Is drone base a scam?!

UAVpilotMK · Feb 25, 2017

Xenomorph said:
Do you need a business name etc for yourself to do this or will a part 107 suffice?

From what I have seen a business name is not required. Although part 107 is required.

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IFlyHi · Feb 25, 2017

You don't necessarily need one. Personal preference. In NH you have to file a business name with the state in order to open a business account with the bank. I'm not an accountant. I pay professional to do that stuff. If you do go that route you get to write off all your business "toys".

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avi 8 · Feb 25, 2017

Anyone have a good email for drone Base?

I was told [email protected], but have yet to receive a response.

Also notice, 'Nick', hasn't been here on the forum in over 5 weeks.

Helihover · Feb 25, 2017

IFlyHi said:
If your just getting started or need practice to get proficient enough to charge a professional fee I can see doing a few. You may be able to knock out 3 or 4 but you still need to account for travel to and from each location. As to editing, it's not difficult to do a quick edit in iMovie. After doing a dozen it's a 15-20 minute affair. Collections are a practiced art. I don't release any media until I've been paid unless I have a very good relationship with the client. 50% deposit and balance paid before download/ delivery. I allow clients to view a watermarked version online. I understand not everyone is going to have the drive to do this type of work and some are just looking for a few bucks to purchase gear. If that's your motivation that's great. Do your thing. For someone like myself I make and effort to interact with every real estate agent personally so that I have an opportunity to get any business they may have in the future. While I'm shooting homes and the nosy neighbors come out I'm trying to find out if they need family portraits done, a wedding filmed or any number of photography services I provide.

To me I guess I look at it as leaving a lot of money on the table at $19. If you shoot 4 a day and get $25 for a pano you've made $100 less expenses. Shoot those same 4, spend 2 hours editing and posting and emailing an invoice and you've made $600 less expenses. Once you've done this a few times it becomes very easy to put in a little more effort for a far better payday. Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking the folks doing this. I just think it's important realize the potential our equipment has to earn. If you've made the effort to get your 107, purchase a quality piece of gear, put the stick time into becoming a proficient pilot you are worth more than that $19.

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Well, different strokes for different folks. I'll try and break it down a bit.

It would be impossible to come up with a client base 1/10 of the size of DB. For instance, it sounds like you are pretty proficient at obtaining a CB. So, how many client properties did you shoot last week with your drone? I stated I shot 11 on the way home from work, just on a Friday afternoon. Can you schedule 10-20 clients in one day and have them all be in line so your not driving in circles all day? How long would it take to schedule a day like that, lol.

Editing in my experience takes way longer than 15-20 mins. But I guess it depends on what your editing. If your selling real estate agents a package for 200 plus, it better have a video included, otherwise their gonna go to DB for $50 lol

. The last 3 min video I edited took 6-7 hrs. That same photo shoot took about an hr to shoot. Took weeks to schedule........ ya I got a couple hundred........ I can literally drive around my neighborhood, fly all day and make the same and never have to edit anything or talk to anyone. I do it at my will, which is a huge benefit.

Don't get me wrong, we are always trying to advertise and talk to everyone around us about our service we provide. Hell I even have a CL add for FREE drone service and still can't get a call. Go on CL right now and see how many people are doing your job for 1/2 the price illegally. It's insane. I hope people like DB, BV, UAV, ect. monopolize the industry and become the "go to guys" of the drone industry. DB is hoping in the future to assign area codes per pilot. If this happens and DB does become a force to recond, then guess who will be getting all the drone jobs in my area.

Marketing. Unless you have a disposable income, a small local company can not complete with the advertising being done by these companies. Have you ever blasted agents? I haven't. I also don't have the website or search engines set, to land on my site if I did. Making sense? What are the chances of you being hired over DB, BV, or UAV based solely on web presentation? I'd say low because you would not be able to show the experience and your prices will be higher.

When I started this whole thing (again), my good friends warned me about competition. Ha! I love competition

. I just simply do have the means to complete against these nation wide companies. Ever heard the old sayin

Anyway. It's easy to sit here and complain about 19 dollar payouts and never acknowledge guaranteed payouts and client missions and how one could do it better. Well if you can do it, but in the mean time, I'll be out flying all most everyday, commercially, and getting payed for it.

Helihover · Feb 25, 2017

avi 8 said:
Anyone have a good email for drone Base?

I was told [email protected], but have yet to receive a response.

Also notice, 'Nick', hasn't been here on the forum in over 5 weeks.

[email protected] is what I use. He usually gets back to me with in minutes. Just a great guy who doesn't like forum chatter

avi 8 · Feb 25, 2017

Helihover said:
[email protected] is what I use. He usually gets back to me with in minutes. Just a great guy who doesn't like forum chatter

Thanks hover, I'll try that one.
If you don't mind, who is UAV?
BV is better view, I think.

Helihover · Feb 25, 2017

avi 8 said:
Thanks hover, I'll try that one.
If you don't mind, who is UAV?
BV is better view, I think.

U.A.V stands for United Aerial Videography. Ive been contracted with this company since December and they are very similar to DB. They are another start up just getting off the ground. They have no app, but have plans to. Missions are assigned and your payed $50 per mission. You are required to sign a contract and provide liability. Its been really slow with these guys as I have only shot 10 properties or so, but its still work. Same type of pano mission, but with 30 DNG shots instead and a short 1080 video you take while getting into position for the pano. The missions are actually faster than DB missions because there is no beauty shots.

I'm also signed up with Better Views (BV), Drone Dispatch, and have an interview & test set up with Drone Videos.

avi 8 · Feb 25, 2017

Thanks hover for a detailed and quick response.

Go Beavs...

