10 Best Ways to Make Money with a Drone (Super Awesome Ideas)

Drones are becoming more popular, but there’s a lot of misinformation about them. Some think that they’re only good to perform air surveillance or delivering packages while other people think that they are just toys that don’t serve any real purpose. In this article, I’ll show you some of the best ways to make money with a drone.

Drones, more formally known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or unmanned vehicle systems, can provide services that are not readily available using other methods such as aerial surveillance

For example, one of the best ways is to use it for looking at things like building structures, power lines, or other types of real estate. This provides an easier and safer alternative, rather than sending up a person who needs to be tethered to a safety harness.

Other best ways that drone operators can earn money include delivering food and packages by air, crop dusting agricultural fields, taking aerial videos and aerial images (aerial surveying) for concert venues and sporting events, providing support to rescue companies and organizations during emergencies or disasters such as fires or floods, or being employed through the military.

In addition to commercial uses of well-equipped drones, hobbyist drone operators have been able to enjoy having fun using them as well. Many models can be purchased and flown indoors or outdoors for recreational purposes.

There are also race tracks designed specifically for flying drones, where pilots fly them around a designated track as fast as possible.

This article will show you 10 of the most popular uses for drones and how they can earn money, sometimes through your own drone business or drone hobby.

Monitoring Buildings

Providing video monitoring for buildings is one of the most common ways that people think of using a drone to earn money. It’s important to note that prior approval from the federal government needs to be received before conducting such work.

The FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) must first approve an application before commercial UAS operations may commence, including those flights over people who do not directly participate in the operation. Each type of use has different criteria that needs to be met for approval, so it is important to know the rules.

Drones are becoming increasingly popular for use in a variety of industries where buildings play a major role. One such industry is construction, where drones can be used to inspect job sites or help with mapping out new projects.

Another industry that is starting to use drones is insurance, as they can be used to assess damage after a storm or accident. With the growing popularity of drones, there is a lot of money to be made flying drones with construction and insurance companies (and even many utility companies for checking out electrical lines or a gas pipeline).

Delivering Packages

Drones could make quick drone deliveries from, say Amazon or other online retailers, even faster and more efficient. Deliveries won’t waste time going around corners either, because drones could travel vertically up and down a building that has multiple floors.

While there are still legalities that need to be worked out in terms of how packages can be delivered by drone compared with other means, many drone companies have already been testing the waters when it comes to the idea of drone delivery.

The reason this is so exciting, at least for some people, is that it would mean next-day or even same-day delivery. This could be beneficial to many people who are waiting for an order of something important to arrive quickly.

In addition, the fact that drones can take a vertical approach means that they could potentially avoid busy city traffic and safely fly from different buildings, which would also speed up delivery time even more.

Already there have been companies using drones to deliver small packages in the Netherlands, it is just a matter of time before drone deliveries are being used worldwide.

Crop Dusting

Crop dusting involves applying fertilizers and pesticides through the air over agricultural fields after planting season. Using a drone is an easier alternative than having to hire someone to do it, because they are smaller and require less equipment.

Farmers can get more done in a shorter amount of time using this method, while also saving money on labor costs. When you hear people talk about precision agriculture, drones can play a big role.

Drones are also useful in agriculture for checking on crops. Instead of using an airplane, drones can fly over the field and capture images that will tell farmers what they need to do to ensure they get the best yield possible. Farmers would save money by not wasting expensive chemicals or labor costs.

More efficient spraying might largely reduce pesticide use and exposure, and provide other benefits such as environmental protection and food safety.

Concerts and Sporting Events

For music venues or basketball stadiums, drones can be used to get shots that have previously not been possible for audiences. They can provide wide-view angles that allow people sitting all around the arena to see the action just as well as people who are sitting close to the court or stage itself.

This is perfect for large events with thousands of spectators where everyone wants a good seat. It’s important to follow safety rules when flying high above crowds so no one gets accidentally injured or worse by an errant drone.

A well-equipped drone can also be used to create promotional videos for events, allowing people who are unable to attend a game or concert to get a taste of what it would have been like.

For sports teams, this can be a great way to get fans excited for an upcoming season or just generate extra publicity. With the ability to upload images and video on social media accounts, it’s easy to share shots with friends.

They can also provide videos of important team events like pre-season practices, press conferences, and more across their social media channels.

Drones are also a great way to capture shots of large outdoor gatherings like music festivals or political rallies, giving people who couldn’t make the trip an idea of what it was like. This can be especially beneficial for large-scale events where there isn’t a single event that’s the main draw.

People who attend a festival like Coachella, for example, will have multiple acts they want to see. With the ability to check out high-quality aerial shots of each performance in between their own schedules, this provides people with an extra incentive to attend.

Emergencies

Drone technology can be used for searching for missing people or hunting down criminals, both in suburban areas and in areas of vacant land. They are easier to use than other methods because they provide a safer alternative that lets them fly above dangerous situations without putting anyone in harm’s way.

Emergency responders have also been using drones to assess damage after disasters such as fires or floods so they know where to send their resources first.

Disaster relief drones even have the ability to drop supplies onto rooftops for disaster relief operations before food, water, or medical teams can get there safely by land.

This technology can also be used to prevent crime. The Los Angeles Police Department has been testing ‘drone-on-drone’ technology that would allow drones to fly in sync with one another, covering more ground and potentially catching criminals who are hiding out.

Military

The military has taken advantage of drones since their introduction into service because of how useful they could be for intelligence gathering and precision targeting operations. Their presence in the air usually causes enemies to be more vigilant and prevents confrontations from turning into full-blown wars.

While they have been used in previous wars for this purpose, drones are now being used even more so because of their increased maneuverability and ability to stay airborne longer than ever before.

