Any  day  now I should get 333 exception. I am not a pilot so I would have to hire a pilot.  Do they charge by the hour, day or flat rate for x amount of hours.  

DJI_Ken has experience in this, you can ask him

I believe there is another posting that talks about this subject. I remember seeing a lot of variables  anywhere from $250 per hour to 2500 per day etc.

Rich

RichJ53 Posted at 2016-2-26 17:51
I believe there is another posting that talks about this subject. I remember seeing a lot of variabl ...

Really  that much. So what I thought  I would charge clients needs to be thought thoroughly

pidetectives@ya Posted at 2016-2-26 14:15
Really  that much. So what I thought  I would charge clients needs to be thought thoroughly

That type of cost pretty much  prohibits the technology from any real cost savings....
This is exactly why the FAA is supposedly writing new requirements for PIC requirements...
I hear rumor of  a Aeronautical knowledge test.
Hopefully it will be sooner then later.

pidetectives@ya Posted at 2016-2-26 15:15
Really  that much. So what I thought  I would charge clients needs to be thought thoroughly

You might  charge for a half day or full day of shooting. It can be by the project etc. Raw video or custom editing?  This is something you can work out as you decide how to charge for your company.

You have a lot invested time and machinery, it is not cheap. Depending on your skill level it is not easy to find someone that can take the videos that you are offering (right). This means you are able to make enough money to cover the expenses of the job and your investments. Why bother if you are only charging peanuts !?!

I found one link:
http://forum.dji.com/thread-36844-1-1.html

Rich

AlaskanTides Posted at 2016-2-26 15:38
That type of cost pretty much  prohibits the technology from any real cost savings....
This is e ...

not really, if you hire me to take video using a Hughes 500D with a camera man, this would cost you about 2500 per hour.

The FAA is protecting the commercial pilots and companies that have huge investment's in full scale aircraft. Companies spend lots of money to follow the rules of commercial flight per the FAA guidelines as well as the pilots.

Yes, it is about time to have people training to fly UAV's not surprised at all.

Rich

RichJ53 Posted at 2016-2-26 14:54
not really, if you hire me to take video using a Hughes 500D with a camera man, this would cost yo ...

yeah... i wouldn't hire you to do work I could do myself.

And I shouldn't have to hire you to take photos at 200' altitude.  This quickly becomes a conflict of interest and even a monopoly... its like the wright brothers trying to patent the idea of man'd flight.  

Its not going to hold water,,,, just my opinion

AlaskanTides Posted at 2016-2-26 16:00
yeah... i wouldn't hire you to do work I could do myself.

And I shouldn't have to hire you to ta ...

I get what you are saying, I am just trying to point out that commercial pilots are doing this work every day from fixed and rotorwing aircraft.  

That investment costs money and the customer pays for the use of this equipment and expertise.

Rich

Locally there are several companies I don't know if they are FAA approved but they're charging between 200 and 600 so if you have to pay a fine at 250

RichJ53 Posted at 2016-2-26 15:26
I get what you are saying, I am just trying to point out that commercial pilots are doing this wor ...

Im not trying to argue Rich... I have great respect for your experience.

In my opinion These small UAV's will never replace the Benefit of a manned aircraft.

Here in Alaska there is only so much you can do from 200' .. and even then you're UAV is only going to be able work where you can transport it... so in most places you'll be needing an airplane( which requires a Licensed Pilot)  to begin with.

The beauty of these UAV's.... from my prospective is the small construction sites and smaller scale projects.. that otherwise you wouldn't attempt to do from the air, from a cost standpoint.

Reading the proposal's submitted by the FAA i think they are well aware of this.  and congress will remind them.

A license system is coming... thats a good thing.  But from a practical standpoint... I don't see this  being anywhere near the training you had to go through to operate a passenger aircraft.  

It a phantom or inspire below 200' for goodness sakes.

