As a result of the development of UAV technology, there is a broad range of great drones on the market. Most people usually use these devices only for leisure. However, drones could also be used to make a profit. Let’s find out how to make money with a drone!
1. Earn Money Selling Aerial Footages
The most common way to make money with drones is selling the aerial photos and videos. If you want to do aerial photography and videography jobs, you must have a drone that is equipped with a gimbal and a quality camera which is capable of making high-quality videos/photos from air. For instance, you can use a drone that is equipped with a GoPro camera and takes 4K Ultra HD videos.
2. Aerial Wedding Photography and Videography
Wedding photography and videography is popular and profitable, but the competition is really stiff in this field too. Therefore, you have to offer unique wedding videos and photos taken from a different perspective. People want to make outstanding footages of their weddings. Why not use your drone for this purpose?
Here are some tips for this job:
Do not fly a drone directly over the guests because you can hurt someone by accident.
Plan and find the best perspective to take the drone footage's specific to the venue
Avoid recording towards the Sun, as well as dark areas where the photos could be blurred.
All you need to start is an advanced small drone with a high-resolution camera supported by that drone, and practice every single day. If you are a beginner in this craft, you should start as a secondary videographer or photographer.
3. Offer Services in Aerial Surveying
Drones can take photos from above and thus record terrestrial places that are difficult or impossible to reach and measure from the ground. Drones also have great flight capabilities and can be remotely controlled, which makes them suitable for aerial surveying in the most difficult areas which is a much more cost-effective option compared to helicopters and other aircraft's in surveying.
Aerial surveys have application in different fields, including topography, digital mapping, archaeology, feature recognition, GIS applications, and so on. Many organisations around the world have the need for aerial surveys. If you want to earn money from surveying, you must be skilled in drone surveying and understand specific regulations in Malaysia to conduct such jobs.
4. Inspection Jobs
Many utility companies use helicopters and airplanes to inspect electrical lines, remote substations, pumping stations and similar facilities. It is dangerous for the pilots and very expensive, too. Drones have started to replace helicopters and airplanes in power line inspections, cell tower inspections, bridge inspect jobs, gas pipeline and oil inspections, roof inspections, etc. All these jobs give you a great chance to earn good money using a drone.
If you want to do such jobs, you must have more advanced drones that are higher performing and more stable. You also have to be extremely well-trained and experienced to deliver such inspection jobs.
5. Search and Rescue in Disaster Relief
Drones can be of great help for search and rescue in disaster areas. Traditional search methods, which use helicopters and dogs, are often unsuccessful. Drones have the ability to notice missing people, or whatever you are searching for, from the air with ease. These smart remote drones can provide video footage to public safety officials in real-time, thus save many lives in areas affected by natural disasters. Therefore, drone operators are often employed for disaster relief to provide video services. Skilled freelance drone pilots are paid well for these jobs.
6. Precision Agriculture
Drones are very helpful for crop surveillance in agriculture because they significantly reduce the costs and time required for such jobs.
When using a drone in precision agriculture, it must be equipped with a specialized sensors that are able to capture specific wavelengths. These sensors produce specific contrasting colors while shooting, and according to these recordings, the operators can see the overall health of crops in a certain area. Also, drones help farmers in verification and problem diagnosis in their fields. In some cases, they can also be used in delivering spot treatment. Drone pilots can help conduct operations for farmers to reduce plant damages, cut costs, and increase yield.
There are many ways to turn a profit with a drone, you just need to put your mind at work. Start by completing one of our Drone Training classes to be up-skilled with Drone Technology today!