have to walk a site in person to see how things are moving along, or hire a helicopter at a prohibitively high cost to collect aerial shots or video. And even if they did take this step, the shots collected could be outdated after the next workday.

Given the relatively low expense of collecting visual data using a drone on a construction site, regular reports can now be sent to clients, helping them stay informed and happy about how things are moving along.

3. Safety

Since drones make the collection of visual data so much cheaper, construction companies can use drones in construction work to do aerial surveys more often, and this data can help them stay on top of changing conditions that may impact safety.

And safety on a construction site isn’t just about keeping workers safe—it’s also about finding access points where civilians could enter the work area and potentially hurt themselves.

Identifying a breach in the perimeter of a site on the same day it happens, instead of the next time someone walks by that specific area on foot, could make all the difference in preventing an accident.

4. Progress Monitoring to Improve Efficiency and Avoid Waste

Maps created with drone data can be created regularly and sent to a project manager, who can use them to plan and monitor progress, a crucial part of avoiding delays that can cause a project to go over budget.

Drone imaging can be used to show erection sequences, crane locations, and perimeter security (i.e., gaps in fencing), and these sequences can be viewed regularly to pinpoint where projects are starting to get congested or delayed.

We’ve had a 10-15% accuracy increase [with drones]…that alone has saved us thousands of dollars every year.

– Doug Stout, Compliance Manager, Eucon Corporation

5. Monitoring Productivity and Accountability On-Site

Maps of a construction site created with aerial data can also help project managers to monitor the productivity of their crew.

These maps can be used to see if equipment or machinery is missing or has been left in the wrong area of the site, and can help identify places where a manager may need to investigate to see why work isn’t proceeding as quickly as anticipated.

This kind of information saves the manager the time of having to walk the entire site on foot to review the condition of different aspects of the project, including the condition of the roof or other parts of the project. With drone data, the manager can just review a map, zoom in to see a certain area, and identify the problem from his or her office.

Another great thing about drone data is that it provides a permanent record of a project, which can be referenced at any time.

If something goes wrong down the line in a project, construction personnel can go back and review earlier data to understand the conditions that led to the problem.

A written report with a handful of images created by a person manually walking the site isn’t nearly as comprehensive. This kind of report couldn’t be used for the same kind of in-depth analysis of a site to understand everything that happened there.

Image source

Is There Work to be Found Flying Drones in Construction? And What Does It Pay?

A report created by Skyward last year found that drone construction work had the biggest piece of the commercial drone market.

A whopping 35% of the companies surveyed who reported using drones in their operations identified themselves as working in Construction & Engineering (i.e., working with drones in construction and related projects).

So if you’re a drone pilot interested in finding work on a construction site, the data seems to indicate that there’s work to be had, assuming you have the proper skills.

In-House or Freelance?

OK, so you want to work as a pilot flying drones in construction. Should you try to get hired by a company’s in-house drone program, or should you try to get hired as a freelance pilot?

In our 2019 Drone Industry Survey, 23% of respondents (86 out of 370) who worked for a company as a drone pilot reported working in Construction / Mining / Aggregates. This was the largest single category for those flying drones as part of an in-house drone operation.

The percentage of freelance / self-employed drone pilots who worked in construction was the same, with 23% of self-employed respondents (81 out of 353) working in Construction / Mining / Aggregates.

Based on this data, it seems like there’s probably work to be had either by joining an in-house drone program or by going the freelance route.

How Much Could I Make Flying a Drone in Construction?

Based on our research, self-employed drone pilots are starting out at around $50/hour for drone construction work, and highly skilled pilots can make anywhere from $250/hour to over $500/hour.

If you’re working for an in-house drone program in construction instead of for an hourly wage, the data we’ve seen shows experienced drone pilots making anywhere from $50,000 to $70,000 or more a year.

It’s important to emphasize that these numbers may vary based on factors like location, experience, and skill level.

Drones in Construction: Just the Beginning

Construction companies are already starting to use drones in a major way, but this is just the beginning.

Over the next few years, drones will only be used more and more for construction work. We’re going to see drone technology and software continue to evolve, with improvements in automation helping drone companies get the visual data they need even more quickly, at a lower and lower cost.

Want to break into working with drones in construction? Learn more about how you can improve your drone pilot skills and start an exciting new career path today.

The post Drones in Construction: An In-Depth Guide [New for 2024] appeared first on UAV Coach.

But it’s true—Commercial UAV Expo 2024 is less than two months away!

And this year’s a big one, with the conference celebrating its 10th year, which is practically a century in the fast-moving world of drone technology.

After the drone conference shakeup that happened during COVID, Commercial UAV Expo has emerged as the clear front runner in the world of drone events. These days, it’s one of the biggest, best U.S. commercial drone conferences you can find.

Every year we start getting excited around now because we know the conference is coming up.

In this post, we’re going to share all the reasons we’re excited for Commercial UAV Expo 2024. If you’re on the fence about attending, this post may help you make a decision. And if you already know you’re going, we hope this post will serve to get you pumped.

When and Where Is Commercial UAV Expo 2024?

As it has been for several years, the conference will be held at Caesars Forum in Las Vegas, NV. The dates this year are September 3 to 5.