Although I have my 333 and am a pilot, I've done work for my buddy who also has his exemption and not a pilot. He pays me $100hr. I don't know what he charges the customer but it's low end work.
As far as pilot fees for high end production, my other buddy who does work for the film and TV industry under his exemption, the pay is around $1,500 a day for the pilot and also requires to be in the union (which I am).

And if I do work myself under my exemption, my last job payed $700 and it took 2hrs and I just gave them the SD card.

AlaskanTides Posted at 2016-2-26 17:38
Im not trying to argue Rich... I have great respect for your experience.

In my opinion These smal ...

Totally agree with you and this will be a great way to secure the video / photo jobs that fit this market. I am 100% for the new training and testing needed for the UAV program that is coming (FAA). At this point, commercial pilot training and requirements is overkill for most cases.

I guess, I was just trying to say, don't give away your services

Rich

DJI-Ken Posted at 2016-2-26 21:11
Although I have my 333 and am a pilot, I've done work for my buddy who also has his exemption and no ...

Thanks for sharing Ken, good to know some real numbers that are being charged. I have some some freelance work for my company in the Power Transformer field. This will be very interesting if it will catch on later for me/

Rich

DJI-Ken Posted at 2016-2-26 20:11
Although I have my 333 and am a pilot, I've done work for my buddy who also has his exemption and no ...

That all sounded reasonable to me... especially if you filing the Notam and making sure you're in compliance with the COA .....you might want to charge a tad bit more ..

At this moment though.... A farmer should be able to fly his own fields.... The cost and the saving's ,,that is what makes this technology...attractive to many of us .  

you are always going to  have someone trying to screw you for an easy buck..... That why we need to get these rules and requirements in order now.

this industry can become a bitter place to work if the little guy has to shell out a bunch of money to a pilot with inflated prices (he shouldn't technically even really  need the guy) .. ones or twice of that. folks are going to be really unhappy.

If I could charge anyone and just rean the cost of the Inspire I probably would not be half that angry with each of the firmware glitches and popential problems. If something happens I could just afford to buy a new one.

Unfortunately I see 99% of pilots chargeing live in USA, UK or Australia. My flying area is anywhere Bulgaria-Germany and I dont see any possibility to charge anything to anyone. There is just no one willing to pay for Inspire movie quality. Its like with homepages - many here make if themselfes before paying anyone. Though I am very good in waypoint flying I can earn not even the cost of the Inspire with it.

I have read that many charge for making videos of real estate which is for sale. Well HERE the real estate agents do everything possible to HIDE the location of the real estate  because of their hefty commission. The last thing they would ask for are pictures or videos which would increase the chance if can be found on google earth.

Machoman Posted at 2016-2-27 18:13
If I could charge anyone and just rean the cost of the Inspire I probably would not be half that ang ...

I think a big source of income lies in the inspection, Agriculture and GIS sector.
you might just have to expand you're skill sets to make a go of it. Losing a bird due to a glitch IMO is a safety concern.... goes for beyond just buying another piece of equipment

All,
Very interesting.  I am a section 333 holder and have several pilots working for me. The rates are all over the place.  I contract out as 1099 employment.  

I try to keep my company out of the real estate and general aerial photography sectors, but every now and then I hook a friend up. Since these folks do not really pay I use newbie pilots.   I pay 20/hr with a minimum of 4hrs plus transportation.  I based this on general aviation certified flight instructor (CFI) pay which is about $18/hr...... I found these rates by going to a aviation club and finding what their general prices were and starting making blind offers. if you want to grow and get a more consistent workforce other than a general 1099 employee then you will probably be paying around $35/hr with a burdened rate of $55/hr (your cost).  Again this is for a general aviation pilot, i.e.  he is a recreational flier and may be an instructor.  

I do not trust these guys with my industrial clients.  For industrial pilots...  I pay around $200-$300hr by the half day.  These guys are ex-military rotary commercial rating or professional external cargo rotary.  Usually pushing around 1500 hours minimum flight experience in helicopter platform.  This is because the risk and liability is considerably higher; so it is not an FAA issue, it is a client and insurance issue.

