USA UAS Operator Hourly Rate

[pixl45]

In Canada, you need an sfoc to be certified commercially.

You can also fly commercially under a stricter set of rules:

Exemption from Paragraph 571.08(1)(b) of the Canadian Aviation Regulations - Transport Canada

 

[gruvpix]

I charge $250/hour for inspire 1 pro. $175/hour for phantom 3.

 

[ringolong]

I charge $250/hour for inspire 1 pro. $175/hour for phantom 3.

Does that include post processing, or just for the flying?

 

[gruvpix]

Does that include post processing, or just for the flying?

Just flying

 

[ringolong]

Just flying

Cool. Thanks!

 

[SanCap]

Just flying

Who are the majority of you clients?

 

[gruvpix]

Who are the majority of you clients?

Construction companies, land developers, oil and gas, government/public sector and documentary/reality TV.

 

[SanCap]

Construction companies, land developers, oil and gas, government/public sector and documentary/reality TV.

Nicely diversified!

 

[gruvpix]

Nicely diversified!

Yea we do ok, set to take a big step forward this summer I believe. Drone work is more of a side gig for our company though we are first and foremost a production company

 

[Beverly Hills Aerials]

if you don't know what your doing, then charge whatever you think you are worth and i could see 25-50 an hour making sense if you are using their exemption and their equipment. but anyone that knows what they are doing and using their own equipment in the US should be getting 100-200 an hour at minimum, and that should go up to 650+ an hour depending on complexity and what kind of drone you are flying with. starting salary for a drone pilot for just about any company is 100k a year or more.

think about it, you need a pilots license, you need to know how to fly, and you need to be available on the day of shoot and you need pay a second person to act as the spotter. don't sell yourself short.You will be living in poverty level if you work for 25-50 an hour unless you can stay booked 40 hours a week. which obviously is really hard to do. don't forget about your travel time, gas, car wear and tear, and personal physical risk you are taking flying your drone and possible property damage that could occur. additionally you are using your own equipment. I've held firm on my prices and often have clients hire someone cheaper only to come back and want me to redo the filming and gladly pay me a higher rate.

 

[ianwood]

Gruvpix has the right idea. And it can and should be higher. Also, avoid hourly rates. You can do a lot in a little time which doesn't work in your favor. Day rates or per location for B roll.

 

[pixl45]

Done professionally, this kind of work is no less technical or skills-based than regular pro still photography. As a photographer, my rates have been $1000/half day, $1500/full day. As a professional, adding a quality drone to the mix, additional qualifications and licensing, as well as a higher insurance premium.... customers would be getting a bargain at that rate.

It doesn't bother me that some people are dumb enough to do this for $40/hr. At that rate their overhead will have eaten 50% of their earnings leaving them with very average pay and no way to fund new equipment and skills.

If price is the only thing your clients will talk about, you need new clients.

 

[gruvpix]

Gruvpix has the right idea. And it can and should be higher. Also, avoid hourly rates. You can do a lot in a little time which doesn't work in your favor. Day rates or per location for B roll.

Word, don't do hourly, forgot to mention that. I get so many calls from people who say 'yeah but it will only take an hour or so to get the shots!'...
It never takes just an hour to really do anything... Gear up, drive out, assess the location, set up the drone, do the flights, pack up and leave. Nobody gets billed hourly unless they are a longstanding client and I know it will for a fact only take an hour or so due to proximity and simplicity. For new clients I'm not leaving my desk for less than $750.

 

[Steve Bunch]

Don't sell yourselves too cheap. $25 for a licensed pilot is wayyyy too low. Moat of us spent $10k or more to get the license. You have to factor that in.

 

[Ryan Van Scotter]

My rate is 175 per hour. This gig is not cheap and should not be viewed as such. I was charging $80 an hour and an engineer said that was too cheap. How much you charge is a reflection on how professional you are....

Amateur photographers destroyed photography by constantly underbidding each other, to point that you can't earn enough to sustain a viable business. The UAS drone industry in the US needs a single serious association to set standards and pricing that reflects the time, costs, and training to perform our job.

Once upon a time as a sports photographer I had a parent ask to buy a print of their child that covered the front page of the local newspaper. I offered up an incredibly fair price of $25 for an 8x10 and was meet with a barrage of comments on how they could get a an enlargement made for $3 at Costco and I was a compared to a criminal for asking such a steep price. I told them to buy a $3500 camera and a $6000 lens and then they too could take the same photo and have their enlargements made for $3. After a bit of silence they bought several prints. The point is that, we know what it takes to capture images and video, if we lower the bar, we will never be able to raise it back up.

 

[Steve Bunch]

Amateur photographers destroyed photography by constantly underbidding each other, to point that you can't earn enough to sustain a viable business. The UAS drone industry in the US needs a single serious association to set standards and pricing that reflects the time, costs, and training to perform our job.

Once upon a time as a sports photographer I had a parent ask to buy a print of their child that covered the front page of the local newspaper. I offered up an incredibly fair price of $25 for an 8x10 and was meet with a barrage of comments on how they could get a an enlargement made for $3 at Costco and I was a compared to a criminal for asking such a steep price. I told them to buy a $3500 camera and a $6000 lens and then they too could take the same photo and have their enlargements made for $3. After a bit of silence they bought several prints. The point is that, we know what it takes to capture images and video, if we lower the bar, we will never be able to raise it back up.

Both of you are spot on. I worked a third shift job while going to college, just so i could get my private, commercial, instrument rating and CFI. I paid for all of it, did what i could to build hours, all so i could make $6.00 an hour as a CFI. Granted, this was quite a few years ago. I took a low-paying right seat job in a jet and my corporate career started. For very little money. We should be able to charge something to recoup our investment.