• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to secondary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • DroneRacingLife
  • DroneFlyers
  • Newsletter
DroneLife

DRONELIFE

Stay up to date on all the latest Drone News

  • News
  • Products
  • Industries
    • Agriculture
    • Construction
    • Delivery
    • Dual Use
    • Inspection
    • Public Safety
    • Surveying
  • Enthusiasts
  • Regulations
  • Business
  • Video
  • Podcasts

Where Do Drone Operators Work? DRONELIFE Minute Survey

July 15, 2020 by Miriam McNabb 3 Comments

drone operators work
Image: Josh Sorenson, Pexels
Whether you are thinking about getting your Part 107 or already hold your license, you may be wondering where drone operators work.  That’s the question we asked our readers in this week’s DRONELIFE Minute Survey.
There are a lot of very significant drone business surveys, and a lot of very official forecasts for the drone industry.  The DRONELIFE Minute Survey makes no claim to be either – it’s a way for DRONELIFE to share some of the prevailing buzz that comes our way from readers on a variety of subjects, and for us to track changes over time on topics that we feel would be of interest to our readers and the industry. Recent surveys included pricing in the commercial drone space and the effect of the coronavirus on business at a point in time.
Where do drone operators work?
As the drone industry grows, there are a lot of options for drone operators.  They may be able to get business for themselves, working for several different clients.  They may work for a drone services provider who gets the jobs and sends them out into the field.  Some work full-time for a company in industry like power or construction.  Many licensed drone operators do it for fun, or just haven’t quit their day job – lots of Part 107 holders operate their drone part time.
Our Minute Survey asks one simple question for our social media followers to answer anonymously.  In this Minute Survey, we gave respondents 4 choices.  I work:
  • Full time for myself
  • For a service provider
  • Full time at a company
  • Part-time

Survey says…

 

Most licensed drone operators surveyed – more than 65% find their own jobs or work for one company.  Another 30% work part-time: only 3.4% work for a service provider.

  • Full time for myself: 34.6%
  • For a service provider: 3.8%
  • Full time at a company: 30.8%
  • Part-time: 30.8%
If you want to know more about finding drone jobs, check out our previous survey: How Do Drone Operators Get Clients?
Miriam McNabb

Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, a professional drone services marketplace, and a fascinated observer of the emerging drone industry and the regulatory environment for drones. Miriam has penned over 3,000 articles focused on the commercial drone space and is an international speaker and recognized figure in the industry.  Miriam has a degree from the University of Chicago and over 20 years of experience in high tech sales and marketing for new technologies.
For drone industry consulting or writing, Email Miriam.

TWITTER:@spaldingbarker

Subscribe to DroneLife here.

Filed Under: Drone News, Drone News Feeds, News Tagged With: drone operators, drone services, DRONELIFE minute survey, Part 107

Reader Interactions

Trackbacks

  1. Where Do Drone Operators Work? DRONELIFE Minute Survey - Go Drones Blog says:
    July 16, 2020 at 1:49 am

    […] We asked our readers where licensed drone operators work in our latest DRONELIFE Minute Survey – and the answers are surprising. Source […]

    Reply
  2. Where Do Drone Operators Work? DRONELIFE Minute Survey ⋆ says:
    July 15, 2020 at 11:22 pm

    […] The complete article is here […]

    Reply
  3. Where Do Drone Operators Work? DRONELIFE Minute Survey | Drone Magazine says:
    July 15, 2020 at 2:15 pm

    […] Source […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

LATEST

SkyDrive and Verty Target Commercial eVTOL Operations in South Korea by 2028

Partnership will study tourism and regional transportation routes for the three-seat SKYDRIVE aircraft Japanese eVTOL developer SkyDrive has partnered with…

Continue Reading SkyDrive and Verty Target Commercial eVTOL Operations in South Korea by 2028

SkyeBrowse Moves to Per-Model Pricing, Lowering the Barrier to 3D Drone Mapping

New Commercial, Pro and Public Safety & Enterprise plans offer different levels of processing, storage and tools based on each…

Continue Reading SkyeBrowse Moves to Per-Model Pricing, Lowering the Barrier to 3D Drone Mapping

From Maps to Operational Intelligence: How Defense Is Changing the Mapping Workflow

From the INTERGEO show floor in Munich, SimActive CEO Philippe Simard discusses why speed, usability and data integration increasingly matter…

Continue Reading From Maps to Operational Intelligence: How Defense Is Changing the Mapping Workflow

Flytrex Adds Rooftop Drone Docks and AI Fleet Positioning in Dallas

The company says prepositioning drones at restaurants can cut delivery costs by 60% and reduce delivery times by half. Flytrex…

Continue Reading Flytrex Adds Rooftop Drone Docks and AI Fleet Positioning in Dallas

From Wildfire Detection to Fast Mapping: AIVE AI Systems Expands Access to Geospatial Data

The startup is developing tools that create georeferenced 2D maps from a small number of images, without requiring specialized infrastructure.…

Continue Reading From Wildfire Detection to Fast Mapping: AIVE AI Systems Expands Access to Geospatial Data

FirstEnergy Grant Expands Drone Training for Educators and Police

WarrenUAS will use the funding to provide FAA Part 107 preparation and hands-on flight training in New Jersey. A FirstEnergy…

Continue Reading FirstEnergy Grant Expands Drone Training for Educators and Police

Airwise Solutions and UAS Sentry Integrate Drone Detection and Airspace Intelligence

Partnership brings Remote ID detection into a common operating picture for critical infrastructure, public safety and enterprise users. Airwise Solutions…

Continue Reading Airwise Solutions and UAS Sentry Integrate Drone Detection and Airspace Intelligence

GeoCue Launches TrueView 550 Aerial LiDAR System at INTERGEO

New system combines advanced LiDAR, dual mapping cameras and two positioning options for professional surveying and mapping. GeoCue has expanded…

Continue Reading GeoCue Launches TrueView 550 Aerial LiDAR System at INTERGEO

The Drone Is No Longer the Point

At INTERGEO, attention has shifted from individual platforms to complete geospatial workflows. One of the clearest drone industry trends at…

Continue Reading The Drone Is No Longer the Point

FCC Clears Nationwide Test of Cellular Networks for Drone Safety

Temporary waiver will allow DOT to measure airborne wireless coverage for command and control, detect and avoid, Remote ID and…

Continue Reading FCC Clears Nationwide Test of Cellular Networks for Drone Safety

Secondary Sidebar

Footer

SPONSORED

What Is the Best Commercial Cleaning Drone in 2026? Specs, Prices, and a Head-to-Head Comparison

Inspired Flight Gremsy IF800 VIO F1 drones geo week

What Will It Take to Strengthen U.S. Drone Manufacturing? A Conversation with Inspired Flight’s CEO

Global Mapper Mobile data collection

Collection Ground Control Points with Global Mapper Mobile

Military Drone Mapping Solutions

How SimActive’s Correlator3D™ is Revolutionizing Military Mapping: An Exclusive Interview with CEO Philippe Simard

Photogrammetry Accuracy Standards

SimActive Photogrammetry Software: Enabling Users to Meet Accuracy Standards for Over 20 Years

NACT Engineering Parrot ANAFI tether indoor shot

Smart Tether for Parrot ANAFI USA from NACT Engineering

About Us | Contact Us | Advertise With Us | Write for Us | Privacy Policy | Terms of Service

The Trusted Source for the Business of Drones.

This website uses cookies and third party services. By clicking OK, you are agreeing to our privacy policy. ACCEPT

Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT