Commercial Drone Services
Buying drone work for a business is mostly a scoping problem, not a flying problem. This page covers what the work actually is, what changes the price, and what to have in a brief so the quotes you get back are comparable.
- Free to post
- No commission on the job
- Part 107 certified pilots
117 inspection pilots ready to quoteAcross 37 states & regions
Competing quotes, one brief
Describe the job once and let the pilots who cover your location price it against each other. Comparable quotes for identical scope is what a procurement sign-off needs and what a phone call to one operator cannot give you.
Part 107 certified operators
Commercial drone work in the US requires an FAA Part 107 remote pilot certificate. Ask for the certificate number and the insurance certificate rather than an assurance — pilots who work for businesses regularly expect to produce both.
You contract the pilot directly
SkyLog introduces you and steps back. There is no escrow, no platform holding your payment, and no intermediary in the working relationship — you agree terms with the operator and pay them directly.
Free to post
Posting and receiving quotes costs nothing, and SkyLog takes no commission and adds no markup. You pay the pilot you hire, at the price the two of you agree.
What drives what you pay
- Travel and setup, which is a large share of any single visit — and why the second flight at a site costs far less than the first.
- The sensor and the processing: edited stills at one end, radiometric thermal or survey-grade photogrammetry with ground control at the other.
- Turnaround. Same-week is normal, next-day is a premium, and saying which you need avoids paying for urgency you did not want.
- Cadence. A programme priced as a run of twelve is not twelve times a one-off.
What is yours to check
- Come with a platform standing behind the pilot's paperwork. You contract directly, so the checks are yours to make.
- Include liability cover at your site's required limit unless you ask for the certificate.
- Include an airspace authorisation the location needs — ask for confirmation before anyone flies.
- Produce a usable series from twelve ad-hoc visits. The same plan flown the same way is a record; the rest are unrelated image sets.
Ask for three things before anyone flies: the Part 107 certificate, a current insurance certificate at your required limit, and confirmation of any airspace authorisation. Pilots who work commercially are used to being asked.
How it works
Three steps, no account needed to start, and nothing to pay at any point in it.
- 1
Describe the job
The questions adapt to the type of work — area for a mapping job, access and asset for an inspection — so the quotes come back accurate.
- 2
Pilots quote it
Every pilot whose service area and services match is notified. You get itemised quotes back with their credentials, kit and sample work attached.
- 3
Compare and hire
Pick on price, proximity or portfolio, and pay the pilot directly. SkyLog takes no cut and adds no markup to what you agree.
Commercial pilots with published profiles
Real published profiles. Open any one to see credentials, kit, service area and sample work before you post.
chris aldridge
Texas, United States
20 work samples
I’m a commercial drone pilot providing aerial mapping, property line overlays, topographic mapping, construction site data, radiometric thermal inspections, 3D modeling, real estate listing photography and video, property marketing, and professional aerial imagery for businesses and landowners.
Real estateWeddingEventInspectionMapping / surveyFilm / TVConstructionOther- George Benes
Oregon, United States
13 work samples
I've been a Part 107 drone pilot since 2019, working with Pacific Northwest clients on Real estate, construction progress, mapping, telecom inspections, architectural photography and events. I am very flexible and can provide deliverables within 24 - 48 hours. I take great pride in my work and having a photography business, my delivered photos are edited and culled to the best of the best. I worked for 30+ years as a commercial construction Superintendent, managing multi-million dollar construction projects and this experience allows me to be very safety oriented and knowledgeable on construction sites, providing the construction companies with usable deliverables that they can share with all stakeholders involved in their building project.
Real estateEventInspectionMapping / surveyConstruction 
Andy Jones
California, United States
12 work samples
FAA Part 107 Certified Remote Pilot based in Southern California, specializing in construction documentation, infrastructure inspections, mapping, orthomosaics, and aerial imagery. With more than two decades of experience managing complex federal construction projects, I understand the importance of accuracy, safety, and delivering actionable data—not just photos. I operate professional DJI Enterprise aircraft, including the DJI Matrice 4E, DJI Matrice 4T, as well as the DJI Air 3S for high-resolution imaging and the DJI Neo 2 for specialized close-range operations. My services include construction progress documentation, roof and property inspections, land development, infrastructure photography, photogrammetry, mapping, and custom aerial imaging. I also conduct search operations for lost pets using aerial search techniques and thermal imaging. Every mission is conducted in compliance with FAA regulations, with careful mission planning, clear communication, and a commitment to delivering high-quality results on schedule. Whether you need a single inspection or recurring project documentation, my goal is to provide reliable aerial data you can confidently use to make decisions.
