Drone Methane Leak Detection
Methane is invisible, odourless at source and lighter than air. Every method of finding it is really a method of making it visible or countable, and the method you pick determines what you are allowed to claim afterwards.
- Free to post
- No commission on the job
- Part 107 certified pilots
117 inspection pilots ready to quoteAcross 37 states & regions
Reaches what a walking survey cannot
Tank tops, flare tips, elevated flanges and the middle of a landfill cell are exactly where emissions concentrate and exactly where a technician with a handheld instrument does not go.
Whole-site in one pass
A gridded aerial survey covers a facility or a cell systematically rather than component by component, which is how you find the emission nobody had on the inspection list.
Georeferenced findings
The output that matters is a located, dated detection you can dispatch a repair to and re-survey afterwards — not a video of a plume with no coordinates attached.
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 this settles
- Renders a hydrocarbon plume visible with optical gas imaging, so a person can see the leak and see which component it comes from.
- Measures concentration along the beam path with a laser sensor, which supports screening a site and estimating a rate.
- Covers elevated components at well pads, compressor and meter stations, tank batteries and processing facilities that a ground survey struggles with.
- Verifies a repair — re-surveying to demonstrate it worked, which is a distinct and often overlooked commission.
What it does not
- Do both jobs with one sensor. OGI shows you where; laser tells you how much. Many programmes use one to find and the other to confirm.
- Quantify from OGI. It is qualitative, and sensitive to background thermal contrast.
- Work in wind. It disperses a plume faster than any sensor catches it, and the limit is lower than people expect.
- Count as a compliant survey by default. Regulatory programmes specify instruments, sensitivity, conduct and competence.
Establish what your programme accepts first, then specify the work to it. If the survey is for your own purposes — finding losses, checking a repair, screening before a formal survey — you have much more latitude and it is often the more valuable use.
How it works
Three steps, no account needed to start, and nothing to pay at any point in it.
- 1
Describe the job
The form opens with this page's answers already filled in — service, deliverable, site access. Add the location and anything specific to your site.
- 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.
Inspection 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
Inspection pilots by state
OGI and laser sensors do different jobs
Optical gas imaging uses an infrared camera tuned to the absorption band of hydrocarbons, and it renders the plume visible as smoke in the image. Its strength is that a human being can see the leak and see where it comes from, which makes it excellent for pinpointing a source among a cluster of components and very persuasive as evidence. Its weakness is that it is qualitative, sensitive to background temperature contrast and to wind, and it tells you there is a plume rather than how much. Laser-based sensors — tunable diode absorption and similar — measure concentration along the beam path and produce numbers, which supports screening a site and estimating a rate, but they do not produce a picture of the plume and are less good at telling you which of three adjacent flanges it came from. Many programmes use a laser sensor to find and a camera to confirm. Decide which question you are answering before you commission.
Where this is used
Upstream and midstream oil and gas: well pads, compressor and meter stations, tank batteries, pipeline segments and processing facilities, where leak detection and repair programmes are a regulatory obligation and where the elevated components are the ones a ground survey struggles with. Landfills: surface emission monitoring across a cell, where the area is large, walking it is slow, and the emissions are diffuse rather than from a discrete component. Biogas and anaerobic digestion plant. Utility gas distribution, for both leak survey and post-incident assessment. And increasingly for verification: re-surveying after a repair to demonstrate it worked, which is a distinct and often overlooked commission.
Compliance is the part to check first
Regulatory leak detection programmes specify methods, and the specification is often quite tight — which instruments qualify, what sensitivity they must demonstrate, how surveys are conducted and documented, and who is competent to conduct them. Alternative and advanced methods have been getting approved routes into these programmes, but the direction and the detail change, and an aerial survey being technically excellent does not make it a compliant survey. So establish first what your programme accepts, then specify the work to it. If the survey is for your own purposes — finding losses, checking a repair, screening a site before a formal survey — you have much more latitude and it is often the more valuable use anyway.
What conditions the survey needs
Wind is the enemy. It disperses a plume faster than any sensor can catch it, and above a modest speed both methods degrade sharply; most surveys have a wind limit and it is lower than people expect. OGI additionally needs thermal contrast between the gas and its background, so a plume against a background at the same temperature is difficult regardless of how much gas there is. Rain and heavy humidity interfere. Time of day matters for contrast. The practical consequence is that this is weather-dependent work with a real chance of a survey needing a second visit, and an arrangement that assumes one attempt on a fixed date will occasionally disappoint. Ask what conditions the pilot requires and what happens if the day is unsuitable.
Common questions
Can a drone quantify how much gas is escaping?
Laser-based sensors support estimation of a rate, with meaningful uncertainty attached and heavy dependence on wind data. Optical gas imaging is qualitative — it shows a plume, not a number. If you need a quantity, say so, because it determines the sensor.
Will an aerial survey satisfy our LDAR obligations?
Only if your programme accepts the method. Regulatory leak detection regimes specify instruments, sensitivity and procedure, and technical capability is not the same as regulatory acceptance. Confirm with your compliance team before commissioning.
What does it cost?
It depends on the sensor and on site size — OGI and laser payloads are specialist equipment and are priced accordingly, well above a standard visual inspection. Post the site and the sensor you need for real quotes rather than working from a general inspection range.
Can it work on a landfill?
Yes, and surface emission screening across a cell is one of the clearer applications, because the area is large and diffuse and walking it is slow. Say which programme the survey reports into, if any.
What weather does it need?
Low wind above all — plumes disperse and both methods lose sensitivity quickly. OGI also needs thermal contrast between the gas and its background. Expect the survey to be scheduled to conditions rather than to a fixed date.
Can the same flight do a visual inspection?
Usually yes, and it is efficient to ask for it. A visual pass documenting component condition alongside the gas survey costs little extra once the aircraft is on site.
Related drone services
Post your methane survey free
Say what the site is, which sensor you need and what programme it reports into. Pilots with gas payloads quote directly.
- No commission, ever
- Part 107 certified pilots
- No obligation to hire
Prices and guidance on this page were last reviewed .