Introduction xiii
1. Original, Old-school RC xiv
2. UAVs Are Here xv
3. Why Am I the Right Person to Teach You
How to Make Money with Drones? xv
1 Is Commercial Droninga Right for You? 1
1. Starting a Business and Wearing Many Hats 1
2. Your Time 2
3. Location of Markets 3
2 UAV Restrictions: Federal, State, and Local 5
1. The Feds 6
2. UAV State Laws 7
3. City Drone Ordinances 8
3 UAV Products: Why the Focus on DJI? 9
1. The Technological Turning Points 9
2. DJI UAV Dynasty 10
iv Become a U.S. Commercial Drone Pilot
3. Hobby Shop Support 11
4 Developing a Commercial UAV Business Plan 13
5 Aerial Photography Markets 19
1. Real Estate 19
2. Construction Projects 21
3. Agricultural Services 22
4. Two-dimensional (2D) and Three-dimensional (3D)
Aerial Mapping 22
5. Event Aerials 24
6. Vehicle Dealerships 24
7. Inspection Services 25
8. Emergency Services 26
9. UAV Market Summary 27
6 Initial Investments: What to Buy to Start
Your Business 29
1. The Phantom 29
2. iPad Flight Controller 30
3. Phantom Accessories 31
4. Shaded Flight Deck 32
5. Travel Case 33
6. Media Editing Platform 34
7. Aerial Editing and Other Software 34
8. Other Critical Commercial UAS Gear for
Real Estate Showcasing 35
7 Weather Issues: The Good, the Bad,
and the Ugly 39
1. Weather Issues When the Client Has Time Expectations 40
2. Smartphone or Tablet Weather Apps 40
3. Avoid Winds and Rain 42
4. Seasonal Climate Aerial Factors 44
8 Drone Operation: Learn to Fly before
Taking Photos 45
1. Configure Your Shaded Flight Deck: Prep Work 46
Contents v
2. Preparing for Takeoff 47
3. Landing 47
4. Learn Smooth Aerial Maneuvers 48
5. Test Return to Homea via Distance and RC Failure 50
9 Flight Safety: Preventative and
Preflight Measures 53
1. Know Your Environment before Taking Off 53
2. Too Tight for Drones 55
3. Shoot-down Avoidance 56
4. Simple Onlookers 58
5. Aerial Dangers 58
6. Rapid Power Loss 59
7. Acquire UAV Liability Insurance 60
8. Preparation and Preflight Checklists 60
9. Onsite Setup 62
10. Pack-up and -out Procedure 63
10 Software and Firmware Management 65
1. Workstation Operating System 65
2. Phantom Firmware 66
3. Remote Controller Updates 66
4. iPad and iPhone Operating System Levels 67
11 Rules, Licenses, Exemptions, Observers,
and More 69
1. FAA Part 107 69
2. Observer Management 71
12 Learn Aerial Photography before You Start
Charging Money 75
1. Video- or Photo-centric Flights 75
2. Videos in 10- to 15-second Scenes 76
3. Daylight: Morning, Noon, or Evening? 77
4. No Drone in Your Drone Video 77
5. Smoothness Is Everything in Aerial Video 78
vi Become a U.S. Commercial Drone Pilot
6. Stay in Motion without Repeats 78
7. Basic Aerial Video Recording Maneuvers 79
8. Intermediate Level Aerial Video Recording Maneuvers 79
9. Advanced Aerial Video Recording Maneuvers 80
10. Intelligent Navigation Mode Enabled Maneuvers 81
11. Use Reverse Play on Static Scene for Precision
Fly-in Effect 81
12. The Invisible UAV Pilot 82
13. Avoid Drone Shadow in Your Videos 82
13 Learn 2D Mapping 85
1. Attain Property Line Info and Last Google Earth View 86
2. Mapping Flight Grid 86
3. Static Environment Is Critical 87
4. Set Camera Mapping Mode 87
5. 2D Map Stitching 88
6. KLONK Software to Measure 2D Entities 88
14 Your Deliverables: Develop Your Package
of HD Video and Photos 91
1. Aerial Video Storytelling 91
2. Blend Music and Video 92
3. Video Titles and End Credits 93
4. Still Aerial Photographs 93
5. The Deliverables 94
6. The Aerial Presentation 94
7. Your Deliverable: Your Responsibility 95
8. Large Print, High-resolution Aerial Photos 95
15 Step-by-Step Aerial Photography
Project Process 97
1. Step One: Marketing and Selling 97
2. Step Two: Flight Planning 98
3. Step Three: Fly the Site 99
4. Step Four: Editing Process 100
5. Step Five: Presentation to the Client 102
Contents vii
16 Aerial Photography Techniques for
Specific Markets 103
1. Marketing Specific UAV Aerial Photography Techniques 103
2. Real Estate Aerial Techniques 103
3. Construction Site Aerial Techniques 104
4. Law Enforcement (LE) Aerial Techniques 105
5. Commercial Dealerships 106
6. Tower Inspections 106
7. Events: Weddings, Festivals, and Races 107
17 Marketing Your Business 109
1. Marketing Your Business: Get the Word Out 109
2. Product Delivery Is Critical 116
3. Groom Clients to Help Sell Your Services 117
18 Pro bono Test Flights 119
19 Pricing Your UAV Services and Products 121
1. What's the Competition Charging? 122
2. Add-ons Enhance Your Price 122
3. Ramp up Pricing 123
20 Running a Business: The Paperwork and More 125
1. Run Your Business for the Long Term 125
2. Incorporate First 125
3. Set up QuickBooks Accounting 126
4. Pay Company Taxes 126
5. Start Slow, Then Grow Your UAV Fleet 127
6. Other Administrative Tasks 133
21 Aerial Road Trips: Mobile Recharging
and Editing 135
1. Planning a Multiple Flight-site Trip 135
2. Mobile Battery Management 136
3. Make Backups between Sites 137
4. Onsite Editing and Production 137
5. Vehicle Security and Safety 137
viii Become a U.S. Commercial Drone Pilot
22 Offer UAV Consulting and
Configuration Services 139
1. UAV Education and Consulting 139
2. Outsourced UAV Pilots 140
23 Going Forward 141
1. Stay ahead of UAV Technology Offerings 141
2. Push It to the Safe Edge 141
3. Stay Informed to Keep up Your Expertise 142
4. Develop Vendor Relationships 142
5. We Are the Pioneers 143
6. Wrapping up 144
Download Kit 147
Sample
1 Business Plan 14
