In the commercial drone industry, inspections are undoubtedly one of the biggest, most useful applications. Given the fact that we live in an ever modernizing and expanding society, the drone inspection industry is becoming particularly lucrative with the right equipment and clients.
There are a few different fields you can get into under the general umbrella of drone inspections:
- Thermal roof inspections
- Tower/structure inspections
- Visual roof inspections
Without further ado, let's break these down and discuss how you can use your drone to make money doing these kinds of inspections.
Why Drone Inspections?
When we talk about drone inspections, we're referring to the use of drones to capture photos or video footage that can be analyzed to determine the state of a structure or roof. In many cases, structural inspections are merely a routine procedure
Given the ever increasing number of commercial structures in the modern world, the possibilities for visual inspections are endless.
FAA Part 107 Certification
The first step in the process of using your drone for any commercial application is obtaining an FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate. The Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate allows you to earn money using a drone. We've created the ultimate guide to the Part 107 certification process to help walk you through the process.
The Part 107 certification will also give you more credibility as a professional drone operator. When it comes to more industrial drone work like inspections, clients will have more confidence in you when you have this license.
Liability Insurance
Liability insurance is a must for any commercial drone work, but this is especially true when it comes to inspection work. Virtually all inspection work involves flying very close to objects. Needless to say, a lot can go wrong, and it's only prudent to be protected in case an accident happens.
One of the best insurance options available to commercial drone pilots is Verifly. Verifly lets pilots purchase liability insurance on a job-by-job basis, with several different parameters to choose from.
There are many different insurance options out there, but the bottom line is this: make sure you're covered when you do any kind of inspection work.
Types of Inspection Work
As we mentioned, there are several different types of drone inspection work you can do. Our list by no means covers all inspection applications out there, but we want to focus on the most common applications for the sake of simplicity. We'll go over each of these, along with some drone recommendations for each.
Thermal Roof Inspections
Roof inspections done by thermal cameras have become increasingly popular lately, primarily for flat roofs in the commercial roofing sector.
These images are helpful for commercial roofers because they reveal which parts of flat roofs are holding water, which significantly shortens the lifespan of a flat roof.
This is helpful for commercial roofing companies because it can show the extent of a roof's problems before they take on a certain project. A roofing company might decide to pursue or not to pursue a particular project depending on the underlying state of the roof, which these thermal images can reveal.
For this reason, thermal images can potentially save commercial roofing companies a lot of money, as they'll know exactly what they're getting into before starting a project.
Simply put, thermal images allow roofing companies to make better-informed decisions regarding their projects.
Simply put, thermal images allow roofing companies to make better-informed decisions regarding their projects.
Getting Into the Industry
Getting into the thermal roof inspection field is fairly straightforward. Simply reach out to commercial roofing companies and tell them about the service you offer. Most commercial roofing companies will already understand the benefit of thermal imaging, but if they don't, be sure to have a good pitch ready!
One of the good things about thermal roof inspections is that very little flight time and piloting technique are required. Simply fly above the building, point the gimbal straight down, and take photos of the different parts of the roof in color and with the thermal camera, and you're done on-site.
This makes doing thermal roof inspections one of the easiest commercial drone services to perform.
You might be wondering if you have to be an expert thermographer to get into this business. The answer is absolutely not. When it comes to taking thermal images for roofing companies, the clients will be able to analyze and interpret them. In this way, you're merely providing the drone, the piloting competence necessary to take those images, and the Remote Pilot Certificate. If a client wants a report outlining the analysis of thermal images, they're fairly easy to learn to read and interpret.
In fact, some commercial roofing companies are deterred from working with higher-level thermographers because their rates are often astronomical, and their level of service is way more than the majority of roofing companies ever need. Most small to medium-sized roofing companies merely want basic thermal images that'll inform their decision about whether or not to pursue a project, and that's it. As a commercial drone operator just getting into the business, this can definitely work to your advantage.
Drones with Thermal Cameras
Thermal cameras are fairly pricey in general, and it's no different with thermal drones. There are several high caliber thermal drone options on the market, but most come with an extremely high price tag. We narrowed the list down to 2 great choices that are relatively affordable for someone just starting out with thermal roof inspections.
- The DJI Mavic 2 Enterprise Dual is an excellent option for thermal roof inspections. It's relatively pricey, but you get what you pay for in regard to its technology, capabilities, and accessories. The Mavic is well known for its stable flight characteristics, which means it'll be able to remain stable even in moderate winds above buildings in urban areas. As an added bonus, the Mavic 2 Enterprise Dual's image transmission system is arguably the best on the market, which means your live feed won't miss a beat even when you're flying farther away.
Check current pricing and more Mavic 2 Enterprise details on DJI's website here.
- The Parrot Anafi Thermal is another solid choice for thermal roof inspections. This particular drone is one of the most, if not the most, affordable thermal drone on the market. The Anafi's gimbal also has a 180-degree range of motion, which means you can capture angles that most other drones can't. Parrot has accomplished something truly phenomenal by including a thermal camera on a drone of this size.