IFlyHi · Feb 25, 2017

Helihover said:
Well, different strokes for different folks. I'll try and break it down a bit.

It would be impossible to come up with a client base 1/10 of the size of DB. For instance, it sounds like you are pretty proficient at obtaining a CB. So, how many client properties did you shoot last week with your drone? I stated I shot 11 on the way home from work, just on a Friday afternoon. Can you schedule 10-20 clients in one day and have them all be in line so your not driving in circles all day? How long would it take to schedule a day like that, lol.

Editing in my experience takes way longer than 15-20 mins. But I guess it depends on what your editing. If your selling real estate agents a package for 200 plus, it better have a video included, otherwise their gonna go to DB for $50 lol. The last 3 min video I edited took 6-7 hrs. That same photo shoot took about an hr to shoot. Took weeks to schedule........ ya I got a couple hundred........ I can literally drive around my neighborhood, fly all day and make the same and never have to edit anything or talk to anyone. I do it at my will, which is a huge benefit.

Don't get me wrong, we are always trying to advertise and talk to everyone around us about our service we provide. Hell I even have a CL add for FREE drone service and still can't get a call. Go on CL right now and see how many people are doing your job for 1/2 the price illegally. It's insane. I hope people like DB, BV, UAV, ect. monopolize the industry and become the "go to guys" of the drone industry. DB is hoping in the future to assign area codes per pilot. If this happens and DB does become a force to recond, then guess who will be getting all the drone jobs in my area.

Marketing. Unless you have a disposable income, a small local company can not complete with the advertising being done by these companies. Have you ever blasted agents? I haven't. I also don't have the website or search engines set, to land on my site if I did. Making sense? What are the chances of you being hired over DB, BV, or UAV based solely on web presentation? I'd say low because you would not be able to show the experience and your prices will be higher

When I started this whole thing (again), my good friends warned me about competition. Ha! I love competition. I just simply do have the means to complete against these nation wide companies. Ever heard the old sayin

Anyway. It's easy to sit here and complain about 19 dollar payouts and never acknowledge guaranteed payouts and client missions and how one could do it better. Well if you can do it, but in the meefinaan time, I'll be out flying all most everyday, commercially, and getting payed for it.

I hear what your saying. There is defiantly a number of ways to approach this market and if this is working for how you how can anyone argue.

There's no way I'm shooting 11 residential properties in a day but residentials are not my only focus. For the sake of this discussion we'll stick a typical single family residential real estate property. If I develop a relationship with 5 agents who each list 5 properties a month at $150 each that's $3750 a month. You're going to need a lot of $19 shoots to see those numbers. Do I see those numbers every month? No I don't but this isn't my only focus. Commercial jobs pay much better.

I'm sure when we're talking about shooting and editing you and I have a totally different perspective. It takes me 30-45 minuets to shoot a single family on average. Maybe an hour if its a bigger place. My edits are very basic, stills mixed with short video clips, simple transitions and basic stats on the home for text and the agents contact info and logo. This isn't a feature film, merely a tool to get a potential buyer to call the agent. If I'm spending 6-7 hours on an edit the job better be mid four figures and to be honest if that's the case I'm most likely going to subcontract it out to someone who's a pro at it and will make me look good

Again, I'm not knocking you or anyone that's get getting paid flying UAV's and having a good time. I'm simply pointing out that with a few solid relationships with the right agents you can make substantially more money. It wont happen overnight and it takes work but its worth it in my opinion.

avi 8 · Feb 25, 2017

Helihover,

Have you done any work for Drone Dispatch?

I signed up, but havn't heard anything.

Helihover · Feb 25, 2017

avi 8 said:
Helihover,

Have you done any work for Drone Dispatch?

I signed up, but havn't heard anything.

No. None for BV either even though there is a demand in my area.

FunN4lo · Feb 25, 2017

DroneBase is the greatest thing in drones since DJI.

The pano missions on DB are quick, easy, and you only do the fun part... flying. Client missions from DB are the really great green. I have done lots of them. They pay MUCH better.

If DB has a client mission in an area where they do not already have a regular pilot... like me

how do they find one? I have no direct knowledge of this, but I would guess from their pano mission pilots first. And then if there are none of those, from people that have signed up, but not done anything

Like taking a low paid job at your dream company... panos might be a foot in the door

BruiseLee · Feb 25, 2017

Helihover said:
[email protected] is what I use. He usually gets back to me with in minutes. Just a great guy who doesn't like forum chatter

Yea Nick is cool. He keeps it real. I really hope and think that this will literally take off for the benefit of all pilots.

JesterPhotog · Mar 3, 2017

DroneBase also owns your images. They can sell to whoever they want. You might see your images on a billboard and you got what? $20? Letting go of your Copyright is never a good idea. IMHO

AyeYo · Mar 3, 2017

The biggest issue I have with DB and why I haven't even attempted it is that it's a legal issue waiting to happen. You're shooting occupied residential structures without authorization. First one to post in this thread that they got arrested wins.

eatpasta · Mar 3, 2017

AyeYo said:
The biggest issue I have with DB and why I haven't even attempted it is that it's a legal issue waiting to happen. You're shooting occupied residential structures without authorization. First one to post in this thread that they got arrested wins.

'wins'

AyeYo · Mar 3, 2017

eatpasta said:
'wins'

...free jail time.

eatpasta · Mar 3, 2017

AyeYo said:
...free jail time.

its the new American dream. Incarceration...

kevinm · Mar 3, 2017

I've spoken with a few pilots who have flown for Dronebase and have heard only positive things about it. Like @FunN4lo stated, panos are a foot in the door. If Dronebase has specific, higher-paying jobs in an area they are going to contact pilots who have done previous work for them. It only makes sense. Doing some panos gets them to have trust in your work.