Real estateEventInspectionMapping / surveyConstructionAgricultureOtherFilm / TVWedding
George Colonna
Maryland, United States
12 work samples
Started flying drones for General Dynamics Robotics Systems in 2009 as the subject matter expert and lead test engineer for RCTA and a program called the Soldier Machine Interface. We developed leader/follower code for up-armored autonomous assets a full decade before Google fielded their driverless car "train" and a UI that let soldiers/marines plan missions on the ground and in the air. My job was to ensure the software worked, more importantly, met customer requirements. Working in the field afforded me a wealth of experience regarding process and implementation, but also how to think critically and resolve issues on the fly. If interested in learning more about my credentials, please see my website. My current fleet is primarily DJI and Autel. I have RTK capability and a complete field kit to sustain remote operations for several days.
InspectionMapping / surveyConstructionOtherFilm / TV- K Enagonio
Tennessee, United States
10 work samples
I've been flying since 2015 and specialize in both cinematic filmmaking as well as surveying, construction, sensitive infrastructure capture, and music videos and events.
Film / TVConstructionInspectionEventAgricultureReal estateMapping / surveyOther 
Casey Jones
Arizona, United States
9 work samples
FAA Part 107 commercial drone pilot specializing in RTK mapping, aerial photography, thermal imaging, property documentation, construction progress, and detailed site capture. I operate professional DJI aircraft including the Matrice 4E and Matrice 4T, with RTK capability for repeatable, high-quality data collection. I approach each assignment as a complete mission, from airspace and site planning through safe flight operations, field verification, data handling, and final delivery. I serve clients throughout the California, Nevada, and Arizona tri-state region and am available for both individual assignments and multi-site projects.
Real estateEventMapping / surveyConstructionAgricultureOtherInspection
Commercial drone pilots by state
What a good brief contains
The difference between three comparable quotes and three unrelated numbers is the brief. Say what the site is and where, what you want to end up with rather than how you imagine it being flown, when it needs to happen, and any constraint that affects access — controlled airspace, site induction, working hours, a live public area underneath. State the deliverable format explicitly, because "aerial photos" and "a georeferenced orthomosaic in our coordinate system" are days apart in effort. If the work repeats, say so in the first line: a pilot quoting a series prices it differently from a pilot quoting one visit.
What actually drives the price
Travel and setup are a large share of any single visit, which is why the second flight at the same site costs far less than the first and why a run of twelve is not twelve times a one-off. After that it is the sensor and the processing: a standard camera producing edited stills sits at one end, radiometric thermal or survey-grade photogrammetry with ground control at the other, and the flying time barely differs between them. Turnaround matters too — same-week delivery is normal, next-day is a premium, and saying which you need avoids paying for urgency you did not want.
Recurring work is priced differently — ask for it that way
Most commercial drone value is in repetition: monthly construction progress, an annual thermal cycle across a portfolio, a steady stream of property listings. If that is what you need, post it as a programme rather than as the first job, and ask for the run to be priced as a package with the cadence and the flight plan fixed at the outset. Consistency is what makes a series useful — the same plan flown the same way is a record, while twelve ad-hoc visits are twelve unrelated sets of images — and it is also what makes the work cheaper per visit.
Insurance, certification and who carries the risk
Ask for three things before anyone flies: the Part 107 certificate, a current liability insurance certificate at whatever limit your site or client requires, and confirmation of any airspace authorisation the location needs. Because you contract the pilot directly, the operator carries their own insurance and their own certification, and your agreement is with them — which is simpler than it sounds, but it does mean the checks are yours to make rather than a platform's. Pilots who work commercially are used to being asked and will send the paperwork without friction.
Common questions
What do businesses most commonly use drone pilots for?
Roof and building inspection, construction progress documentation, property and listing photography, mapping and survey work, thermal inspection of solar and industrial assets, and marketing footage of sites and facilities.
How quickly can we get quotes?
It depends on how many pilots cover your location and offer that service. Posting with a precise location and job type is what puts the job in front of the right pilots — a vague post reaches fewer of them.
Can we work with the same pilot repeatedly?
Yes, and for recurring work you should. You contract the pilot directly, so once you have found an operator who suits the site there is nothing to route around — SkyLog does not sit in the relationship or take a cut of later work.
What does SkyLog charge?
Nothing to post, nothing to receive quotes, and no commission or markup on the pilot's price. Pilots pay for a subscription to bid; clients do not pay us at all.
Do we need to know which type of drone or sensor we need?
No. Describe the outcome you need and let the quotes tell you — a pilot who reads the brief and proposes a method is more useful than one who matches a spec you guessed at.
What if the work spans several sites or states?
Post them as separate jobs where the locations are far apart, since the pilots who can cover them will differ, and say in each that it is part of a wider programme so operators can quote accordingly.
Related drone services
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Describe the work once and compare quotes from Part 107 pilots who cover your sites. No commission, no markup, no obligation to hire.
- No commission, ever
- Part 107 certified pilots
- No obligation to hire
Prices and guidance on this page were last reviewed .