One last note, if you are receiving your section 333, please read through that and understand what they are requiring both in the formal letter and the blanket COA they enclose.  you will have to understand what the pilot certifications are, level of physicals, maintenance tracking and reporting, tail numbers, filing flight and 24hr prior notice to airmen before you fly.  it is very limiting on what you can do and in someways stricter than when I would just fly.  my clients are all starting to get smart on this and luckily I treat these as any aircraft I may have.  I picked up someone elses contract because they didn't follow their requirements in their 333.  Again just want to help you guys...

I hope this helps,
Good luck in your endeavor.~Dan

It doesn't mater what others are charging. Charge for what you are worth. A lot of people are cheap for a reason. They lack confidence, or they don't understand all the variables involved. If you are doing things properly you'll be prepping in the days beforehand, checking weather, doing remote site surveys, dealing potentially with ATC, writing risk assessments. You won't be just turning up on the day and flying. Then there's all your time training to become a skilled flier, your investment in equipment, the maintenance of your equipment, the need to upgrade your gear in the future, the wear and tear on your existing gear, your insurance etc etc. And after all that you need to take into account that you need to make a profit, as well as being able to pay yourself enough to live.

The people who charge silly low rates like $200 a day haven't thought things through. Do you need to compete with them on price? Hell no! If you can't make a client understand why you are worth the money then you need to think about the value that you bring to the table. If they still don't want to pay, do you really want to work for them and get stuck as being known as "the cheap guy"?

The main  issue  is explaining  

Educating clients is the issue.  Must don't understand  that a pilot is required to fly commercialy.  One  client broke down laughing and told me for that kind of money y just would go to Walmart a buy a toy Drone and do it himself. The majority of people see drones as Xmas toys and even the news call them toy drones.  

pidetectives@ya Posted at 2016-2-29 10:18
Educating clients is the issue.  Must don't understand  that a pilot is required to fly commercialy. ...

To that I would wish them good luck, and let them know that you'll be awaiting their call.

pidetctives,
you are going after the wrong clients.  
it is not about the drone, it is about getting a customer data that they can't normally or cheaply.
I don't sell my clients pictures or video... anyone can do that... I sell them analyzed engineering data they need cheaper and faster that saves them money.  so I think you need to see how you can take the product you have an add value to it to save them money....

pidetectives@ya Posted at 2016-2-29 02:18
Educating clients is the issue.  Must don't understand  that a pilot is required to fly commercialy. ...

Agree
I have seen this attitude regarding this hobby / sport for a very long time!

Rich

I sat in on a panel last week with some knowledgeable people speaking (Gretchen West, Mark Connot and Jon Resnick from DJI)  and the take away I got was that Exemption 333 is giving way to FAA Part 107, sometime this summer which would allow people without a Pilot's license to fly drones commercially.   Part 107 would allow anyone who has passed an initial aeronautical knowledge test at an FAA-approved knowledge testing center AND been vetted by DHS and/or TSA, to fly.  As someone on the panel said, flying a drone with "no souls on board" has a different requirement than flying a plane and the laws should be written that way.

FAA Part 107

USAmericans have to be pilots to fly drones?! At what point did that happen, because that's hilarious!

That's like having a driving license required to roller skate, or needing to be a ships captain to paddle a canoe.

Gregory80 Posted at 2016-3-13 05:29
USAmericans have to be pilots to fly drones?! At what point did that happen, because that's hilariou ...

Recreationally, no but for commercial use, yes.

Section 333

I believe that some of the resistance to changing the archaic law comes from the existing 333 exemption holders.  They do not want the competition.  It makes sense to know the laws/rules before flying commercially but to hold a pilots license and current medical for flying a UAS now days is unnecessary at best.

Rich in Boise Posted at 2016-3-13 12:11
I believe that some of the resistance to changing the archaic law comes from the existing 333 exempt ...

I agree...

Rich in Boise Posted at 2016-3-14 05:11
I believe that some of the resistance to changing the archaic law comes from the existing 333 exempt ...

Current medical? You've got to be kidding me...