Looking to buy a drone for those roof pitches that are ridiculous, especially 2 stories up but have no experience with flying one or just how fancy it needs to be for what we do. I do want clear up close pictures for obvious reasons but other than that just easy to use. Any help, advice, comments would be greatly appreciated before shelling out a lot of money. Thanks in advance!
No idea where you are you might check and see what is needed for an operator license . What about insurance .
You might go with an inspector who uses a drone in your state offer to pay and go far from home to get one to help you .
Recommend you read this string for info https://www.nachi.org/forum/f48/drone-hits-aircraft-quebec-125108/
I fly a typhoon H with a 4K camera.
Be aware that you need an FAA license to fly a drone for commercial purposes.
Pictures from today’s inspection.
Insurance,
Here is a link to what I’ve put up for your review. https://submissions.nexsure.com?portalKey=rF3kCRjHFvpzzjDe%2bsUKtGdiCp8DN6%2b4l4dRXNoIy5s%3d&id=61&bid=19
Thank you guys! That’s a start. Anyone else that’s actually using a drone I would love to hear from as well.
You definitely need to get licensed through the FAA to use the drone for your business.
I use a DJI Mavic Pro. I love it. I have found numerous issues on roofs that I did not want to walk due to being wet/too steep/easily damaged. The 4k camera produces great photos and videos. The aerial shot of the home looks good on the cover of my report.
The Mavic folds up nicely so it is easy to transport.
I would buy it again.
Good luck
Steven,
I use a DJI Phantom 3 Standard. It is quite stable, even in windy conditions, and is easy to control. That being said, when it’s time to upgrade, I will definitely be looking to get the Mavic Pro. The Mavic Pro is about twice the cost of the Phantom 3 I currently use.
About the FAA requirements, I used a website called RemotePilot101.com to study for the test. It was about $105 with a discount/promo code. Well worth the money spent. Don’t underestimate the difficulty of test. I had all of the questions from the website down and I still struggled with the test. I’m not sure how, but I managed to get a 92% on the test. I felt like I might not even pass (70%) at the end of the test. Good luck!
As far as insurance goes, I don’t use the drone very often, so I went with Verifly. $10 each time you want coverage. It is liability only though, no coverage for damage to the drone.
Tim
Hi Steve,
I use a drone for any tall steep roofs. DJI is pretty much the standard though there are many other brands out there. I buy refurbished Phantom’s direct from DJI. That’s a good machine for a good price, but everyone has their favorites. Passing the FAA 107B test took a lot of work. RemotePilot101.com is a good on-line company to help prep for that test. I highly recommend them. Cost is about $150 for the class. LAANC that is coming will allow authorization for licensed drone flight much less than 5miles from the airport.
Regards,
Tom Edwards
Corvus Inspection Services.