For quarries, mines & aggregates
Drone Quarry & Mine Survey
Drone mapping from $400 near you
Free to post · Usually a reply the same day
158 mapping pilots listed · Pay the pilot directly, no commission
Independent FAA Part 107 pilots who cover your area quote and fly the job.
Free to post
Two minutes, no card, no commitment.
Pay the pilot directly
No commission or markup on their price.
FAA Part 107 pilots
The license all paid drone work requires.
Usually a reply the same day
From a pilot, or from our team if no pilot has answered.
How it works
Three steps, and the first one is free
Describe the job
The form opens with this page's answers already filled in. Add the location and anything specific to your site.
A pilot near you sends a price
Pilots whose service area and services match are emailed. Usually a reply the same day, from a pilot or from our team.
Book them and pay them directly
Check their certificate, kit and sample work, then pay the pilot. SkyLog takes no cut and adds no markup.
What to know before you book
What gets measured
Pit progression: a surface of the working area each cycle, differenced against the previous survey to give material moved, and against the extraction plan to show compliance. Product stockpiles, measured individually — see the dedicated stockpile page for how the base surface choice drives that number. Highwall geometry: face angles, bench widths and heights, catch bench capacity, and crest and toe positions against design. Highwall condition: loose material, cracking, tension cracks at the crest, evidence of movement, and areas of scaling needed. Haul roads: width, gradient and condition. Water management: sumps, ponds and drainage. Site boundaries and buffer zones, and how close extraction is to them. And the restoration and overburden areas, which is where a regulator's interest often sits.
Accuracy and control on a working site
The same rules as any survey apply, with one complication: a quarry destroys ground control. Targets get buried, driven over and blasted, so the practical approach is permanent control established once in stable ground outside the working area, tied to your site coordinate system, and re-used every survey. That is what makes successive surveys differenceable, which is the entire point — an internally consistent survey that floats relative to the last one produces a volume change figure that is noise. An RTK or PPK aircraft reduces how many targets are needed and should be treated as a baseline rather than an upgrade on a site being surveyed monthly. Ask for checkpoint residuals in every report; on a site where the numbers feed stock valuation, an error statement is not optional.
Who is allowed to sign it
This matters more here than in most categories. Mining and quarrying are regulated, statutory survey obligations exist in most jurisdictions, and the person who signs a survey of record generally has to hold a licence or a mine surveyor qualification. A drone pilot can capture the data and produce the surfaces; whether they can certify the result is a question about their credentials, not their equipment. Plenty of the work here is internal — stock control, planning, progress — and needs no certification at all. Some of it is statutory and does. Be explicit in the post about which you need, because it determines who can take the job and it is an unpleasant thing to discover after delivery.
Safety and site rules
An operating quarry is a hazardous site with its own regime: induction, PPE, traffic management around haul roads, and blasting schedules that shut the site down entirely at intervals. Flights need coordinating with blasting and with plant movement, and a pilot walking to a launch point near a face is subject to the same rules as everyone else. Dust affects both visibility and equipment. Some sites restrict overflight of the plant area. None of this is unusual, and a pilot who has surveyed a working site will expect it — but the post should state the induction requirement and the blasting pattern, because those set the day.
What this settles
- Pit progression as a surface each cycle, differenced against the last and against the extraction plan.
- Highwall geometry — face angles, bench widths, catch bench capacity, crest and toe against design — plus condition and tension cracking.
- Stockpiles measured individually, haul road width and gradient, water management, and proximity of extraction to boundaries.
- Checkpoint residuals in every report, which is what makes a stock valuation figure defensible.
What it does not
- Certify a survey of record. Statutory obligations generally require a licensed or qualified mine surveyor to sign, and that is about credentials, not equipment.
- Survive disposable ground control. Targets get buried, driven over and blasted, so control has to be permanent and outside the working area.
- Produce comparable numbers if the survey floats relative to the last one — the volume change is then noise.
- Ignore the site's regime: induction, PPE, traffic management around haul roads, and blasting schedules that shut the site down.
Be explicit in the post about whether you need a statutory survey or an internal one. It determines who can take the job, and it is an unpleasant thing to discover after delivery.
Why post it on SkyLog
Pit progression against plan
A surface model each month, differenced against the last and against the design, shows exactly how much has come out and whether extraction is following the plan — which is the question the site manager and the regulator both ask.
Highwalls without standing under them
The face is the most hazardous part of a quarry and the part most in need of looking at. Photographing and modelling it from the air puts nobody at the toe.
Stock figures you can trust monthly
Product stock measured properly every month rather than estimated all year is a materially different number at year end, and it is the one the auditors ask about.
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.
Mapping and survey 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 
Clifford Cox
Texas, United States
12 work samples
My main focus is mapping and critical infrastructure surveying. I fly both a mavic 3 enterprise ( mapping and videography) and a matrice 4T thermal drone. I'm always looking to meet new people to get jobs done. And to make sure that the customer/client that I am working with gets exactly what they are looking for. I'm pretty easy going and I do not mind the travel. I have over 7 years of experience with real-estate, power line, mapping and construction site surveying and much more.
Real estateInspectionMapping / 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. For ground work, I use a Cannon EOS R50 for photography and video.
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
Rob Phillips
Minnesota, United States
10 work samples
Chalk1 Analytics is proudly a veteran-owned analytics company. Rob Phillips, who served in the United States Army as a crew chief and flight instructor on Blackhawk helicopters, brings a professional foundation built on mission clarity, operational discipline, and accountability under pressure—values that extend beyond the flight line. This military background shapes how Chalk1 operates at every level. From pre-mission planning to final deliverables, our clients receive the same standard of precision and reliability that we were trained to uphold in uniform. We specialize in aerial data solutions, understanding airspace, risk management, and what it means to execute when accuracy matters. When you choose Chalk1, you're not just hiring a drone services provider; you're partnering with professionals who have already proven they can perform where the stakes are high.
EventInspectionMapping / surveyAgriculture
Mapping pilots by state
Before you post
How accurate are the volumes?
With permanent control and an RTK or PPK aircraft, comparable to conventional survey — and the residual disagreement is usually about the base surface definition rather than the capture. Fix the method and keep it fixed, or successive surveys are not comparable.
Can a drone survey satisfy our statutory obligation?
Only if the person signing it holds the required licence or mine surveyor qualification. The aircraft is not the issue; the certification is. Say in the post whether you need a signed survey of record or internal figures.
How often should we fly?
Monthly is common on active sites for stock and progression, with additional surveys around year end or an audit. Once a survey takes a morning rather than a week, frequency stops being a budget question.
Can it survey the highwall safely?
Yes, and it is one of the strongest reasons to do it — face condition and geometry can be captured and modelled without anyone at the toe. Oblique capture is needed as well as nadir, so specify that the face is in scope.
What does it cost?
By site area and cadence, and a recurring monthly commitment prices well below repeated one-offs. Mapping quotes on SkyLog are too few so far to publish an honest range, so post the site with the cadence rather than working from an invented figure.
Will dust and blasting interfere?
Dust affects visibility and equipment, and blasting shuts the site. Both are scheduling matters — state the blasting pattern when you post and the survey gets planned around it.
From a job poster
The jobs nobody else would quote
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Post your quarry survey free
Give the site area, what you need measured and the cadence. Say if the survey must be signed.
Free to post
No commission · about 2 minutes