However, since they are still weapons of war and not toys, the FAA has made it illegal for any non-military drones to fly within a certain distance of airports.

This is because if a pilot loses control of their aircraft and crashes into another plane or jet engine, it could cause a major disaster that would cost many lives. And while most countries have laws like this, not many of them work as well as the FAA does.

Filming

In films, television shows, documentaries, and any other type of video media out there, a drone can take a different perspective that would otherwise go unseen if a camera operator had to get it themselves.

It’s much safer when using a drone instead of an actual person because they don’t have any influence on what goes on during filming.

Drones could be set up in various places around the set where cameras normally wouldn’t be able to go and the result is a larger number of angles in any given shot.

As an aerial drone photographer with your own successful drone photography business, filming houses for real estate agents (real estate industry) or doing aerial wedding photography can be especially lucrative.

There is no end to the creativity when it comes to flying drones for video media. Drones are still relatively new technology, so there’s no way to predict what could come next.

People who fly drones professionally will definitely need an insurance policy that covers them in case they crash into anyone or anything else. It’s best to take drone flying lessons before engaging in it for any reason because minuscule errors could result in someone getting hurt.

Racing

Drone piloting or drone racing is already happening in both the amateur and professional circuits, with most drone pilots making a name for themselves by streaming live drone footage from their craft while they compete against others.

It’s like playing video games in real life when watching these races because it puts you right in the pilot’s seat to see exactly what they see when navigating around obstacles or other racers that could potentially interfere with them winning an event.

Some people believe that drones in RC flying could even replace cars and motorcycles in races over time since all you need to get going is a controller and a drone instead of more expensive drones equipment such as engines and chassis.

To start drone racing, you need to have a drone that’s not only durable and lightweight, but fast too. That means it can go from 0-60 in less than four seconds and can handle stable flight in windy conditions (another reason drones could replace cars).

Some people even build their own drones for racing purposes. Some races use the same kind of thing that FPV (first-person view) goggles that fighter pilots use in actual planes or helicopters.

Sports Events

The best moments from football, baseball, soccer, and any other sporting event can be captured by a drone to be shared with millions of viewers around the world.

Aerial photography footage from this perspective gives them an idea of what it feels like to actually play in a professional arena for people who have never been able to make that dream a reality.

The pilot’s skill is important when making these types of shots because they not only need to pilot their craft in such a way that it doesn’t interfere with the athletes on the field but also do so while getting high quality aerial footage at the same time.

To learn how to make money by shooting aerial video of sporting events, you should start by looking into the different types of aerial video drones that can be used. These machines will play a large role in determining what you can do to produce high quality video that people will want to watch.

Aerial photography is already used by news organizations because it gives them a different perspective of what’s going on, but imagine how much more powerful this footage would be if the drone was being flown above the camera itself!

This technology has been growing in popularity since news channels began using it and now people are starting to see how it can benefit them.

Pest Removal

Most home owners don’t want to deal with bugs or rodents anymore than anyone else would and drones are now being used as a way to get rid of these types of pests. They can fly their craft at high speeds toward the bugs and, while some may get away, enough will be hit so that they won’t be an issue anymore.

Drones are capable of delivering poison or other deadly chemicals just as easily as traps or pesticides would and it’s almost guaranteed that all the insects in one area will die if a professional is using them instead of someone just trying to kill a few spiders in their house.

Before getting started as a pest control drone operator, you should check with your local government and find out what the laws are concerning this type of work.

You may need a license or certificate in order to employ drones for commercial purposes and you certainly don’t want to break any laws while trying to start up your business.

If you’re not sure how many people would need your services, you should start by marketing to local schools. If you have a flyer about your services, perhaps with coupons to help get people in the door, you can hand them out around school campuses.

Best Drone for Making Money

There are a lot of different options when it comes to using a drone to make money. More and more brands are coming out all the time. Some of the most popular drones are the DJI line of drones:

• DJI Mini 2
• DJI Mavic Air 2
• DJI Mavic Pro
• DJI Mavic 2 Pro
• DJI Mavic Mini

Some things to look for when buying a drone for making decent income are:

Max flight time: The max flight time is the amount of time you can fly your drone before it has to return to a docking station for recharging. This is important as you don’t want to miss an opportunity because your drone isn’t charged enough.

Battery Life: Standard battery life is around 25 minutes, however some brands offer batteries that last as long as 45 minutes or even more.

Range: The range of the drone is how far it can go before losing connection with its remote controller. Usually, most drones will be able to fly for about half a mile. However some brands offer GPS tracking and advanced return to home features that increase this number greatly.

Image Quality: Some brands offer drones with higher quality cameras than others. You can also attach your own camera to some drones which will greatly increase the quality of any images or video you take with it.

Price: The most important factor in most cases is price. Drones range dramatically in their prices, with some retailing for under $100 and some going all the way up to $2000 for professional grade equipment.

Comparing drones can be a difficult process. It is often helpful to ask a knowledgeable sales associate for assistance when considering a purchase. In addition, ask around for user reviews on specific brands and models to help you make an informed decision.

Wrap Up

These are some of the best ways to fly a drone to earn money, either as an individual or in small business. Whatever your talent is, there’s probably something out there for you that requires no certification if it’s not too complicated and will turn into more money than other jobs because of how much people are willing to pay for these services.

These types of work should never be done by children without supervision though because drone owners can be dangerous when flown incorrectly or near sensitive equipment like computers.

If someone wants to get started using one themselves then they need to read up on what laws might apply where they live because things like how high drones can fly have been known to change over time and result in fines being issued if they’re caught breaking them.

Now that you’ve read this article, you should have a great idea of what types of things you can use drones for and want to learn more about starting your own business.

FAQ – Make Money with a Drone