I Need Direction In My Life....

SubseaFlyer

Premium Pilot
Joined
Aug 27, 2019
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North of Houston, South of Dallas
Hey Y'all,

I picked up a new-to-me P3P about a year ago to play around with on some land that I had out in Terlingua. Got some great footage, and I enjoyed doing it a lot more than I thought that I would.

Well, I started investing in land, and have shot a few videos for the properties that I have for sale, and I started having other investors contact me, wanting me to drone their properties....a few have even asked me to make full on marketing packages - photos along with produced video. Heck, I've even figured out that I REALLY enjoy putting together videos using the free openshot editor....I didn't expect that!

Now I certainly don't mind doing it, but I want to stay on the right side of everyone....especially the law.

I've done some googling, since I'm not exactly a spring chicken, I was hoping to find a drone school of some sort, and dangit if I didn't get bombarded by every Tom, ****, and Harry that says they can teach me anything that I want to know.

So I guess my questions are -
  • What do I need to be certified in or licensed by to fly and shoot real estate? Right now I'm just interested in doing raw land in the middle of nowhere, but it may be fun to work with an actual real estate agent and shoot some "normal" listings.
  • What kinda insurance is required, and how does one go about getting it?
  • Where do you go for training to get the licenses and such that I asked about above?

In my googling, the most professional looking schooling was a company called Dart Drones, but I also know that it's easy to put a good facade; particularly online.

Can anyone help me out or give me some idea of what I need to get done?

Thanks y'all!!
 
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Reactions: clackey
I'd encourage you to lean into it. Take an online 107 course and get the test behind you. Here are some recommended online schools.

Build a simple website showing your skills through wordpress, wix, homestead, etc.. Keep practicing your piloting and editing skills - every day if possible. Get connected with your local chamber or other local networking opportunities so people know about your business.

C.
 
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Reactions: BigAl07
Congrats on your progress so far. It's a LOT of fun but honestly it's a lot of work to build and "sustain" a successful business. Getting the foundation established and solid is one of your key objectives right now. Asking these questions shows you're serious and eager to learn more.

As stated, you must have Part 107 even for the things you've "already done" so that needs to be objective #1. I highly suggest Gold Seal UAV Groundschool. Not only are they taught by FAA Instructors (manned aricraft) they teach you the subject matter as opposed to teaching you "how to pass a test". And it's a LIFETIME subscription so as the rules/regs change so does the course but you only pay 1x. Lastly they are a sponsor here (they help to keep this site FREE for the rest of us) and they offer a Phantom Pilot's Discount. That's a WIN WIN WIN in my books.

Fellow member @N42742 is an instructor there and he can tell you lots more about their program. I highly suggest it for all of my clients/students and we even use it ourselves if we have questions or just need to "brush up" on things.

As far as your other questions that depends... are you wanting Liability Insurance only or do you want aircraft/hull coverage?

Honestly you might get more answers or more qualified answers over on our sister forum:


Keep asking questions... don't be afraid to ask anything you think you want to know... every single one of us started exactly where you are right now.

Good luck and get that license ASAP! You need to be in compliance before you shoot any more Real Estate shots (for yourself or anyone else).
 
A second thumbs up for Gold Seal, I took their online course in my spare time and got a 93 % on the Part 107 exam.
 
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Reactions: N42742 and BigAl07
If you don't want to spend the money there are many on line tutorials and sample questions, like
https://jrupprechtlaw.com and many youtube videos,
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, explaining sectional charts & Metars(weather report). I also used a $5 APP on my phone, Prepware' Remote Pilot. It has sample tests and study questions. There is also a Part 107 Facebook page where you can get help.

If you really get into this there is free professional editing software, Resolve by Black Magic. There are many tutorials on Youtube explaining it. It has a lot of capabilities you may never use, but once you get the hang of it, simple editing is easy. Good Luck!
 
Hey Y'all,

I picked up a new-to-me P3P about a year ago to play around with on some land that I had out in Terlingua. Got some great footage, and I enjoyed doing it a lot more than I thought that I would.

Well, I started investing in land, and have shot a few videos for the properties that I have for sale, and I started having other investors contact me, wanting me to drone their properties....a few have even asked me to make full on marketing packages - photos along with produced video. Heck, I've even figured out that I REALLY enjoy putting together videos using the free openshot editor....I didn't expect that!

Now I certainly don't mind doing it, but I want to stay on the right side of everyone....especially the law.

I've done some googling, since I'm not exactly a spring chicken, I was hoping to find a drone school of some sort, and dangit if I didn't get bombarded by every Tom, ****, and Harry that says they can teach me anything that I want to know.

So I guess my questions are -
  • What do I need to be certified in or licensed by to fly and shoot real estate? Right now I'm just interested in doing raw land in the middle of nowhere, but it may be fun to work with an actual real estate agent and shoot some "normal" listings.
  • What kinda insurance is required, and how does one go about getting it?
  • Where do you go for training to get the licenses and such that I asked about above?

In my googling, the most professional looking schooling was a company called Dart Drones, but I also know that it's easy to put a good facade; particularly online.

Can anyone help me out or give me some idea of what I need to get done?

Thanks y'all!!
You might want to come to the West Texas Drone Workshop in Abilene this November. Lots of pros there who can help you out. West Texas Drone Workshop - West Texas Drone Workshop
 
Congrats on your progress so far. It's a LOT of fun but honestly it's a lot of work to build and "sustain" a successful business. Getting the foundation established and solid is one of your key objectives right now. Asking these questions shows you're serious and eager to learn more.

As stated, you must have Part 107 even for the things you've "already done" so that needs to be objective #1. I highly suggest Gold Seal UAV Groundschool. Not only are they taught by FAA Instructors (manned aricraft) they teach you the subject matter as opposed to teaching you "how to pass a test". And it's a LIFETIME subscription so as the rules/regs change so does the course but you only pay 1x. Lastly they are a sponsor here (they help to keep this site FREE for the rest of us) and they offer a Phantom Pilot's Discount. That's a WIN WIN WIN in my books.

Fellow member @N42742 is an instructor there and he can tell you lots more about their program. I highly suggest it for all of my clients/students and we even use it ourselves if we have questions or just need to "brush up" on things.

As far as your other questions that depends... are you wanting Liability Insurance only or do you want aircraft/hull coverage?

Honestly you might get more answers or more qualified answers over on our sister forum:


Keep asking questions... don't be afraid to ask anything you think you want to know... every single one of us started exactly where you are right now.

Good luck and get that license ASAP! You need to be in compliance before you shoot any more Real Estate shots (for yourself or anyone else).
Gold Seal is the way to go!
 
As a hobby it is fun. In a business sense, most people want you to do it for next to nothing. You have to make sure you can get the money to cover your true cost. The ones who want that package, may not want to pay the real price. If you do it for next to nothing, you are taking work from a person who is trying to make a living and has make a big investment. Please look at it as a business investment and not like I want to do a job every now and then to help a few people out.
 
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