Right now you can get early bird pricing for $300 off. This deal is good until July 19.

Learn more about attending, or keep reading for our nine reasons to attend.

9 Reasons to Attend Commercial UAV Expo 2024

Here are the reasons we’re getting excited for the conference this year.

1. Best-in-Class Technology

The exhibition hall is always one of the best parts of any tech-focused conference. And the hall at Commercial UAV Expo is a standout, because all the heavy hitters in the drone industry are there.

This year, the expo will feature over 300 exhibitors showcasing the latest in commercial UAS technology.

The Elios 3 in flight inside a trailer at Commercial UAV Expo 2022

And if this year is like the last few, you can even fly Flyability’s Elios 3 on the exhibition floor—because they bring in a trailer where they literally let you fly right at the booth. That’s pretty cool.

2. Vertical-Specific Drone Deep Dives

Want to learn more about a specific section of the drone industry? Or learn a little about a lot of different commercial drone applications?

Whether you want to go deep on one application or just get a lay of the land for how drones are being used in work, Commercial UAV Expo is a great place to learn.

The conference program this year will offer talks in five key drone verticals:

• Construction
• Drone Pilot Program
• Energy and Utilities
• Infrastructure and Transportation
• Policy

View the full 2024 conference program.

3. Innovative Hydrogen Track

In addition to the five core tracks above, this year there will again be a track put on by the HYSKY Society.

This event does cost extra. But it’s a really unique offering. The HYSKY Society Hydrogen Aviation Course brings together all pieces of the hydrogen aviation ecosystem: hydrogen production, hydrogen logistics, hydrogen infrastructure, hydrogen fuel cells, and engines, and hydrogen aircraft.

The course offers participants the opportunity to gain in-depth knowledge about the latest advancements, technologies, and applications in the field of hydrogen aviation, designed to provide a solid foundation for understanding the principles, challenges, and opportunities associated with hydrogen-powered aircraft.

Learn more about the HYSKY Course.

4. The Keynotes

Commercial UAV Expo 2024 brings in top talent to speak every year, and this year’s shaping up to be no different.

Keynotes are a great opportunity to get personal perspectives from the top thought leaders, visionaries, and innovators in commercial drones operations.

Hear from industry experts about where the drone industry is headed from a regulatory perspective, how AI is impacting drone operations right now, and more.

5. Special Workshops and Events

Every year, Commercial UAV Expo puts on special events in addition to the main lineup of talks and panels.

Here are this year’s top workshops and events:

• Photogrammetric Mapping with UAS—led by ASPRS.
• LiDAR Mapping with UAS—led by ASPRS.
• From Air to Ground: Comprehensive Lidar Mapping Solutions—led by GeoCUE.
• Transforming UAVs into Real-World Mapping and Surveying Solutions—led by Trimble.
• From Drone Data to Survey Deliverable—led by Virtual Surveyor.

Learn more about special workshops and events at the 2024 conference.

6. Almost 4,000 Attendees Anticipated

Last year about 3,750 people attended Commercial UAV Expo. And this year the number may be even higher, if you can believe it.

Pulling people in from over 70 different countries, the event will truly be a global meeting place for all things drone-related.

7. The DRONERESPONDERS Public Safety Summit

Presented by AIRT, the Public Safety Summit is a co-located event that takes place over two days during Commercial UAV Expo.

Credit: DRONERESPONDERS

The Summit features programming designed to educate and prepare first responder UAS program managers and remote pilots at every experience level for public safety UAS operations.

If you work for a public safety agency and have been wanting to get up to speed with how to use drones, this event is a great opportunity to jump start your knowledge for using drones in your work.

Learn more about the Summit here.

8. Networking

Attendees at Commercial UAV Expo this year include people from top drone-related companies, government agencies, and some of the biggest companies in the world.

Where else can you rub shoulders with thousands of people who work with drones?

If you’re looking for work, to hire a drone pilot, to partner with another drone hardware or software company, or just to grow the list of contacts you have in the drone industry, Commercial UAV Expo is a great place to do it.

9. Live Outdoor Flying Demonstrations

Want to see the latest drone technology on display—not just in an exhibit hall, but actually in the air? Commercial UAV Expo’s live demos are the place to do it.

Here’s what Commercial UAV Expo has to say about this year’s live demos:

Leading vendors will demonstrate a range of drone applications. Not only will airframe and sensor capabilities be showcased, but a sophisticated AV set up will allow users to view resulting data sets and processing solutions for the full end-to-end view of the technology. Drone experts will be on-hand to narrate live scenarios and field questions from the audience.

Here are the companies participating in the live demos this year:

• Autel Robotics
• Event 38 Unmanned Systems
• Frontier Precision Unmanned
• ideaForge
• Skyfish

Learn more about this year’s live demos.

Want to Attend Commercial UAV Expo 2024?

Take advantage of early bird pricing, which gets you $300 off from now until July 19. Register here.

Hope to see you there!

The post 9 Reasons to Attend Commercial UAV Expo 2024 appeared first on UAV Coach.

