5 Things You Should Know Before Starting A Drone Business

Working with drones could be a good option if you want to launch a business. The impressive capabilities of these unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), such as high-quality cameras that capture photographs and video, built-in GPS, auto-pilot functions, flight speeds exceeding 50 miles per hour, Bluetooth connectivity, and more, are drawing more and more customers.

Drones are becoming increasingly popular and thus easier to acquire. The number of people who understand how to use cutting-edge machinery is tiny but growing, and you may be one of them. You can earn money from your drone knowledge if you’re prepared to put in the time and effort required to complete the necessary research and planning.

Buying a Drone? 5 Things to Think About First

These are some of the crucial details when you plan to start a drone business. Hopefully, you’ll be able to draw useful conclusions if you’re considering investing in a drone for your real estate firm.

1. Find an Additional Method of Monitoring

The GPS tracking systems integrated into most drones are rather good, so in principle (so long as the drone is on and connected to your controller), you should always know where it is.

If your phone disconnected from the controller in some occasions for no apparent reason, it comes dangerously close to losing your drone. An RFID tracking tag would be useful in this situation since it would provide an additional means of locating your drone if the worst happens.

You should also only operate your drone in areas where you can see it clearly with the naked eye (this is actually a government mandate, so you should comply regardless). If it loses connection with your phone or otherwise malfunctions, you’ll be able to see that plainly before bringing it into your home.

2. Developing a Customer Base and Promoting Your Drone Business

Bringing in new customers is a challenging endeavor. You can do this in several ways, including making use of social media, making cold calls or sending out emails, networking with people you already know, and asking for references.

Joining a drone network is another choice for getting airtime and experience. The best aspect of working as a drone pilot for a pilot network is that they handle all client development, so you can focus on honing your flying skills instead of worrying about finding new business. 

Professional drone networks might help you advertise to a wider audience and bring in more new customers and promote your drone services. Since only some have a background in marketing, this could be an excellent way to zero down on what matters: your abilities in the workplace.

3. Master Sophisticated Flying Techniques

Most, if not all, drone pilots have mastered the fundamental ability to fly forwards, backward, and side to side. According to the specifics of your intended audience with your drone company, more sophisticated flying controls, such as: may be required. Complicated follow patterns involving manual orbits, climbs, half orbits, and gimbal rotations.

In addition, you need to know how to operate a drone inside and out because yaw and sideways flight controls are reversed when the drone is flying backward or facing you.

Drone operators need to be comfortable with the controls of their aircraft in all flight orientations to accomplish the intricate maneuvers that clients may request and respond swiftly to avoid losing their drones or causing damage to their surroundings.

4. Be Sure to Get Your Drone Licensed and Insured

You must register your drone with the FAA to operate it in the United States. It’s not too pricey to have this done if you’re only using your drone for recreational or academic purposes rather than for profit. The fee to register mine was only $5 then, so it’s a manageable outlay.

It’s going to cost you a lot more to get your drone registered if you intend to use it for business purposes. Remember that commercial pilots need a commercial license and that, depending on where you’re based, you may have to adhere to additional state laws.

When you add up everything that needs to be done before you can fly commercially, it’s a very long list (and it’s not free), so this is something to think about if you’re debating whether or not to use a drone to make money.

Insurance safeguards your company against calamities that could otherwise bankrupt it. To protect yourself from financial loss in the event of an accident involving your commercial drone, you should obtain two separate policies.

The owner’s liability insurance will pay for the repairs if the drone collides with something and causes damage, such as a car or a pipeline. Hull insurance protects your drone financially in the event of physical damage. 

5. Investing in Necessary Tools

Once you have a handle on the drone market’s inner workings, you can determine the specific drones and accessories you’ll need to meet the demands of your niche. That being said, it’s essential to consider how much money you have to spend on equipment. 

Depending on its features and quality, a professional drone can cost anywhere from $1,000 to $20,000. You should allocate more funds near the top of the range if you plan on catering to affluent customers or providing highly specialized services like Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR).

Extra batteries, propellers, casings, and maybe most crucially, software expenditures should be factored in to meet the necessary customer deliverables. Insurance for yourself, your company, your drone, and your equipment is essential, in addition to the technical aspects. 

Drone insurance comprises liability insurance (for damages to third parties) and hull insurance (for the drone and any equipment it carries). Therefore, it’s essential to know the difference between the two and how much they cost.

Take your time buying everything at once; instead, buy what you need to get started, or consider renting. Increase the volume of your operations and use the proceeds to buy new machinery and accessories that complement your services.

Bottom Line

So far, all the details we’ve covered scratch the surface of what it takes to launch a drone company. In order to succeed as a company, you must always work to better yourself through learning new things and gaining experience in your field. 

As the drone industry expands, you will need to maintain focus and keep up with the continuing developments and advances to succeed as a professional pilot and a business owner. If you want to succeed in the drone industry, you need to get out of your comfort zone and keep learning and expanding your skillset. It won’t be simple, but it’ll be worthwhile.