Drone business library

Start and run a drone services business

Printable guides that take you from a Part 107 certificate to a working business: rules, airspace, insurance, equipment, clients, pricing models, contracts and safety. Every rule links to its official source.

Get the guide Free: first steps

Last checked October 2026

Cover of Start and Run a Drone Services Business
Flagship guide · 33 pages · PDF

Start and Run a Drone Services Business

The full playbook for turning a Part 107 certificate into a working drone services business: certification, registration and Remote ID, airspace and waivers, state and local rules, business setup, insurance, equipment, finding clients, pricing models, contracts, data delivery, safety and growing into a team. Every rule links to its official source.

Cover of Start and Run a Drone Services Business

What's inside

  1. The rules stack: who regulates what
  2. Part 107 remote pilot certification
  3. The operating rules you will use every day
  4. Registration and Remote ID
  5. Airspace and authorizations
  6. Waivers, exemptions and advanced operations
  7. State and local rules
  8. Setting up the business
  9. Insurance
  10. Equipment and software
  11. Finding clients
  12. Pricing models
  13. Contracts and data delivery
  14. Safety and operations
  15. Scaling to a team
  16. Your first 90 days

Includes 11 fill-in worksheets (certification tracker, airspace check, waiver planning, startup costs, cost-based price builder, job intake and more), field checklists and 55 linked sources, most of them FAA or other government pages.

Free sample pages

Read two full chapters (Part 107 certification and pricing models) plus the source list before you ask for anything.

Sample page: Chapter 2, Part 107 remote pilot certification Sample page: certification tracker worksheet Sample page: cost-based price builder worksheet

Download the free sample (PDF) Read: first steps to a drone business

Niche playbooks

Each playbook goes deep on one line of work: the rules that come up most, equipment and deliverables, pricing models (never rates), where clients come from, and printable checklists.

Cover of Real Estate Drone Photography Playbook
12 pages · PDF

Real Estate Drone Photography Playbook

How to run a real estate drone photography and video service: rules that come up on residential and commercial shoots, shot lists, editing and delivery, pricing models, and working with agents and brokers.

Contents
  1. The work and the client
  2. Rules that come up on real estate shoots
  3. Equipment, shot list and editing
  4. Pricing models
  5. Finding clients
  6. Contracts, checklists and worksheets
  7. Quick reference and 30-day launch plan
Cover of Construction Mapping and Surveying Playbook
14 pages · PDF

Construction Mapping and Surveying Playbook

How to offer drone mapping and progress capture to builders and contractors, including photogrammetry basics, accuracy and ground control, the state licensed-surveyor rules that limit what you may sell, and job checklists.

Contents
  1. The work and the client
  2. Where state surveying law applies
  3. Rules and site safety
  4. Equipment, software and accuracy
  5. Pricing models
  6. Finding clients
  7. Checklists and worksheets
  8. Quick reference and 30-day launch plan
Cover of Drone Light Show Business Playbook
11 pages · PDF

Drone Light Show Business Playbook

How drone light show businesses work: the §107.35 multiple-aircraft waiver, Remote ID letters of authorization, airspace and stadium restrictions, show-site safety, crew roles, client types and pricing models.

Contents
  1. How show businesses work
  2. The regulatory core
  3. Show-site safety
  4. Equipment, software and crew
  5. Clients and pricing models
  6. Quick reference and 30-day launch plan
Cover of Wedding and Event Drone Playbook
11 pages · PDF

Wedding and Event Drone Playbook

How to add drone coverage to weddings and events safely and legally: flight over people, venue permission, stadium and TFR restrictions, twilight lighting, shot lists, working with the photo team, and contracts.

Contents
  1. The work and the client
  2. People, venues and airspace
  3. Equipment, shot list and coordination
  4. Pricing models and clients
  5. Contracts and checklists
  6. Quick reference and 30-day launch plan
Cover of Roof and Insurance Inspection Playbook
10 pages · PDF

Roof and Insurance Inspection Playbook

How to run a drone roof and insurance inspection service: the rules for close work around structures, imagery standards, reporting, staying within professional-license limits, storm-response safety and client channels.

Contents
  1. The work and the client
  2. Rules for close work around structures
  3. Equipment and imagery standards
  4. Reports, delivery and pricing models
  5. Clients, safety and checklists
  6. Quick reference and 30-day launch plan
Cover of Agricultural Drone Services Playbook
12 pages · PDF

Agricultural Drone Services Playbook

How to offer agricultural drone services: scouting and mapping under Part 107, spraying under Part 137 with the required FAA exemption and certificate, state pesticide applicator licensing, equipment, seasons and clients.

Contents
  1. Two very different businesses
  2. Scouting and mapping under Part 107
  3. Spraying: Part 137 and FAA authority
  4. State pesticide licensing
  5. Equipment, seasons and operations
  6. Clients, pricing models and checklists
  7. Quick reference and 30-day launch plan
Cover of Film and TV Drone Playbook
10 pages · PDF

Film and TV Drone Playbook

How aerial cinematography for film, TV and commercials works: Part 107 and waivers for production needs, moving-vehicle and over-people rules, location permits, crew roles, rights and delivery.

Contents
  1. How productions hire drone teams
  2. Rules that productions run into
  3. Crew, equipment and safety
  4. Rights, delivery and pricing models
  5. Getting hired
  6. Quick reference and 30-day launch plan

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How these guides are made

Rules and processes come from official sources: the FAA's Part 107, registration, Remote ID, LAANC and waiver pages; the eCFR text of 14 CFR Parts 48, 89, 107 and 137; SBA, IRS and Copyright Office guidance; and state agencies where a niche depends on state licensing (land surveying in North Carolina and Virginia; pesticide application in Texas and Oregon). Each guide ends with a numbered source list, and every link was checked in October 2026.

We don't invent statistics, testimonials, ratings, earnings or prices. Where the guides discuss pricing, they explain pricing models and give you a worksheet to build a price from your own costs.

Credits: typefaces Source Sans Pro and Source Serif Pro by Adobe, SIL Open Font License 1.1. Cover art and diagrams are original to SkyEyes. Company names appear only as examples, with links to their own sites; no affiliation or endorsement.

Not legal advice. Rules change. These guides are general educational information about U.S. rules, last checked October 2026. Every rule links to its official source (FAA, eCFR, SBA, IRS, state agencies). Check the source before you fly, sign or file anything, and talk to a qualified attorney, accountant or insurance professional for your situation. We make no earnings claims and publish no market rates.
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