Following his service, he was recruited by General Atomics to oversee engineering teams working on several cutting-edge Predator and Reaper military drone projects. Seeing what was about to come in the small commercial drone market, Dan founded Modus Robotics, where he was able to use his skills in aviation and remote sensing to help companies transform drone-driven data into actionable business intelligence.

Daniel also has a background in tactical imagery and satellite remote sensing, making him an expert in Light Detection and Range (LiDAR). In fact, he just launched a free course to help drone pilots learn about LiDAR called LiDAR Basics, and his company’s website offers an entire library of free LiDAR resources you can peruse if you’re want to learn more about the topic.

We wanted to sit down with Daniel to learn more about LiDAR, LiDAR-equipped drones, and how he first started working with drones—read the interview to learn what he had to say.

—
Begin Interview

What is LiDAR?

LiDAR is light detection and range—it stands for a principle.

At its essence, what you’re doing with LiDAR is the same thing as RADAR or SONAR. You send the signal out, it bounces off something, and you time how long it takes to return.

That’s essentially what LiDAR is. The big difference between LiDAR and RADAR or SONAR is the precision. With RADAR you’re using these very, very large waves that crash into something and come back, and it’s the same thing with SONAR.

Because LiDAR is so precise, it yields incredible resolution and precision—when you’re using light, or more specifically, a laser, you’re using photons, so it’s very, very precise.

https://vimeo.com/277115593

Check out this intro to LiDAR video created by Modus Robotics

Is LiDAR better than photogrammetry?

They’re both excellent, and they’re both necessary in different scenarios.

I think the debate about which is better is just based on who can afford what. Comparing the two is comparing apples and oranges. With photogrammetry, light is generated from somewhere else and reflected, and the camera captures it. But with LiDAR, light is generated by the LiDAR sensor itself, so you know the precise distance and angle from the sensor.

What I recommend is to use LiDAR when you need measurable data quickly. Use drone photogrammetry when you need spectral or color information. I use both, using LiDAR as the base layer for BIM (Building Information Modeling) and GIS (Geographic Information System), and then draping the photogrammetric imagery over the base layer. The commercial drone market seems to think this is a new thing, but we have been doing this for years. It is proven technology. In the end, keep your processes simple, and you will be more efficient and make more money in the long run.

We hear much talk about accuracy these days. What level of accuracy do you think is important when using LiDAR, or does it just depend on the specific application?

I think most people don’t understand what they mean by accuracy these days. For instance, in both photogrammetry and LiDAR, we see many people in the market claiming their products provides millimeter level of accuracy.

But when we talk about accuracy, there are two types of accuracy, relative and absolute. As you certify either criteria of accuracy, that certification has to be qualified and quantified. So let’s look at examples of each type of accuracy.

Relative accuracy is the integrity of the object that you scanned—the photograph. As an example, if you’re looking at a house and you know that the door ledge is 36 inches and it shows up on your scan as 36 inches, well, then you can say it has high relative accuracy.

The other kind of accuracy is absolute accuracy, which is certifying each point’s geospatial location in reference to the earth. So let’s use the same door ledge from the previous example. How accurate are the points at the corners in reference to a known position on the earth’s surface? We know that the door ledge is precisely 36 inches long, but what if those points are 2 feet higher than the actual ground? We can say it has 2 feet of absolute error.

This may not seem like a big deal but absolute error uses vertical measurement, so this means your door could be 2 feet above the pavement. So how does it match with other scans or drawings? Being able to match your product with other products is what gives it value.

I think many people get these two types of accuracy confused, and it’s crucial to understand the difference for certain kinds of industrial work. If you’re doing civil engineering work, relative accuracy is the most important thing.

However, in the geodetic world, or in the world of mapping and GIS, absolute accuracy is critical. So it’s important to define your terms and understand what kind of accuracy you’re talking about, and why it matters for the specific type of work you’re doing.

Can you walk us through how LiDAR is being used in the field? Let’s use the construction industry as an example.

LiDAR data is so flexible—it has many uses and products in the field. Its applications can be broken into three primary segments: mapping, vegetation, and structural modeling. One of the most obvious use cases is in pre-construction, when you’re evaluating the land to see if it’s suitable for building.

Using the traditional method, you would send out a team of surveyors to take a survey. For a small area, this requires a group of three or four all day. Most times they use differential GPS, a highly accurate GNSS base station, and a radio positioning sensing stick, and record a series of points they call survey lines. Using this approach, they can get about 80 to 100 points a day—usually, a survey line is drawn along these points, and each point is separated by 500 yards.

So after they pick these exact points and create these lines, there are still 500 yards gaps between each point, and typically a surveyor will do an interpolation to fill in the differences to account for these gaps.

Using traditional methods, this product, from order to deliver, takes three weeks. Now let’s look at LiDAR.

With LiDAR, whether it’s ground-based, mobile, or aerial, you’re getting thousands of points along those survey lines. You’re getting the terrain. You are getting the vegetation. You are collecting the structures. With the new sensor and drone technology that’s available, you’re just getting so much more precision.

To make this concrete, where a surveyor might typically provide 50 points per acre, a drone equipped with LiDAR can produce 450 to 500 points per meter squared.

