The Top Seven Drone Businesses That Are Making Money, NOW, From UAVDirect

TOP SEVEN DRONE BUSINESSES MAKING MONEY NOW
1. Freelance Photography / Videography: Small, easy to use DJI quadcopters such as the Phantom 2 and Phantom 2 Vision Plus are great tools that can be flown anywhere you can see the open sky. Their compact form and long flight-times mean that capturing high-quality stills and video is super-easy, and the results surprisingly powerful.  A fully equipped DJI Inspire 1 from UAVDirect costs little more than high end DSLR!
Cost: Low-Medium Low
Learning Curve: Low-HIgh (Depending on how far you want to go with it)
Requirements: Safety Course, Liability Insurance, FAA Exemption, Private Pilot License

2. Real Estate Photography / Videography: Real estate brokers and agents are constantly looking for ways to give a new perspective to properties on the market so as to transform a photo into a 3-dimensional and vivid experience for a potential buyer that may be too far away to come experience themselves.  Aircraft such as the DJI Inspire 1 and Phantom 2 Vision Plus, available at UAVDirect,  are perfect tools to showcase properties. While the Vision Plus is better suited for outdoor expanses, the Inspire 1’s Opti-Flow and Ultrasonic Sensors mean that navigating the hallways of a Spanish Villa and out French doors and sweeping over the garden for a one-take “Wow!” shot might move that idle listing. This is probably the biggest market for drones, and one that is growing exponentially.
Cost: Medium Low, Medium
Learning Curve: Medium Low
Requirements: Safety Course, Liability Insurance, FAA Exemption, Private Pilot License

3. Insurance and Claims Inspection: When acts of nature, or accidents occur… data gathering is a requirement that must happen quickly and be done with photos and video that are very high in quality. This usually means that in order to get the data needed, an agent or adjuster might have to climb or crawl into precarious structures or on top of roofs to collect and record the needed images. Risk management is key here and putting a drone in the air is very effective and useful for mitigating said risk, while also producing the high-quality imagery for the claim. The DJI Phantom 2 H4-3D and Inspire 1 UAV’s are both easy to operate, and can produce 4K video and 12MP stills. Inspections just got a whole lot easier!
Cost: Medium Low, Medium
Learning Curve: Medium
Requirements: Safety Course, Liability Insurance, FAA Exemption, Private Pilot License

4. Photojournalism and Media
The lens of the 21st century reporting by photojournalists and independent media is all about immersion into the story. The audience now has 24/7 access to levels of content capable of streaming video right from our pockets, no matter where in the world we are. News breaks on a moment’s notice and that level of detailed information depends on how quickly it can be produced and made available online. Major media outlets now empower the independent journalist reported with his or her own devices, as well as traditional satellite feeds from trucks and cameras on the ground. Fast-paced coverage means getting every angle possible, and being above the action usually meant the ownership or rental of a network chopper. That has now changed to include drones… everywhere from Phantoms to the DJI Spreading Wings S900 and S1000 aircraft. With true professional platforms such as these aircraft, two-man teams consisting of a pilot and videographer can capture and  transmit the action as it happens in HD to their trucks and stream content directly for broadcast. Exemptions from the FAA for media have begun to roll out, and major networks are already taking full advantage of the privilege. For now though, the FCC has threatened to pull broadcast licenses of any stations operating drones without the FAA proper exemption.
Cost: Medium, Medium High
Learning Curve: Medium High, High
Requirements: Safety Course, Liability Insurance, FAA Exemption, Private Pilot License

5. Agriculture, Wildlife Management and Aerial Mapping: The world of Graphical Information Systems (GIS) is about to grow enormously over the next few years, as drones of all shapes and sizes utilize new imagers and sensors to provide a plethora of data for multiple applications. From the farmers and ranchers of  the great plains, to surveyors for the next big highway construction projects, UAVs can provide entire maps collected autonomously and stitched together by cloud-based software platforms such as Pix4Dmapper… the results of which can show data in multiple wavelengths. Hyperspectral imagery can detect stress in plants and show portions of a crop that could be experiencing drought or excess fertilization, where thermal imagers can assist in livestock counts. For surveyors, orthomosaic maps can show new elevation contours on a dynamic construction site. Platforms to see this kind of work done really encompass the widest range of the UAV industry… everywhere from the DJI Phantom 2 Vision Plus and  Spreading Wings S1000, to fixed-wing (plane) aircraft and customized sensors.  UAVDirect can help you configure a drone to your specific needs.
Cost: Medium High, High
Learning Curve: Medium High, Extremely High
Requirements: Safety Course, Liability Insurance, FAA Exemption, Private Pilot License

6. Industrial Inspection: Much the same as agricultural management and aerial mapping, the industrial applications for UAV’s can utilize a wide array of aircraft and sensors to collect and analyze vital information. Chemical plants and shipyards have employed manned aircraft to detect leaks and spillage during routine inspections for several years now, as FLIR and hyperspectral imagers have become more efficient and widely available. Larger platform drones can now carry more compact versions of these imagers and limit human involvement in hazardous environments by doing so autonomously.
Cost: Medium High, High
Learning Curve: Medium High, Extremely High
Requirements: Safety Course, Liability Insurance, Inspection Certification, Fixed-Wing and R/C Experience, FAA Exemption, Private Pilot License

7. Professional Cinematography and Television: The motion picture industry pushes the boundaries of what camera technology is capable of, and storytellers take the responsibility of bringing new worlds into our own imaginations. This is where the flying camera was meant to go, and is by far the pinnacle of what every drone operator dreams of capturing. On set, UAVs are becoming a vital tool to capturing moments and transitions that could not be done in one take… not without complexities that could prevent repeatability. UAV’s can be programmed to do the same “moves” again and again to get the take and make seamless transitions possible.  Aircraft such as the DJI Inspire 1 offer 4K video resolution and a platform capable of indoor and outdoor flight. Larger aircraft like the Spreading Wings S1000 can carry heavy cameras like the Canon 5D MkIII, while custom aerial platforms make host to Red and Black Magic cameras as well. Undoubtedly, the Silver Screen and talented dreamers of cinema will drive  technology forward and continue to push the envelope of UAV platforms forward.
Cost: High
Learning Curve: High-Extremely High
Requirements: Safety Course, Liability Insurance, Inspection Certification, Fixed-Wing and R/C Experience, FAA Exemption, Private Pilot License

Dream Big!

We’ve explored seven of the most popular uses for UAV technology that you can make a little… or a lot of money from. There are many more emerging every day– dream big and discover new possibilities and solutions with UAV’s from UAVDirect.

About UAVDirect

UAVDirect is America’s number one seller of multirotor drones, including aerial photography drones, police drones, delivery drones, agricultural drones, aerial mapping drones, DJI Inspire 1 drones, DJI Phantom drones and specialized application UAV’s (unmanned aerial vehicles). UAVDirect repairs and rebuilds crashed drones. UAVDirect has a dedicated subsidiary– DroneDoctor. Drone Doctor is America’s fasted and best drone repair service.