Another Hello from Colorado

[YourSky]

Hello CDP members. I just started a new aerial videography company here in Colorado Springs, CO. I am available for services throughout the entire state and have already completed my Part 107. Since I am fairly new to the industry, I would love to hear what type of services everyone offers, and what seems to be reasonable costs to charge customers.

BTW, I decided to go the Yuneec route, which makes me "unique" around town, as much of the area seems to lean towards DJI, but I have found the stability and durability of the Typhoon H to be well worth it.

 

[Delta Blue]

Hello CDP members. I just started a new aerial videography company here in Colorado Springs, CO. I am available for services throughout the entire state and have already completed my Part 107. Since I am fairly new to the industry, I would love to hear what type of services everyone offers, and what seems to be reasonable costs to charge customers.

BTW, I decided to go the Yuneec route, which makes me "unique" around town, as much of the area seems to lean towards DJI, but I have found the stability and durability of the Typhoon H to be well worth it.

I considered the Typhoon too which seems like a very cool bird, but my first aircraft was the X-Star a year ago about when I got my Part 107 license. I am moving to the Grand Valley on the west side of Colorado this year so my wife can breathe dry air and not get asthmatic reactions. The terrain in Colorado is much more interesting than the flat plains and gentle hills covered with blankets of trees where I live, and the industry here does not seem very active yet (western Missouri).

I base my flights, at 50 dollars for 30 minutes for each battery flight life, including five minutes pre-flight prep, so an hour, or two flights, would cost 100 dollars for my clients. Travel would be extra, plus the 10 dollar per hour insurance by Verifly, and other incidental costs that might arise. I leave any post-flight video/photo editing out of the bid, because most drone flight buyers that I have encountered seem to only want to know the cost of raw imagery. I have been a digital or traditional artist all my life so my flights are creative/artistic if nothing else. I would not mind getting some paying jobs in the future, though I had a few very close bids that I almost won since I received my pilot's license last spring, and a couple clients requested my services when I could not provide them. So, the jobs will come, and just getting the first few experiences will start the ball rolling. I see bigger operations that charge a lot more, but they often have a lot of employees and more aircraft and a lot of experience under their belts, so I feel to compete I need to at least try to be competitive price-wise at least. I started small with something basic and affordable like the Ultra HD 30fps X-Star that has been very reliable and fun to fly, with a very good customer support that can help me out quickly. If I ever get into the situation where my services are in high demand I might consider charging more and buying bigger drones...who knows?

I am so glad there is now a forum just for 107 pilots. I get tired of reading about who can fly farthest beyond VLOS, or highest into the cloud cover, etc...LOL...anyway, happy flying, and if you get out to the West look me up! deltabluebirds.com

 

[dirkclod]

Welcome to our newest forum .
Just give us a little time and we will be a great place as many more are sure to join.
Also be sure and visit this thread CDP Giveaway - Phantom 4 Pro...

 

[FLYBOYJ]

Welcome Yoursky! I live in Lakewood (Green Mountain) and actually work in COS. Nice to see another Coloradoan here!

 

[BigAl07]

Welcome @YourSky to the forum. Good luck in your new adventure.

@Delta Blue your pricing seems very soft/low. Believe it or not your prices can be "too low". Of course the only thing that matters is what paying clients are willing to pay for your level of service. What "flies" in my area may or may not fly in another market. But I can tell you this much... in our market our base rates start at double what you're asking and we stay booked for weeks in advance.

YMMV

 

[Delta Blue]

Welcome @YourSky to the forum. Good luck in your new adventure.

@Delta Blue your pricing seems very soft/low. Believe it or not your prices can be "too low". Of course the only thing that matters is what paying clients are willing to pay for your level of service. What "flies" in my area may or may not fly in another market. But I can tell you this much... in our market our base rates start at double what you're asking and we stay booked for weeks in advance.

YMMV

I started out at a higher rate and got no bids because of competition and just not that many jobs in my area. I don't think even any realtors are using aerial imagery here. I gave out a bunch of my business cards at the last Parade of Homes and no response. Plus I don't work for any company and am just trying to find buyers and break into the market. One guy requested my flying a month ago and I bid too high so he got a friend to fly his roof inspection for free. I don't know.

So why not ask for more if they are not hiring anyway? Thank you for what I took as advice. I am increasing my scales again to about double. By the time a pilot prepares, gets to the job site, goes through the concern, worry and fussing about, completing the job properly, a lot of potential energy has been spent...might as well make the job worth my while...

 

[LuvMyTJ]

Hello,
It is a pleasure to welcome you to the CommercialDronePilots forum.
I hope that you will be able to use the forum to further your safety knowledge, for the exchange of innovative ideas and as a resource for current developments in the commercial drone field.
Enjoy!

 

[BigAl07]

I started out at a higher rate and got no bids because of competition and just not that many jobs in my area. I don't think even any realtors are using aerial imagery here. I gave out a bunch of my business cards at the last Parade of Homes and no response. Plus I don't work for any company and am just trying to find buyers and break into the market. One guy requested my flying a month ago and I bid too high so he got a friend to fly his roof inspection for free. I don't know.

So why not ask for more if they are not hiring anyway? Thank you for what I took as advice. I am increasing my scales again to about double. By the time a pilot prepares, gets to the job site, goes through the concern, worry and fussing about, completing the job properly, a lot of potential energy has been spent...might as well make the job worth my while...

Well said. Remember if you don't value your time neither will your potential clients.

 

[Delta Blue]

Well said. Remember if you don't value your time neither will your potential clients.

I appreciate the professional advice very much. I really have not had the chance to discuss business matters with successful commercial pilots until now.

 

[Al Spina]

Hello CDP members. I just started a new aerial videography company here in Colorado Springs, CO. I am available for services throughout the entire state and have already completed my Part 107. Since I am fairly new to the industry, I would love to hear what type of services everyone offers, and what seems to be reasonable costs to charge customers.

BTW, I decided to go the Yuneec route, which makes me "unique" around town, as much of the area seems to lean towards DJI, but I have found the stability and durability of the Typhoon H to be well worth it.

Hey all, from East Denver aka West Kansas, lol. Not Part 107 but I am very interested. My Typhoon H is very fun to fly and practice with, but I am interested in taking it to the next level. May start studying soon do I can try in to get in for some side cash. Flying for practice has been a hobby for about 100 hours. So I have a long Way to go to say the least. Cheers

Al

 

[Delta Blue]

Hey all, from East Denver aka West Kansas, lol. Not Part 107 but I am very interested. My Typhoon H is very fun to fly and practice with, but I am interested in taking it to the next level. May start studying soon do I can try in to get in for some side cash. Flying for practice has been a hobby for about 100 hours. So I have a long Way to go to say the least. Cheers

Al

I used this course and once it's paid for I think it's good for four years, so I can study for my next qualification test after 24 months. It was effective with good practice quizzes to prepare. I made an A on the FAA test last February. FAA Part 107 Ground School

 

[YourSky]

I used this course and once it's paid for I think it's good for four years, so I can study for my next qualification test after 24 months. It was effective with good practice quizzes to prepare. I made an A on the FAA test last February. FAA Part 107 Ground School

There are a number of sites where you can learn everything required. I personally used FAA Drone Certification Test Prep | Drone Pilot Ground School. It is slightly more expensive than the one you quoted, but I was very happy with their instruction and aced the exam.