So, for using LiDAR in construction, you now have all of this incredibly precise data.

The next thing you do with that data is input it into a program and strip off all the vegetation and manmade features so you have the bare earth, creating different layers for vegetation and other criteria so we can review it later if we want.

Then we use the equivalent of machine learning to identify different patterns and classify them. So we get to go through and do quality control for these classifications—that’s what usually takes the most time.

In the end, we’re able to generate different renditions of the earth’s surface, all of which are highly precise. You can use this information to do things like go into different contour levels of the earth’s surface, or do shade analysis—how light hits the earth surfaces. Alternatively, we can do flood mapping to determine how water’s going to run off the land. All of this is possible with the data collected.

So it took the surveyor three weeks to generate a map with elevation contours and precise locations of key features. With LiDAR we have the base product in 2 hours and comparable products in less than two days. Plus aLiDAR analyst can recreate 3D visualization models, volumetrics, feature identification and change detection in a fraction of the time.

All of this is crucial for construction. An error costs lots of money to fix it. Back when I was 19, I worked as a layout engineer for a construction outfit and dug a very long ditch in the wrong place, and it cost one hundred thousand dollars—literally—because of my mistake.

So with LiDAR drones, we could have done a daily LiDAR survey, and by the next morning we would have the survey data and compare LiDAR data from the CAD (Computer Aided Drafting) drawings, preventing expensive mistakes and providing real-time program management business intelligence. That’s priceless.

How does your background in the military inform the work you do now, helping companies use technology to make their operations more efficient?

The first real job I had in the military was as a tactical imagery analyst for Naval intelligence.  I worked for a three-star admiral and gained a ton of experience studying other nations’ capabilities just from pictures—and it’s funny, because in many ways that is still what I do today. Through that work I developed a deep appreciation for making a decision based upon data and measurable facts.

I built imagery programs that monitored and tracked other countries’ capability via imagery. The program was so successful that it was adopted by all the armed forces, and I was awarded a naval officer commission and slot to become a pilot.

In flight school, 9/11 happened, and that changed everything. I was rushed to a squadron in Japan, and shortly after that, we invaded Afghanistan. For the next four years, I was all over Southeast Asia working in support of the war on terror—flying helicopters, tracking down smugglers and pirates, providing humanitarian aid, performing search and rescue . . . you name it. It was a hard four years. Just tons and tons of flying and doing really neat stuff, and not very much sleep.

Being a pilot, I was able to see the other side of the intelligence equation. As a tactical imagery analyst, I would download what a satellite or pilot gave me. Now it was my job to plan and collect information. It made me very effective, since I knew what information was needed.

From there I was again given a choice about what do next, and I ended up going to Top Gun and becoming a helicopter weapons and tactics instructor. I did two basic things. One, break down and teach young pilots how to solve problems, communicate, and lead dynamically in real time. Two, figure out how to actually use all the new technology in the field, such as satellite communications, airborne shared tactical displays, and some very cool high powered sensors.

One of the things you realize in that kind of training is that, in some instances, we have too much technology available—the technology is so sophisticated that it’s hard for a human being to actually use all of it. So how do you plan with all this technology? And I think that’s what’s starting to happen in the drone industry right now—we have a ton of amazing tech, but people are asking, “OK, cool, but what do you do with this?”

Which is why we created Modus Robotics: to make technology simple, so small businesses can be successful.

Often, what I find is that companies don’t know what their primary objective is. They buy software because of marketing or a perceived capability of what they think they can do, not based upon need and return on investment.

I’ve worked with the Army, the Air Force, the Navy, and it’s usually just the same as what I do now for private companies. When a client first shows up, we spend a lot of time clarifying what exactly their objectives are. Then we match process, the technology available to achieve it, and your return on investment. In the military, we call that mission success.

How did you first get into working with drones?

I was at the height of my career in the military, and I lost vision in my left eye.

It was temporary, and I did regain vision in that eye eventually, but that kind of thing is a career killer. In aviation, your physiology is so important. So while waiting to get approved to fly again, I managed a new helicopter program—figuring out how to man, train, and equip $350 million in high tech helicopters for 13 squadrons of over 2,000 people.

Part of my position was overseeing the Navy’s brand new helicopter drone, Fire Scout. We had to figure out from the ground up things like: Who was going to fly it? Was it safe? What were the operating limits? What could it do?

It’s so important to emphasize that this isn’t a toy airplane—Fire Scout is the size of a police helicopter without a pilot. We were landing them on the back of moving ships in an area the size of half a basketball court.

After that work, I was asked to join the Army special forces and sent to the Middle East, where I ended up overseeing several sites between Iraq, Afghanistan, and many other locations.

We had several drones as part of our operations. My first day on the job, I opened and started to study the drone’s operator manual, as any good pilot would do. It was 10 pm at night when the operations door opened up and a kid who was about twenty years old told me, “Sir, there’s nobody here, and we have an engine out in one of our drones.”

I told him, “Just do your in-flight engine restart procedures.” I’m still reading the manual. I hadn’t read the part in the manual yet that tells you this is not possible for this particular drone, but based upon my flight experience, it was the first logical thing to do.

