How Part 107 pilots can find lucrative drone inspection work
Over the last few years inspections have become a lucrative line of work for Part 107 drone pilots.
These days, drone pilots are finding gigs doing power line inspections and cell tower inspections. (Fun fact—DJI’s Zenmuse Z30 was made primarily for tower inspections, which gives you an idea of just how much work there is in that sector.)
You can also find lots of drone inspection work in the billion dollar industrial inspection industry, which has been quickly adopting drone technology to help speed up inspection work and keep people out of harm’s way.
There’s just one problem. All of this high-end drone inspection work pays well, but it also requires specialized skills, extra certifications, and expensive cameras. Further, it can be hard to break into unless you already have contacts at places doing this kind of work.
[Want to learn how to do roof inspections? Check out our 10-part Roofing Inspections Class.]*
* Members already have free access to this class
But there is one type of inspection work that even new Part 107 pilots can start doing right away—roof inspections.
In a typical roof inspection conducted by drone, the pilot flies up, gets full coverage of the roof, and then—well, that’s usually it. In many cases, all that’s needed to complete the job is to grab aerial footage of the entire roof (though some roof inspections will also require you to map the roof).
You don’t have to be an expert on how homes are built, or what a roof looks like, and you don’t need a special certification to do this work. You just have to have the piloting chops to shoot the roof.
The Two Types of Roof Inspections
There are two primary ways you can make money doing roof inspections by drone:
Insurance Inspections
After a large weather event, like a tropical storm or hurricane, insurance companies are slammed with insurance claims. One of the most common types of claim they get is for roof damage—and that’s where you come in.
The job of an insurance adjuster is to evaluate each insurance claim made, and determine whether it’s valid. Typically, an insurance adjuster may have to climb onto a roof or walk around on the ground looking up at it.
The first option is dangerous and the second one is incomplete. But by reviewing drone footage, an adjuster can see the entire roof and quickly make an informed decision about someone’s claim.
And the great thing for you as a drone pilot is that these jobs are often clustered in neighborhoods, which means you might be able to show up and do 10-20 roofs in one area over a short period of time, racking up payments for each one.
Home Inspections
The other type of roof inspection work you can get as a commercial drone pilot is to provide visual data for a home inspection.
Home inspections are usually conducted when someone is thinking about buying a home. By getting a certified inspector to do a full appraisal of the home’s condition, home buyers can get a full rundown of any problems the home might have that could impact its value.
One key part of a home inspection is evaluating the condition of the roof. Just like the insurance adjuster, a home inspector can inspect the roof either by climbing onto it or looking at it from the ground—neither of which are great options, as we’ve already covered.
With drone footage, an inspector can see the condition of the entire roof while standing safely on the ground by looking at the drone’s live feed, and also by reviewing a recording of the flight after it’s been made.
How to Get Roof Inspection Work
Drone pilots can get roof inspection work by:
- Joining a drone pilot network
- Searching on job sites
- Networking
- Building a business
Joining a Drone Pilot Network
Here are the pros and cons of joining a drone pilot network:
- Pro. You’ll get work sent to you instead of having to go find it.
- Pro. If you’re a newer drone pilot you can build up your skills—and your portfolio.
- Con. You’ll have to share some amount of your pay with the network.
- Con. The work may be seasonal, since drone-related insurance work typically follows the weather.
- Con. Prices in general are lower because networks are counting on volume, and therefore arrange for lower pricing.
Here’s a list of the top drone pilot networks where you can set up an account and start finding work right away:
Searching on Job Sites
Drone jobs are common enough now that you can find them by searching on many different job aggregation sites.
Here are a few, with the keyword ‘drone’ already input to help you get started (of course, you’ll want to enter your specific zip code):
Pro tip: You can set up alerts from these sites, so you’ll get emailed whenever a job is posted in your area.
Networking
It’s a cliche, but it’s also effective. Don’t be shy to ask people you know if they happen to know any home inspectors or people who work in insurance. Getting an introduction from a mutual friend or co-worker could help you land your first roof inspection client, and that first client could help you start to build your client base.
Don’t forget to use the internet in your networking—LinkedIn and Facebook can both be great places to see who your contacts are connected with and give you ideas for potential networking opportunities.
Going out on your own as a dronepreneur can mean great rewards since you don’t have to share any of your profit. But it can also be a lot of work, and require you to take extra steps like getting drone insurance and learning how to do (some) marketing.
The good news is you don’t have to choose between working for a drone pilot network and opening your own business. In fact, many drone pilots start their careers getting work through pilot networks as they slowly build their client base. (That being said, you should note that most pilot networks will not allow you to promote your own business when working for them, since they don’t want you poaching their clients.)
Here’s a potential path you could take for building a business that incorporates all three of the above strategies for finding work:
Phase 1: Find work through drone pilot networks
Timeframe: Months 0-3
This work can help you build your roof inspection portfolio while also getting you actual paying drone jobs. Make sure to save footage of these flights for your portfolio.
Phase 2: Network + search for work
Timeframe: Months 3-9
After you have a small portfolio, start networking in your community and searching online for open positions. As you build your portfolio you can start showing it in pitches to clients for your business.
Note: When it comes to roof inspections, most likely you’ll be pitching home inspectors and not insurance companies. Insurance companies are usually pretty big and prefer to work through third parties (i.e., drone pilot networks). But you never know—you may find an opportunity to pitch an insurance company too, and, since you have a portfolio, you’ll be in a good position to do so.
Phase 3: Shift away from work with drone pilot networks
Timeframe: Months 9-15
Once you have a decent portfolio of work, start pitching local home inspectors and looking for higher-paying work in general. Now that you’re established you can start going out on your own more and building your business, and start going away from work with drone pilot networks.
Pro tip: When pitching, consider offering a free flight as a proof of concept. People are often wary of trying new things—some drone pilots have seen success with offering a free flight to show the power of what they can do for a home inspector. Of course, make sure you don’t get taken advantage of by only delivering a few images, or taking whatever steps you feel are needed to avoid doing repeat work for free.
Phase 4: Raise your rates and get more picky
Timeframe: Months 15-??
As you start to get more work, phase out your drone pilot network work completely and focus on the clients paying you the most (again, most likely these will be home inspectors). As demand grows for your work, slowly raise your rates and get more and more picky about who you choose to work with.
Of course, these steps are listed out at a very high level. Here’s a quick recap:
- Get any kind of drone roof inspection work (probably through a network)
- Use that work to build your portfolio
- Use your portfolio to pitch potentially higher-paying clients
- Grow your list of those clients
Don’t Forget Real Estate
One last note—as you start to meet home inspectors, keep in mind that they work closely with realtors.
Real estate marketing is a huge area of opportunity for drone pilots.
Some drone pilots are making six figures providing aerial photos, videos, and 3D models as marketing materials for realtors who work in luxury real estate, and there is a lot of opportunity right now for drone pilots in real estate.
So if you already have real estate clients, keep in mind that they might be able to introduce you to home inspectors for roof inspection work—and if you have any home inspection clients, keep in mind that they might be able to introduce you to realtors.
Want to learn about other ways to make money as a drone pilot? Check out our guide to how to make money with a drone now.
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