Want to become a drone pilot?

It sounded like a pretty damn cool job to me.

I mean I am always on the lookout for unique jobs or careers that catch my eye.

I look for them because…

1.  I am a curious fucker and I wants to know shit.
2. always reading and learning about the future of work and the next wave of cool jobs coming down the pike.
3. I want to let you guys know about the almost endless possibilities of KICKASS, Freakin’ awesome jobs/careers that are out there (so there is no excuse for staying in your shitty job).
4. I love learning about the awesome ways people are able to make money doing things that they would do just for fun.

So when I heard about this I just had to know how you actually become a drone pilot.

Which brings us to this week’s KICK-ASS JOB PROFILE…

DRONE PILOT

I came across this job while talking to a guy in the gym today.

He told me that his buddy is actually in the process of learning how to become a drone pilot.

I said, “You mean he is learning how to fly a drone?”

“No…he knows how to fly one already. He is getting his license so he can get a job flying drones”.

Sounds pretty KICK-ASS to me!

But as he told me more of the details I predictably had a shit-ton of questions…

You mean I can play Top Gun with a drone and get paid to do it?

Who is hiring drone pilots? What industries are they in? What is the demand?

What do drone pilots actually do? (besides maneuvering a badass, remote-controlled flying thingy around trying not to crash into shit)

And how much $$CASH$$ do these drone pilots make?

Since it was his buddy (not him) that was on his way to becoming a pilot he really didn’t have any more information for me.

So when we finally finished our conversation I knew I had to look into a bit more.

WHAT ARE THE CURRENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR DRONE PILOTS?

It turns out that now is a great time to become a drone pilot.

The opportunities for drone pilots (or more officially called unmanned aircraft system (UAS) pilots) are HUGE and are now wide-open under the new FAA small UAS (sUAS) Part 107 rule, which legalizes and regulates these air operations.

Tons of companies and organizations are realizing that power of drones and what they can do.

Even Google and Amazon are testing ways to deliver packages using drones!

The demand for drone pilots is just going to continue to rise as drones become more and more integrated into our everyday lives.

BUT WHAT DO DRONE PILOTS ACTUALLY DO?

Well, it really depends on what industry you are in.

Piloting your super cool drone around taking aerial images, surveillance and video are on top of the list.

Think Real estate photography, aerial mapping, roof inspections, crop surveying, event photography, Weddings, sporting events, concerts/festivals, travel destinations.

Another area bound to explode is using drones for Movies and TV shows to capture awesome angles and footage.

WHAT INDUSTRIES or organizations ARE ARE USING DRONES (AND NEED PILOTS)?

The Government – the need for both commercial and military drone pilots continue to grow.

Advertising and Marketing companies are jumping on the bandwagon also.

Other industries like Film, TV, Travel, Law Enforcement, Fire Fighting, Sports, Hospitality and of course Real Estate are using more and more drone pilots.

SO HOW DO YOU BECOME A DRONE PILOT?

Drone pilots (UAS) flying for commercial work require at minimum a Part 107 drone airman or remote pilot certificate. Pilots must be at least 16 years of age and pass an aeronautical knowledge test at an FAA-approved testing center; alternatively, they should hold a current Part 61 private pilot certificate or higher and complete an sUAS online training course provided by the FAA.

So to become a drone pilot you basically need to be at least 16 years old. And you also need to pass a written test.

Drone (UAS) pilots in the film and TV industries (who work under the Section 333 exemption) must have at least a current Part 61 private pilot certificate.

Government and military drone (UAS) pilots often require conventional commercial pilot qualifications.

These are FAA requirements.

Insurance companies may add some additional requirements in the near future.

DO YOU NEED “FLYING” SKILLS TO BEcome a DRONE pILOT?

But don’t you need already have mad flying skills to get started?

In this article from FLYINGMAG.com Brain Wynne, President and CEO of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) says that “Seat-of-the-pants” flying skills are not critical for drone pilots”. We want highly professional folks that have the proper training, understanding and knowledge to achieve their mission,” he says. “Whether they’re trained as aviators in the traditional sense or have learned from scratch from UAS, I don’t think [it] will matter.”

 Cool deal

WHERE DO I GET TRAINING TO BECOME A PILOT? AND WHAT DOES IT COST?

There a bunch of colleges out there, with programs like this one, that help you become a drone pilot.

Here is a good list from dronetraininghq.com that lists a bunch of drone schools.

Unmanned Vehicle University, in Phoenix, is actually the first university in the world to offer degrees in unmanned system engineering.

Here the tuition for UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) pilot certification costs between $3,500 and $4,000, and students don’t need a college degree or any prior experience with drones.

SO HOW MUCH DO DRONE PILOTS MAKE?

Of course, it’s not all about the benjamins but we aren’t talking about hobbies here…you need to get paid.

So how much can you make?

Well, again it’s industry specific.

I found some numbers the say independent drone pilots with film or tv gigs can make between $1000 and $2000 per day.

Cha-Ching!

Glassdoor has some interesting numbers here but most seem to be salaried positions and not independent contract work.

Some jobs can pay a few hundred dollars a shot while other gigs by the hour.

Find an industry that is using drones and take a look at some jobs listing to see what they pay in your area.

 SO WHAT ABOUT YOU? HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO BECOME A DRONE PILOT?

I mean talk about a job that feels like play!

A job with increasing demand, good to great pay and that is a shit load of fun?

Hard to go wrong here if you ask me.

I love to find jobs (or side-hustles) where you can combine your passions and skills and this is definitely a chance to just that.

So if you think you want to become a kick-ass drone pilot or if you just want to learn more you can do so here.