He said, “We don’t have air restart. We can’t restart in the air.”

“Oh, okay. Well, where are you?”

“Downtown Baghdad,” he said.

This was not good.

I walked into the ground control station, and luckily the interface that I saw was something that I was familiar with, and sure enough, we are in the middle of Baghdad. We ended up gliding safely outside of the city and landing it. Then I was told that there was they planned to leave it out there because it’s just a drone.

“Bullshit,” I said. “We go get it.”

So we went out at 2 in the morning with two helicopters and retrieved it, which was not an easy task. To retrieve it, I had to step on both wings literally, duct tape it, and throw it into the back of the helicopter.

That was my first day in Iraq.

What did you do next to get things up to speed with the drone program there?

We were still learning back then, and we were losing many aircrafts due to pilot error. That was not going to continue under my watch.

So the next thing I did was to shut down my site for two weeks for drone training. The most significant part of this training was not visual flying but adopting flying by instrument procedures and operational risk management. We didn’t lose any more drones after that. In fact, we had a perfect safety record, which is unheard of.

Something you might not know is that all of my units overseas were co-located with airports. To increase safety, we developed instrumented flight procedures for drones, and we increased the airport’s flight efficiency by 25%.

Previously the air traffic controllers and pilots didn’t know where the drones were, which led us to do instrumented procedures, so everybody knew where he or she was, and this dramatically increased safety.

Want to learn more about LiDAR? Check out Daniel’s Intro to LiDAR Training Course here.

The post How LiDAR Is Being Used in the Field: An Interview with Daniel Hubert, Founder of Modus Robotics appeared first on UAV Coach.

There are dozens of ways you can make money flying a drone these days. And more and more drone pilots are going into business for themselves, either as a side hustle or as a full-time gig.

In this in-depth guide to drone businesses, we cover the basics for getting your drone business started, including a step-by-step guide that covers everything you need to know.

We also have a list of 36 drone business ideas to help you come up with ways to make money with your drone.

Here’s a menu in case you’d like to jump around:

• How Much Can You Make Running a Drone Business?
• Drone Business Startup Costs
• How to Start a Drone Business: A Step-by-Step Guide
• The Top 7 Most Profitable Drone Business Ideas
• 29 More Drone Business Ideas

How Much Can You Make Running a Drone Business?

On average, commercial drone pilots working full time can make between $50,000 to $100,000 annually.

The profitability of a drone business can vary significantly depending on several factors, including:

• The niche you choose.
• The location where you work.
• The level of skill and certification you’ve achieved as a drone pilot.

Image source

In some specialized fields, you can make a lot more than $50-$100K a year. Three of the most lucrative areas to be a drone pilot right now are aerial mapping, cinematography, and industrial inspections.

You’ll notice right away that each of these requires skills beyond just flying a drone.

For aerial mapping, you need to have a good sense of how to do mapping and how to use mapping software. For cinematography, you’ll need to understand how a drone pilot’s work fits into the fast-moving schedule of a TV or movie production, and how to actually get the aerial shots a director wants. And for industrial inspections you’ll probably need some basic understanding of how inspections work, or at least an internal contact in a company that does inspections.

Among these three, aerial mapping is probably the easiest to get into. Why? Because you don’t necessarily need strong contacts who are already doing the work to find clients.

If you can hone your mapping skills and start offering solid services, you have a good chance of building a client base.

[Want to offer drone mapping? Learn more about our online aerial mapping course, Drone Mapping Essentials.]

Key Factors Influencing Drone Pilot Income

1. The Niche You Choose

Specialized services can command higher fees.

For example, agricultural surveying and real estate drone photography can be highly profitable due to the unique value they provide.

In agriculture, drone pilots can perform tasks such as crop monitoring and health assessment, which are crucial for maximizing yields. This can lead to substantial earnings, with some operators charging $150 an hour or more for their services.

In real estate, realtors can use drone photography and videography to create compelling property listings that can significantly enhance the marketability of homes. Drone pilots in this niche can charge between $200 and $400 per project, and sometimes a lot more, depending on the complexity,location, and quality of their work.

2. The Location Where You Work

The geographic area where you operate your drone plays a crucial role in determining potential earnings.

Urban areas or regions with high economic activity typically offer more opportunities for drone services and, consequently, higher rates. For example, drone operators in metropolitan areas like New York or San Francisco can charge premium rates for services due to the high demand for aerial footage in real estate, construction, and media industries.

In contrast, operators in rural or less economically vibrant areas may find fewer opportunities and lower rates for their services. However, niches like agricultural surveying may still be lucrative in these regions.

3. The Level of Skill and Certification You’ve Achieved

Having advanced certifications and extensive experience can help you make more as a drone pilot—sometimes a lot more.

To start, any drone pilot doing work should have a Part 107 certificate. This is required for commercial drone work, and most clients know to ask about this these days.

But getting certifications in actual piloting skills—and, beyond that, actually doing lots of the work you become certified in—can also help you land profitable clients.

Specialized training in areas like thermal imaging or GIS (Geographic Information Systems) can open up higher-paying opportunities in sectors such as infrastructure inspections and environmental monitoring. And drone pilots with these advanced skills can earn $150 to $300 per hour or more.

