This is a really good discussion and addresses many of the experiences and thoughts I have had about Dronebase. I have my 107 Cert and have been searching for ways to use it. I have a full time job but have dreams of flying drones as a profession. I see so many uses for this platform. Anyway, I found and signed up for Dronebase. I live in northern Indiana so my experience may be different from someone living in a California. After reading other posts I didn't expect to make a living doing this through Dronebase. I really just wanted a reason to fly, gain experience, and build a portfolio as others have said. I have flown 4 submitted missions and have been paid for 2. $19 each. Woo-hoo. I flew 3 other missions but the lighting was crap and my camera settings were bad, so I didn't submit those. May try to redo those later.
As a disclosure, I don't fly a Phantom. Currently flying a Solo because they were so darn cheap at Best Buy. Can't beat $300 for a quality bird. Bought 3. I have my eye on a $1600 Inspire 1 package on Craigslist. If that doesn't pan out, may look at the Mavic Pro. Of course I dream about the new Matrice 200 series with a zooming X30 and thermal XT camera. So many choices. I've found you really need 3-4 different models depending on what you're doing. Keep trying to explain that to my wife. Wish me luck.
I have been using Dronepan for Solo. It is a bit limited as they have stopped working on it since the Solo is dead but they have done a lot with the DJI app. Super easy. You fly to 100 feet, push the start button and it takes 19 photos. 6 at 90 degrees, 6 at 60 degrees, 6 at 30 degrees, and 1 nadir. The DJI app has more options. I think you can specify the number of shots per rotation and there are default settings for specific drones. Do a search on Dronepan or Dennis Baldwin. He is doing some cool stuff. I take my pano pics and run it through PTGui to see how it will look and see if it will stitch well. Before I submit to Dronebase, I do a quick color correction in Light Room.
I have had fun flying these missions. I limit my flights to commercial as I think these will probably pay out better on average. I haven't had any run-ins with the law or any disgruntled property owners but see how that could happen. You do have a bit of a covert operative feeling when you shoot these. I purchased a safety vest that says FAA Certified Drone Operator in bold print. Gives me a little cred standing out there by the busy road (maybe just in my mind). I avoid any situations where privacy might be a problem. Again the reason for focusing on commercial.
As others have said, I am concerned about this diluting the value of this service. $19 is a joke and doesn't nearly cover the cost of going out there. However, I will continue flying these to gain experience and build my own base. Good luck.