In only a few years, piloting drones has grown from a niche interest into a worldwide enterprise. As of January 10th, 2018, there were more than 122,000 people who had received their Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate, authorizing them to fly drones for commercial and governmental purposes. Some pilots serve as flight staff at organizations. Others have joined a drone servicing business or started their own. For all drone pilots, the commercial opportunity continues to grow as industry leaders define new practices in drone-based aerial intelligence.
However, pilots who provide drone flight services are experiencing headwinds. Dave Brown, PrecisionHawk’s VP, Drone Network explains: “More and more pilots are getting Part 107 certified, increasing the competition for commercial missions. As a result, payouts for some missions are decreasing. Or worse, inexperienced pilots are undercutting experienced ones (and delivering substandard results). Furthermore, while interest in drone-based aerial intelligence is growing, commercial missions aren’t yet at a volume that supports a large ecosystem of full-time pilots.” In such an environment, it can be challenging for independent drone operators to invest in selling and marketing their services in a way that keeps them competitive and flying.
Introducing: Droners.io, PrecisionHawk’s Drone Pilot Network—giving independent drone operators access to flight servicing opportunities from the world’s leading enterprises.
High-quality Drone Missions Accomplished
Pilots participating in PrecisionHawk’s Drone Pilot Network not only gain access to a large and growing volume of consumer and enterprise engagements, they also gain access to a support structure to accomplish those missions.
- Grow flight opportunities from a single source—From individual consumer postings to engagement emerging from the world’s leading enterprises, a large inventory of commercial opportunities are available to drone pilots. This includes opportunities from PrecisionHawk’s enterprise clientele.
- Improve portfolio quality and variety—Many of the opportunities posted to PrecisionHawk’s Drone Pilot Network involve cutting-edge applications. PrecisionHawk helps leaders in insurance, construction, energy, agriculture, and government pioneer new practices in drone-based aerial intelligence.
- Get the support to accomplish missions—Independent pilots participating in the Drone Pilot Network and using PrecisionHawk hardware and software can contact the support team. Those contracted by PrecisionHawk receive the support of the company’s Mission Success team, including training and operational assistance.
Missions are Taking Off
PrecisionHawk contracts with pilots in the Drone Pilot Network to execute missions on behalf of its clients. For example, by the end of 2018:
- A leading aerial intelligence firm will have conducted hundreds of thousands of drone-based building assessments
- An international communications infrastructure corporation will have completed drone-based inspections of its assets, nationwide
PrecisionHawk contracts are among the thousands of opportunities available on Droners.io. Missions span a variety of applications, such as cinematography, search and rescue, and construction progress monitoring, among others.
Participating pilots have earned real income—up to thousands of dollars per mission.
How to Join PrecisionHawk’s Drone Pilot Network
Pilots can join the network by going to Droners.io and:
- Submitting their qualifications, including commercial drone flight certification (e.g., FAA Part 107) and an example of their drone-based imagery
- The pilot’s credentials are reviewed by PrecisionHawk
- Upon approval, pilots can then bid on missions and respond to requests for quotes
To execute missions, pilots can use Droners.io to:
- Communicate directly with clients and the set the terms of a job
- Receive payment directly from the client
Droners.io is free to join. A 10% commission is collected upon mission completion.
Drone Missions Accomplished
By participating in the world’s largest commercial drone pilot network, independent pilots gain access to large and growing volume of missions from a variety of clientele (including PrecisionHawk). The PrecisionHawk Drone Pilot Network will provide pilots with more opportunities to keep their drones flying—building their portfolio and ultimately growing their business and piloting career.
"Droners and AirVid share our mission of helping drone operators turn their passion into a profession. Combined with PrecisionHawk's expertise in providing professional drone services to the enterprise, PrecisionHawk’s Drone Pilot Network provides the best platform for drone pilots while simultaneously offering our enterprise clients the on-demand services they require."—Michael Chasen, PrecisionHawk CEO
It’s all part of PrecisionHawk’s mission to foster the adoption of drone technology—making businesses, drone pilots and the people they serve more prosperous and sustainable.
For press inquiries, contact Lia Reich, VP Marketing-Communications: press@precisionhawk.com.
For pilots seeking support, contact support@droners.io.
Click here to read the full press release.
