High Startup Costs of Thermal Imagery

[Pelagic One]

I’ve been doing mapping and inspection-quality imagery for clients for a couple years now, and am investigating the costs associated with adding thermal imaging to my service offerings. I am including the in-person FLIR Level 1 certification classes (along with flight, car rental and hotel costs), as well as adding a new thermal-capable UAV to the squadron. And I do realize that all that won’t necessarily make me a professional thermographer without putting in plenty of practice time.

So without revealing your specific charge to your clients, how much more do thermal imaging jobs cost? Would you say it’s like 3x or 4x what you’d charge for a simple “pavement, rooftop and facade” job?

I would appreciate a Private Message if you want to be more specific.

 

[manutter51]

I can't speak to the price of thermal imaging jobs since I don't have any clients of my own yet, but just to mention in passing that I recently completed the sUAS Level I Thermography Certification online (https://courses.infraredtraining.com/index.cfm?action=registration.schedule&courseId=25). Saved me the cost of a hotel/rental/meals, and very good training specifically for drone pilots. You might want to check that out if you haven't already.

 

[Pelagic One]

Congratulations on your new Level 1 cert. I hope you’ll share all the good things you’re about to do!

Many online are proponents of the extra education you’ll get from in-person training, including networking with other students around the country. But yes, I’ll look forward to other comments here for on-site vs Internet-based training.

 

[manutter51]

Congratulations on your new Level 1 cert. I hope you’ll share all the good things you’re about to do!

Many online are proponents of the extra education you’ll get from in-person training, including networking with other students around the country. But yes, I’ll look forward to other comments here for on-site vs Internet-based training.

Well, I'm about to go out later this evening to shoot my first paid thermography mission (for DroneBase.com), so there's that. Pretty excited about it.

The online course I took was Zoom-based, with a live instructor and students from all over. We could see each other and talk to each other, though of course we mostly took turns talking to the instructor, out of habit I guess. But it was interesting, we got to share a lot about our various backgrounds and such. Not quite to the level you'd get in person, so there's a trade-off naturally.

 

[Pelagic One]

So, getting back to my original question of comparing thermal jobs vs standard imaging jobs…

I came across these 2018 survey results on rates charged for thermal jobs. Having flown missions for Dronebase before realizing the pay differential, I’m guessing Dronebase does not pay their pilots these rates:

 

[manutter51]

Can confirm: DroneBase is paying me about 1/3 of what the chart shows for the per-building rate for "Airborne unmanned". On the other hand, for a newcomer like me, it's not too bad, considering all I have to do is fly the mission and upload the photos. They take care of all the marketing, booking, processing, and billing. Plus I'm happy to fly for someone else until I build up my experience/confidence as a drone pilot. I do intend to take the plunge into booking my own clients at some point, but the day job pays well, so I'm in no real rush.

 

[Pelagic One]

That’s a great overall attitude that should keep you in the business for some time. Even after a couple years of flying my own jobs, I still feel blessed to get paid for flying my drones. The construction crews at my job sites all remark that they “cannot believe I’m getting paid to fly my toys.”

 

[JimD]

FWIW DB told if I got the cert they would send me the drone.

 

[UAS-Tek]

Great information, I have been flying for DroneBase for about a year. I bought an Evo II 640T Enterprise and because it's not a FLIR sensor, I can only use the IR Tools software from Autel to analyze the data. The data from the 640T gimbal seems to collect radiometric data, I can examine pictures and get thermal data from each pixel but only using IR Tools. So my two issues are:
1. DroneBase still doesn't accept drones other than DJI
2. They probably wouldn't accept the data from the 640T gimbal (assuming they start allowing Autel drones)

I am more than willing to get my Lvl 1 thermography cert from Infrared Training Center and if DroneBase supplies the drone after I get certified, that seems like a big WIN-WIN.

 

[JimD]

Well double check that because the manager that told me that is no longer with them.

 

[UAS-Tek]

Definitely, either way I was planning on getting the cert and I almost took the class they had in December that was 10 miles from my house. Opportunity lost.

 

[JimD]

As has been said do it online.
I may never do it as my day job pays so well I only take mission that fit into my schedule.
I will not drive more that 1hr round trip, and not even that for 60 bucks.
Plus I have no idea how many thermal jobs. they may have in my area.