Alan Perlman

@Ryan has this been sold yet? If so, let's close the loop on this post. Thanks!

Hi all, I just got this email from one of our https://dronepilotgroundschool.com students: Here was my response back to him, and curious how other pilots in this forum choose to weigh in. --- Hi there, both great models! "Worth it" is highly dependant on you and your goals as a 'dronepreneur' Some quick thoughts: How will you ever know without trying? Both models are perfectly suitable tools for taking high-quality aerial photos / video. I know pros who still use the Phantom 3, which isn't as strong of a camera or sensor set as your two options right now. The magic isn't in the camera itself, but the post-production...see the latest videos in this thread and feel free to scroll back a few pages to see earlier additions. Some great professional real estate marketers sharing their videos! It's a very consultative sales process — you're going to have to hustle and grind and keep building out your list of target clients and proactively reaching out to them to better understand what kind of service delivery (pricing, packaging, turnaround time, etc.) you feel comfortable with. It's a young industry. There's a TON of opportunity out there, but it's not easy money by any means. Building any kind of service-based business is really tough. Hope that helps!

@Spitfire76 — just seeing your response here and thank you for helping @Jacques the newbee out!

Ahhh, great system and a great deal. Thanks for posting, @Ryan. Hope you're doing well. Had breakfast at Thistle Farms this morning and your name came up in conversation! Alan

These guys are great to work with!

Hey @JohnyWalter — I'm not seeing a picture of your IACRA application. But yes, even if the certificate is 'pending,' you are cleared to fly as an FAA-certificated remote pilot. @David Blezard — interesting that the instructor told you could fly under 107 as soon as you pass the exam. That's incorrect. You need to wait 24-48 hours for the test score to make its way into the FAA's IACRA system, then you have to fill out that 10-15 minute application. THEN, you have to wait for 1) either the FAA to email you letting you know that the temporary certificate has been issued or 2) you can log into IACRA on your own semi-regularly to check whether or not your certificate is in a 'pending' status. Often that happens long before the FAA issues an email. Hope that helps to clarify! Alan

Yep! You'll get your hard card in the mail in 6-8 weeks. You're good to go in the meantime. Blue skies and safe flying out there

Well said, @teamplayer .

Thanks for posting, @chunkles . Do you have any pics?

@Jim Weeder , great to meet you. Thanks for taking the time to join our forum and hoping we can help support you in your quest to generate a bit of side income from your aerial service business. Have you seen our jobs guide? Some good inspiration in there: https://uavcoach.com/uav-jobs

Great to meet you @John Grimaldi !

We use Google Ads — it's a big sales channel for our online FAA Part 107 test prep course., but that's because we were able to make the economics work. And, two years into it, we're constantly making tweaks, bid adjustments, etc. We've got an agency that we use for all of this, but if there's anything I've learned about using Google Ads, it's that it's very much an active channel that needs to be managed. And the economics don't always work, but it's fun when they do. My gut tells me that it wouldn't be a good use of energy or funds to be promoting your aerial services w/ Google Ads...and that you can get higher quality targeting through LinkedIn, Facebook, and a masterfully-built funnel where you're not just sending someone to your home page, or to a buy-now page...but to a free piece of content that helps them better understand the 'why' behind drones in their specific industry. Like you're taking out LinkedIn ads or doing targeting prospecting to folks in the construction industry...maybe you have a free branded report or video that shows the ROI of using drones in construction, or you're running a free Q&A webinar where you're interviewing one of your other construction clients. There's a TON of strategy around this stuff — when it comes to marketing, I like to advise companies that it's really important to have set up the party before the guests arrive. If you turn on paid ads and are getting guests into your house, but you haven't thought through what food you'll be serving, where the coats are going to be put, etc. then it's not an optimal situation. Hope these thoughts help! I'm not an Adwords expert by any means, and while we rely on it in our business I know from experience that it's not a great fit for everyone.

@doodah , how' you do?

Just had an incredibly pleasant experience with DJI's customer support and have been asking them questions / dealing with similar issues over the last couple of years. Never had any negative experiences, but perhaps I'm the anomaly. Here are some other experiences:

Also, I love flying around Pawley's island. Some great places to explore.