Hello, all. I'm a long-time aviation enthusiast, having been a member of EAA for 16 years, and a member of the board of directors of one of the most active chapters for the past four years. One of these days I'll manage to get my Sport Pilot license, but for now I'm studying for my 107.
I don't have a real drone yet, but I have a Syma X5C that I'm using to work on my stick skills while I study for the 107. I've absorbed a lot of info hanging around airports and pilots for the past bunch of years, so I have no doubt that I could pass it right now (scored 87% on a practice test before I started studying), but I'm not that kind of guy. I want to go into it prepared. The online course I'm using for study is done by a CFI/CFII and 107 holder, so I am sure it is a good one. I'll be done soon, and will drive a mile down the road to the airport to take the test.
I haven't quite narrowed down what niche I want to squeeze into. I'm leaning toward either real estate work, or mapping / 3D modeling. I kind of like the modeling idea, as I've worked in the 3D world before, tinkering at home with a 3D printer that I built from a kit. The down side is that it sounds like drones capable of this work are going to be more expensive, and money is definitely an issue (I want to do this to make some side money to pay for flying real airplanes). Also, being a person who understands the rules, and how to abide by them, I don't really like the idea of being hobbled by a drone company that feels the need to lock me out of certain areas if I have authorization to be there. I've looked quite a bit at the Yuneec Typhoon H+, and that's really the most expensive that I would like to be able to go, but I'm torn by the fact that it can't be set up on a route in advance, like some others (good for mapping). I do like the camera, though, as well as the hex form factor.
Are there other drones I should be checking out? I realize that the P4P is popular, but I want to do a good comparison of what's available before sinking my money into anything, let alone a drone that might leave me high and dry when needed.
I look forward to learning a lot here. Thanks for having me!
I don't have a real drone yet, but I have a Syma X5C that I'm using to work on my stick skills while I study for the 107. I've absorbed a lot of info hanging around airports and pilots for the past bunch of years, so I have no doubt that I could pass it right now (scored 87% on a practice test before I started studying), but I'm not that kind of guy. I want to go into it prepared. The online course I'm using for study is done by a CFI/CFII and 107 holder, so I am sure it is a good one. I'll be done soon, and will drive a mile down the road to the airport to take the test.
I haven't quite narrowed down what niche I want to squeeze into. I'm leaning toward either real estate work, or mapping / 3D modeling. I kind of like the modeling idea, as I've worked in the 3D world before, tinkering at home with a 3D printer that I built from a kit. The down side is that it sounds like drones capable of this work are going to be more expensive, and money is definitely an issue (I want to do this to make some side money to pay for flying real airplanes). Also, being a person who understands the rules, and how to abide by them, I don't really like the idea of being hobbled by a drone company that feels the need to lock me out of certain areas if I have authorization to be there. I've looked quite a bit at the Yuneec Typhoon H+, and that's really the most expensive that I would like to be able to go, but I'm torn by the fact that it can't be set up on a route in advance, like some others (good for mapping). I do like the camera, though, as well as the hex form factor.
Are there other drones I should be checking out? I realize that the P4P is popular, but I want to do a good comparison of what's available before sinking my money into anything, let alone a drone that might leave me high and dry when needed.
I look forward to learning a lot here. Thanks for having me!
