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Bottome Feeders Win.

R.Perry

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 15, 2018
Messages
1,937
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1,532
Age
75
Location
Coulterville, CA
The last four years have been very interesting, educational and rewarding. From the UC Merced project to the completion of my current jobs. However we now have way too many bottom feeders that will work for nothing and have taken the profit out of the business end. After shooting over 67000 basically point and shoot photos, it's time to focus my attempts to develop some true photographic talent.

I'm not renewing my 107 and going to focus on learning and improving my photography. The quality of the photos coming from the Inspire 2 and Mavic pro still amaze me.

As I stated in a previous post some time back. Many of the major construction companies are having their civil engineers and surveyors get their 107 and are purchasing RTK drones, smart move on their part, no conflights in mappings. Realestate is a joke, some have their own people with or without a 107 doing the photos. Cell phone providers are having their own technicians trained, as are the power companies. Agriculture is a tough sell eventhough the results of crop health can be a valuable tool, farmers are reluctant to buy into the service, and I have talked to many of them. Even the large corperate farms are a hard sell. Truth is mapping a large several thousand acre farm should be done with and aircraft.
Here is a link giving any of you an idea of using and aircraft creating a patterned flight.
What he doesn't show here is could have set that pattern up on his laptop or desktop computer instead of taxing around the field. If you look at the lower right is the chemical volume markings and you can see he is empty.

I'm a couple weeks away from my 74th birthday so it is time to retire. I wish all of you, (even you bottome feeders), the best of luck.
Oh, Fred, it you read this, thanks for your advice on my new cameras, it was perfect advice.
Big A, thanks for all your advice, it has been a tremendous help in this learning process. Maybe it is time to play with RC airplanes.
 
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..... Big A, thanks for all your advice, it has been a tremendous help in this learning process. Maybe it is time to play with RC airplanes.
R.Perry, thank you for the VERY generous mention. I appreciate that more than you know. It's been a genuine pleasure to interact with you and I've also learned from you over the years. Back atcha!!

Best wishes and above all CONGRATULATIONS!!

For the record, I still fly my r/c "planks" every week because I enjoy the "piloting" aspect of them without the GPS and Gyros :)
 
I'm a couple weeks away from my 74th birthday so it is time to retire. I wish all of you the best of luck.
Well, I could say that "I've heard that before ! " ;)

But, I'll just say congrats and continue to enjoy yourself ! :)

PS: you are still allowed to post on the Commercial forum even without a current review. The RP cert never expires ! (yeah, I know you know that..)

Cheers,
Dave
 
R.Perry, your succinct summary of industry trends should be read by anyone who arrives on this forum with hopes of making money with a drone. That said, in some locations there may be a few jobs where there is minimal "local" competition (for a while). Differentiating one's advertised Services from the crowd of drone buyers remains a big challenge.

I'll add that government agencies/departments at various levels are beginning to staff up to use drone systems and after-flight software products, so unless your company qualifies for a percentage of a major project that is allocated for Small Businesses (as defined), the opportunities to participate as a contractor may be fewer than in the past. Some agencies may be content with having relatively low-resolution imagery, recorded yearly or less often. They may get what they think they need from the newer satellite imagery suppliers, even these free and for-fee sources.

Note this comment on one of the sources: Dear user, EOSDA is doing all it can to help Ukraine stop the Russian invasion. For safety reasons, some satellite data over Ukrainian territory will be unavailable until the Russian troops leave Ukraine.

Enjoy your retirement!
 
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I'm glad you're enjoying the new gear! Post some images as you progress and develop your skillset. If you would like some advice on where to seek training and/or a few great books to read, drop a PM here and I'll give you my private email.
 
Enjoy your retirement! Now that you're retiring however, what am I going to read on the weekly updates? 😂 You've been an awesome contributor to the forum and I've enjoyed reading your stories, experiences and knowledge.
 
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R.Perry, thank you for the VERY generous mention. I appreciate that more than you know. It's been a genuine pleasure to interact with you and I've also learned from you over the years. Back atcha!!

Best wishes and above all CONGRATULATIONS!!

For the record, I still fly my r/c "planks" every week because I enjoy the "piloting" aspect of them without the GPS and Gyros :)
I fly R/C and drones. I love flying the airplanes and taking photos/videos with my drones. A friend told me, you fly a model airplane and you operate a drone.
Either way, enjoy your “retirement” and come back and show us your great photos..
 
I fly R/C and drones. I love flying the airplanes and taking photos/videos with my drones. A friend told me, you fly a model airplane and you operate a drone.
Either way, enjoy your “retirement” and come back and show us your great photos..
True indeed. But you also fly a toy drone. Best way to step up to becoming a good operator.
 
The last four years have been very interesting, educational and rewarding. From the UC Merced project to the completion of my current jobs. However we now have way too many bottom feeders that will work for nothing and have taken the profit out of the business end. After shooting over 67000 basically point and shoot photos, it's time to focus my attempts to develop some true photographic talent.

I'm not renewing my 107 and going to focus on learning and improving my photography. The quality of the photos coming from the Inspire 2 and Mavic pro still amaze me.

As I stated in a previous post some time back. Many of the major construction companies are having their civil engineers and surveyors get their 107 and are purchasing RTK drones, smart move on their part, no conflights in mappings. Realestate is a joke, some have their own people with or without a 107 doing the photos. Cell phone providers are having their own technicians trained, as are the power companies. Agriculture is a tough sell eventhough the results of crop health can be a valuable tool, farmers are reluctant to buy into the service, and I have talked to many of them. Even the large corperate farms are a hard sell. Truth is mapping a large several thousand acre farm should be done with and aircraft.
Here is a link giving any of you an idea of using and aircraft creating a patterned flight.
What he doesn't show here is could have set that pattern up on his laptop or desktop computer instead of taxing around the field. If you look at the lower right is the chemical volume markings and you can see he is empty.
at

I'm a couple weeks away from my 74th birthday so it is time to retire. I wish all of you, (even you bottome feeders), the best of luck.
Oh, Fred, it you read this, thanks for your advice on my new cameras, it was perfect advice.
Big A, thanks for all your advice, it has been a tremendous help in this learning process. Maybe it is time to play with RC airplanes.
R. Perry - your posts have been among the more articulate and interesting reads on this forum. I'm only a few years behind you in age, but my phone keeps ringing and after all - photography isn't digging ditches. So I agree with your quest to improve your photography. Then I suggest you start thinking of your drones as a big tripod. My bread and butter is imaging for the Architectural, Engineering, and Interior Design communities. The unique availability of that big tripod has solidified my offering to my clients to the point that they expect those aerial views in the proof set. Even if the shot is only 15'feet off the ground. And I'd much rather shoot that with the drone rather than from a 6 foot ladder on the top of my Suburban. Good luck and keep us posted on your new discoveries!
 

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