[Related read: Can You Shoot Down a Drone Over Your Property? And What Do You Do If Someone Shoots at Your Drone?]

Additional Factors that Impact Drone Business Income

Here are some other things to think about when it comes to how much you can make running a drone business:

• Diversity of services. A drone business that provides multiple services, such as aerial photography, surveying, and drone mapping, can attract a broader client base and increase their revenue streams. But be careful—offering too many types of services can stretch you thin, and may be a red flag to potential clients that you’re not actually an expert in the services you’re selling.
• Project-based earnings.Many drone businesses operate on a project basis, which can vary widely in terms of complexity and compensation. Simple aerial photography gigs for real estate might pay $200 to $500 per job, while more complex industrial inspections or land surveys can bring in several thousand dollars per project.
• Long-term contracts. Companies in construction, agriculture, or utilities often require ongoing drone services for monitoring and inspections—if you can get long-term contracts in areas that require repeat service, you can get steady income and financial stability.

Drone Business Startup Costs

Starting a drone business can be expensive, especially if you’re starting from scratch.

But how much exactly do you need to get started?

We’ve broken drone business startup costs into three tiers to help you see what it will cost depending on your budget. Each tier includes detailed cost estimates for essential items in starting a drone business, including things like drone hardware, software, training, insurance, and marketing.

1. Lean Drone Business Startup Costs

A lean startup approach is ideal for those looking to enter the market with minimal upfront investment. This tier focuses on basic equipment and essential certifications.

Here’s the breakdown:

• Drone hardware: $1,000 – $2,000. This budget allows for the purchase of a basic commercial drone suitable for general aerial photography and simple inspections.
• Training and certification: $150 – $500. Costs for obtaining the FAA Part 107 certification, including study materials and exam fees.
• Insurance: $500 – $1,000 annually. Liability insurance to cover potential damages and operational risks.
• Software: $200 – $500 annually. Basic software for flight planning and photo/video editing, such as DroneDeploy’s basic plan or Adobe Premiere Elements.
• Marketing and branding: $500 – $1,000. Initial costs for setting up a simple website, business cards, and some online advertising.

Total estimated lean startup cost: $2,350 – $5,000

2. Medium Drone Business Startup Costs

This tier is suitable for entrepreneurs looking to provide a wider range of services with higher-quality equipment and more comprehensive coverage.

• Drone hardware: $3,000 – $6,000. Mid-range drones such as the DJI Phantom 4 Pro or Autel EVO II that offer better camera quality and more robust features for commercial use.
• Training and certification: $500 – $1,000. Includes advanced training courses in areas like thermal imaging or 3D mapping to expand service offerings.
• Insurance: $1,000 – $2,000 annually. Comprehensive liability insurance with higher coverage limits for more extensive operations.
• Software: $500 – $1,200 annually. Advanced software for mapping, 3D modeling, and data analysis, such as Pix4D or advanced DroneDeploy plans.
• Marketing and branding: $1,500 – $3,000. Includes costs for a professional website, SEO services, and broader online and offline marketing efforts.

Total estimated medium startup cost: $6,500 – $13,200

3. Pro Drone Business Startup Costs

A pro-tier setup is designed for those aiming to launch a fully-fledged drone business with top-tier equipment and comprehensive service capabilities.

• Drone hardware: $10,000 – $20,000+. High-end drones like the DJI Matrice 300 RTK or Yuneec H520E that support a wide range of sensors and payloads for industrial applications.
• Training and certification: $1,000 – $2,500. Advanced certifications and specialized training in sectors like oil and gas inspections, search and rescue, or cinematic production.
• Insurance: $2,500 – $5,000 annually. Extensive liability and equipment insurance to cover high-value operations and assets.
• Software: $1,200 – $3,000 annually. Professional software packages for extensive data analysis, real-time monitoring, and comprehensive drone management systems.
• Marketing and branding: $3,000 – $7,000. Includes comprehensive branding services, extensive marketing campaigns, and participation in industry events to establish a strong market presence.

Total estimated pro startup cost: $17,700 – $37,500+

How to Start a Drone Business: A Step-by-Step Guide

Starting a drone business can be a rewarding venture, but it requires careful planning and execution.

Here are the key steps to follow when getting started to help you launch your drone business successfully.

Step 1: Get Certified

Before you can operate a drone commercially in the U.S., you must obtain your FAA Part 107 certification, which is required for commercial drone pilots.

The certification process involves studying for and passing a written exam that covers drone regulations, airspace classification, weather effects, and more.

We offer an online test prep course called Drone Pilot Ground School to help drone pilots get ready for the exam. We’ve trained over 60,000 pilots and have a pass rate of over 99%—learn more here.

Step 2: Choose Your Niche

Identify a specific niche for your drone business.

Popular niches include aerial photography, real estate surveys, agricultural monitoring, construction site inspections, and more. Make sure to choose a niche that has a viable market demand in your area and, ideally, aligns with your interests and existing skills (or skills you plan to establish).

You can do your market research on job sites like Indeed.com or just by searching for both “drone jobs in [your location]” and “[drone niche] in [your location]” to get a sense both for competition and for possible drone work opportunities.