Check current pricing and more Parrot Anagi Thermal details on Amazon here.
Tower/Structure Inspections
Tower and structure inspections are another lucrative source of income in the commercial drone world.
Getting Into the Industry
The best way to get into this industry is to find out who has jurisdiction over the structures or towers you're interested in inspecting and contact them about your services. Some companies have already started using their own drones for this work, but many haven't.
For example, you can reach out to the company that owns a nearby cell tower and ask if they'd be interested in using your aerial inspection services.
These big structures and towers require frequent maintenance and, by extension, frequent inspections. If you pitch your services the right way, a lot of these companies will be glad to outsource this work to you, especially if they're still doing inspections the old fashioned way.
Drones to Consider
- The DJI Mavic 2 Zoom is a great drone for tower and structure inspections for a few reasons. As its name suggests, this drone has an impressive zoom feature. In the inspection industry, this is particularly useful because it allows the operator to get an up-close look at the subject of the inspection while maintaining a safe distance and not losing image quality. The Mavic 2 Zoom is also relatively small and compact yet extremely stable in the air, which makes it well-suited for various kinds of inspection work. This drone's robust transmission system is another significant bonus. What's more, the 30+ minutes of flight time per battery.
Check current Mavic 2 Zoom prices on DJI's website here, and on Amazon here.
- The DJI Phantom 4 Pro is another drone you should definitely consider for tower and structure inspections. The Phantom series is DJI's flagship drone and arguably the most common commercial drone out there, and for good reason. The Phantom's camera is stellar, and it has a host of unique features that make it extremely versatile in terms of commercial work. The Phantom is particularly well suited for inspection work because of its size and stability in the air. This drone is larger and heavier than other drones in its class. This means the Phantom has much more stable flight characteristics which is a must for a drone that's going to be flying close to structures.
Check out the current price of the Phantom 4 Pro on DJI's website here, and on Amazon here.
Visual Roof Inspections
Another sector of the drone inspection field is visual roof inspections. This method of inspection is fairly straightforward. It consists of using a drone to visually inspect roofs for signs of damage.
Using drones for this purpose makes roof inspections quicker and safer. Roofing companies used to have to send inspectors up onto the roof to visually inspect it. Steep or otherwise inaccessible roofs make this method of inspection difficult and time-consuming.
In the time it takes someone to actually climb up a ladder and inspect a roof, a drone operator can inspect several roofs from the safety of the ground. This means lower costs for roofing companies and greater efficiency.
Getting Into the Industry
Again, you might be wondering if you have to be an expert inspector to get into this industry. Again, the answer is no. When it comes to visual inspections, if you aren't a trained roof inspector, you're just providing the client with the photos and/or video footage that'll help them assess the extent of a roof's damage. As is the case with thermal roof inspections, with visual inspections, you're providing the drone, the piloting know-how, and the Part 107 certification.
You don't need to be an expert inspector to get into the industry.
To get into this industry, there are two different approaches: contacting insurance companies and roofing companies.
When insurance claims are made after bad storms, insurance companies send out inspectors to determine the extent of damage on a given roof. While many insurance companies have integrated drones into this process, some haven't. As an FAA certified Part 107 drone operator, you can reach out to some insurance agencies near you to see if they'd be willing to outsource some inspection work to you.
You can also contact roofing companies directly about your services. Roofers have a host of different uses for visual roof inspections.
Drones to Consider
When it comes to visual drone inspections, the most important feature is the camera quality. This is good news because there are plenty of affordable drones on the market with incredible cameras that make inspection work a breeze. Let's take a look at some of the best options.
- The Autel Robotics Evo is another good choice for visual inspection work. This drone takes excellent photos and videos, and its size is virtually the same as the Mavic series. The Evo also boasts of a 25+ minute flight time per battery, which is more than enough to knock out any inspection work. The Evo is also extremely stable in the air. Additionally, the Evo is relatively affordable when compared to the other drones in its class.
Check current Autel Robotics Evo prices on Amazon here.
- The Parrot Anafi is another great drone for inspection work. While this small drone might not seem like it's fit for this kind of work, think again. For its size, the camera quality is incredible. The Anafi's best feature when it comes to inspection work is its gimbal. The Anafi's gimbal can move a full 180 degrees, making it the perfect solution for inspecting small spaces, overhangs, or any other structural features that most drone cameras just can't see. Due to its size, the Parrot Anafi is also one of the most portable drones on the market, which is extremely helpful for packing it up and transporting around to different job sites.
Check current Parrot Anafi prices on Amazon here.
Final Thoughts
Inspection work is by far one of the best fields to get into when it comes to the commercial drone world. New buildings and structures are being created every day, which means there will be plenty of inspection work to go around.
The best part about getting into this industry is that a top of the line drone isn't generally required. In most cases, any drone with a good camera and solid flight characteristics will be sufficient.
That said, always be cautious when conducting inspections with a drone. In most cases, inspection work entails flying in close proximity to structures that are likely extremely expensive.