Step 3: Buy Your Equipment

Invest in quality drone equipment that suits your chosen niche.

For example, a drone for aerial photography will need a high-resolution camera, while a drone for agriculture might require specialized sensors for crop monitoring.

Image source

Step 4: Get Insured

Obtain liability insurance to protect your business against potential damages or accidents. Drone insurance typically covers both the drone itself and any potential liabilities resulting from its operation.

Learn more about drone insurance with our partner Skywatch.

Step 5: Register Your Business

Choose a business structure (typically this will be an LLC or sole proprietorship) and register your business with the appropriate state and local authorities.

This step ensures that your business is legally recognized and allows you to operate under a business name.

Step 6: Create a Business Plan

Develop a comprehensive business plan outlining your business model, target market, revenue streams, and growth strategies. A solid business plan will help you stay focused and attract potential investors.

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Step 7: Build Your Brand

Establish a professional online presence by creating a website and setting up social media profiles. Your brand should clearly communicate the services you offer and your unique selling points.

Step 8: Market Your Services

Implement a marketing strategy to reach potential clients. Use a mix of online advertising, social media marketing, and networking events to promote your services. Consider offering introductory discounts or packages to attract new customers.

Step 9: Network and Partner

Attend industry events and join professional associations to network with potential clients and partners. Building strong relationships within your industry can lead to valuable business opportunities and referrals.

Step 10: Get Clients!

This could also be Step 1, or even Step 0.

Without clients you don’t really have a business. So don’t be shy—get out there and start meeting with people, letting them know what you offer and offering to do work at introductory rates, or even for free at first until you have a client base.

The key is to start bringing in money as soon as you can, so you can have a sustainable business that supports you.

But also be patient. It may take months, or even years, before your business is bringing in the level of full-time income you want. If you work at it and are consistent and persistent, your business will grow over time.

The Top 7 Most Profitable Drone Business Ideas

Running a drone business can be pretty profitable—especially if you choose a niche that aligns your expertise with market demand in your area.

Here are some of the most profitable drone business ideas, with a breakdown of what’s required to get started, special skills needed, essential gear, and estimated startup costs.

1. Aerial Photography and Videography

Capturing high-quality aerial images and videos for various clients, including real estate agents, event planners, and marketing firms.

• Special skills. Proficiency in photography and video editing is essential, along with a good understanding of angles and lighting from the air.
• Gear. A drone with a high-resolution camera, a computer with video editing software like Adobe Premiere Pro ($20.99/month), and additional batteries.
• Estimated startup costs. $1,500 – $3,000.
• Tips. Market your services through social media and by building a portfolio on platforms like Instagram and YouTube.

2. Real Estate Photography

Providing aerial shots and video tours of properties for real estate agents and property developers.

• Special skills. Knowledge of real estate marketing and the ability to highlight property features from a bird’s eye view.
• Gear. A drone with a high-quality camera, like the DJI Phantom 4 Pro ($1,500 – $2,000), photo editing software, and possibly a drone with a 3-axis gimbal for stability.
• Estimated startup costs. $2,000 – $4,000.
• Tips. Develop partnerships with local real estate agencies and offer package deals for regular listings.

Image source

3. Agricultural Surveys

Using drones to monitor crop health, map fields, and provide farmers with actionable insights to improve yields and reduce costs.

• Special skills. Understanding of agriculture, precision farming, and the ability to interpret NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) maps.
• Gear. A drone equipped with multispectral sensors, such as the Parrot Bluegrass Fields ($5,000 – $8,000), data analysis software, and a high-capacity battery.
• Estimated startup costs. $6,000 – $10,000.
• Tips. Connect with agricultural extension services and offer demonstrations to farmers.

4. Inspection Services

Conducting inspections for infrastructure such as bridges, buildings, wind turbines, and power lines to identify damage or wear.

• Special skills. Knowledge of inspection standards and the ability to operate drones in complex environments.
• Gear. A robust drone like the DJI Matrice 300 RTK ($12,000 – $20,000) equipped with thermal and zoom cameras, and inspection software.
• Estimated startup costs. $15,000 – $25,000.
• Tips. Certification in industrial inspection and safety training is highly recommended.

A drone being used for a bridge inspection | Credit: Skydio

5. Construction Site Monitoring

Providing aerial surveys and progress reports for construction sites to improve project management and ensure safety compliance.

• Special skills. Familiarity with construction processes and the ability to create detailed aerial maps and 3D models.
• Gear. A drone such as the DJI Mavic 2 Pro ($1,600 – $2,000) with mapping capabilities, photogrammetry software like Pix4D ($350/month), and additional batteries.
• Estimated startup costs. $3,000 – $5,000.
• Tips. Partner with construction companies to offer ongoing site monitoring services.

6. Event Photography and Videography

Capturing aerial footage of events such as weddings, concerts, and sports games to create unique perspectives and memorable highlights.

• Special skills. Experience in event photography, the ability to handle crowd settings, and advanced video editing skills.
• Gear. A drone like the DJI Air 2S ($999 – $1,299) for high-quality footage, video editing software, and extra batteries for extended coverage.
• Estimated startup costs. $1,500 – $3,000.
• Tips. Network with event planners and offer promotional deals to showcase your services.

7. Drone Mapping and Surveying

Providing detailed maps and 3D models for land surveying, urban planning, and environmental monitoring.

• Special skills. Proficiency in GIS (Geographic Information Systems) and knowledge of surveying techniques.
• Gear. A high-end drone like the SenseFly eBee X ($12,000 – $15,000) with mapping software, and RTK (Real-Time Kinematic) GPS equipment.
• Estimated startup costs. $15,000 – $20,000.
• Tips. Pursue certifications in surveying and mapping to enhance your credibility and attract higher-paying clients.

Want to learn drone mapping? Check out our online drone mapping course and our in-person drone mapping workshops.

29 More Drone Business Ideas

Looking for more drone business ideas?

Below we continue the list from the last section, adding 29 more ideas to make a total list of 36 drone business ideas.

Image source

8. Environmental Monitoring

Deploy drones to monitor environmental conditions, track pollution levels, and assist in conservation projects.

9. Security Surveillance

Provide aerial surveillance for security purposes, including monitoring large events, securing perimeters, and patrolling private properties.

10. Pipeline and Power Line Inspections

Conduct aerial inspections of pipelines and power lines to detect leaks, damages, and potential hazards, improving maintenance efficiency.

11. Telecommunication Tower Inspections

Use drones to inspect telecommunication towers, reducing the need for risky manual inspections and increasing inspection frequency.

12. Wind Turbine Inspections

Deploy drones to inspect wind turbines for damages or maintenance needs, providing a safe and efficient alternative to manual inspections.

Credit: DJI

13. Solar Panel Inspections

Inspect solar panels for defects or performance issues using drones equipped with thermal cameras.

14. Marine and Coastal Surveys

Use drones to conduct surveys of coastal and marine environments for research, conservation, and development planning.

15. Film and Television Production

Provide aerial shots and unique perspectives for film and television productions, enhancing visual storytelling.

16. Advertising and Marketing

Create aerial content for advertising and marketing campaigns, offering unique angles and captivating footage for brand promotions.

17. Drone Training and Certification

Offer training programs and certification courses for aspiring drone pilots, covering basics to advanced flight techniques.

18. Drone Repair and Maintenance

Provide repair and maintenance services for drones, ensuring they remain operational and safe for commercial use.

19. Custom Drone Design and Manufacturing

Design and manufacture custom drones tailored to specific business needs or industry applications.

20. Drone Data Analysis

Offer data analysis services for businesses that need to interpret data collected by drones, such as crop health analysis or 3D mapping.

21. 3D Mapping and Modeling

Provide 3D mapping and modeling services for construction, mining, urban planning, and other industries that require detailed topographical data.

22. Archaeological Surveys

Use drones to conduct aerial surveys of archaeological sites, helping researchers to identify and document findings without disrupting the site.

23. Search and Rescue (SAR) Training

Offer training programs for search and rescue teams on how to effectively use drones in their operations.

Credit: DJI

24. Custom Aerial Surveys

Provide custom aerial surveys for various industries, including agriculture, construction, and environmental monitoring.

Note: Be cautious when using the word survey in your marketing materials and service offerings. Some states, such as North Carolina, have been telling drone pilots they can get in trouble for using the word.

25. Sports and Action Photography

Capture dynamic aerial footage of sports events and action activities, such as skiing, Formula 1 racing, surfing, and mountain biking.

Credit: Red Bull

26. Infrastructure Inspections

Use drones to inspect infrastructure such as bridges, tunnels, and buildings for maintenance and safety checks.

27. Agricultural Drone Sales and Rentals

Sell, lease, or rent specialized drones for agricultural purposes, including drones for crop spraying and monitoring.

28. Delivery Services

Offer drone delivery services for small packages, food, and medical supplies, providing a fast and efficient alternative to traditional delivery methods.

29. Public Safety Support

Offer drone services to public safety agencies for tasks such as crime scene investigation, emergency response, and crowd monitoring.

Credit: DJI

30. Drone Rental Services

Provide rental services for drones, allowing customers to rent drones for specific projects or periods without purchasing them.

31. Wedding and Event Photography

Offer aerial photography and videography services for weddings—especially destination weddings—and other events, capturing unique perspectives and memorable moments.

32. Forest Management

Use drones to monitor forest health, track illegal logging, and assist in conservation efforts.

Credit: DroneSeed

33. Surveying for Mining Operations

Conduct aerial surveys of mining sites to assess land conditions, plan excavation work, and monitor environmental impact.

34. Scientific Research

Use drones to gather data for scientific research, such as wildlife studies, environmental monitoring, and atmospheric sampling.

35. Art and Cultural Heritage Documentation

Capture aerial images and videos of historical and cultural sites for documentation and preservation.

36. Drone Consultant Services

Provide consulting services to businesses looking to integrate drones into their operations, offering expertise on equipment selection, training, and regulations.

The post How to Start a Drone Business: A Complete Guide—Includes 36 Drone Business Ideas [New for 2024] appeared first on UAV Coach.