Please delete this

Stratospheric · Apr 7, 2017

My friend has just taken his CAA licence but I was wondering how much practice/airtime he needs to become proficient with the I2? We have got about 10 hours of time with other drones

I have seen some awesome demo reels but is this a necessary step for a new business? I have organised for us to do some work which will do for free to get some experience but my mate wants to start recouping what he has spent out on the drone as soon as possible.

Any advice would be welcome!

Bri Guy · Apr 8, 2017

Stratospheric said:
I have organised for us to do some free work to get some experience but my mate wants to start recouping what he has spent out on the drone. Any advice would be welcome!

Sell the Drone - before it's crashed. Stop wrecking things for the professionals

Stratospheric · Apr 8, 2017

That wasn't quite the advice I was looking for! LOL

I was hoping to get a rough idea of how much practice you got before taking your first job. I could then use that as a benchmark to see if he has got the necessary experience.

Steelej · Apr 8, 2017

Did he pass his flight test with only one hour experience?

AMGPilot · Apr 8, 2017

Stratospheric said:
My friend has just taken his CAA licence but I was wondering how much practice/airtime he needs to become proficient with the I2? At the moment he is saying "I have only got one hour of flight time so it's not worth the travel time to get practice. We are waiting for another 4 batteries to arrive

I have seen some awesome demo reels but is this a necessary step for a new business? I have organised for us to do some work which will do for free to get some experience but my mate wants to start recouping what he has spent out on the drone as soon as possible.

Any advice would be welcome!

What sort of work are you asking about? Real Estate? that's going to be very different from Movie and TV jobs. Try showing up on a Film set with a lack of skills and you will be eaten alive.

Seriously there is no "Fast" way to becoming proficient. you have to put your work into it. If you are not willing to do that, well be prepared to have your *** handed to you

Stratospheric · Apr 8, 2017

At the moment he is waiting to take the flight test as the company keeps putting him off because of bad weather. He did a couple of jobs for a friend last year and did well.

he has got another business doing property maintenance in the week and at weekends he has been busy doing jobs around the house . He wants to get away from property maintenance as its killing his back so sees aerial filming as a possible alternative..

We are looking at doing a bit of everything, real estate, promotional videos, weddings etc.

I guess I'm looking for a way to encourage him to get more practice as I am putting in a lot of work in the background producing our website and looking for leads.

Thatius Dudeson · Apr 8, 2017

Sounds like "your friend" need to do some researching on their own.
Also sounds like they made a foolish decision before researching properly, or they used the "making money" thing to justify it to their partner as to why they needed to spend a few grand when bills are tight obviously.

I'm kinda with the people above, sell it and find a new job, not to be rude, but the market is flooded. This kind of thing only serves to hurt the very same people later on, I see it daily on forums.... "why won't people pay enough!?"

Well.... that's what happens when inexperienced people charge less for work, and provide a lackluster product. Then you get better and can't afford to support yourself, neither can anyone else.

Stratospheric · Apr 8, 2017

Yeah I see what you are saying! I can't see him accepting that!

What's more frustrating is that I am £3500 in the red as I paid for all the stuff that is non-refundable like CAA course, insurance and odds and sods!

Bri Guy · Apr 8, 2017

Stratospheric said:
Yeah I see what you are saying! I can't see him accepting that!

What's more frustrating is that I am £3500 in the red as I paid for all the stuff that is non-refundable like CAA course, insurance and odds and sods! I probably won't see any of that back! This is half the cost of a new wheelchair I was looking at buying with my future income.

What prevented you from coming here and asking these questions B4 you spent the money!?!

See, this is just very poor planning and decision making on your part,
(and those are the 2 things you need to be skilled at) to make this work professionally.

AMGPilot · Apr 8, 2017

Stratospheric said:
We are looking at doing a bit of everything, real estate, promotional videos, weddings etc.

I guess I'm looking for a way to encourage him to get more practice as I am putting in a lot of work in the background producing our website and looking for leads.

Okay so you have no demo reel so getting decent jobs is going to be difficult and to top it off you don't have a license or the skills yet and you are already banking on future income. Providing an aerial service is more than just flying. How good are you at editing and color correction? that's part of the job. It's not like you just hand off a card at the end of the day and ask for a check. That list all requires different skill sets, none of them just "come to you"

You've really put the cart before the horse.

Mark Taylor · Apr 8, 2017

So just how much flight experience does your friend have and what was he flying at the time?

The 'one hour' comment is referring to limited flight time per session due to limited batteries I think rather than that he only has one hour of experience...

The Editor · Apr 9, 2017

Stratospheric said:
My friend has just taken his CAA licence but I was wondering how much practice/airtime he needs to become proficient with the I2? At the moment he is saying "I have only got one hour of flight time so it's not worth the travel time to get practice. We are waiting for another 4 batteries to arrive

I have seen some awesome demo reels but is this a necessary step for a new business? I have organised for us to do some work which will do for free to get some experience but my mate wants to start recouping what he has spent out on the drone as soon as possible.

Any advice would be welcome!

OK, first of all your 'friend' does not have his CAA PfCO (it is not a license) since by the sounds of it he has not completed (and passed) his flight assessment).
Without this, his qualification will not be valid and he is not certified to operate commercially. He will also not be insured if he does.

With regards to how much flight time to be proficient - That one is nigh on impossible to answer since everyone's stick time to become confident and proficient will differ.
Ive seen kids fly helicopters nose in within minutes and guys in their twenties take months to master the same skill!
Practice, practice and more practice is the answer until muscle memory allows you to fly in any orientation (in Atti as well) without having to 'think' about how you are going to move the sticks.
Like driving a car - you do not actually 'think' about it, you just do it automatically - that's where you need to be in flying a UAV for commercial use.

Stratospheric · Apr 9, 2017

Okay so my mate aced the theory test but we are waiting to get the flight test done. we know we cannot do any paid jobs until we get the licence put through. We have got the British model Association insurance which covers us for non-commercial use. I know that won't cover the drone but should be enough to get liability cover.

In all honesty I don't know whether he is practising or not with the inspire I know he is busy at the moment.. Last year we borrowed a Yuneec typhoon H for a few months and he he got about between 5 and 10 hours practice on that including a couple of flights for a friend to help him out producing a video.

I'm the one doing the editing and have done a number of videos with Premier pro for my personal use for my sailing over the last 8 years. I have been asking my mate to get me some more footage so I can practice. My last video was for a college course at the end of 2016. This was a group video so I didn't have direct control as it was a democracy with every shot. We all edited different videos based upon how we perceived the footage. The footage for this video we used a friends inspire 1 and had him flying it. see attached

I don't think I'm too bad at editing and have got a bit to learn on colour grading. I haven't got used to using effects at the moment, I tend to use straight video.

I have lined up a couple of jobs for friends and acquaintances Which we will do for free to get experience in the next 6 months.

In my defence getting the inspire was not my decision, I would much rather have got the Phantom 4 pro.

Mark Taylor · Apr 9, 2017

Stratospheric said:
We have got the British model Association insurance which covers us for non-commercial use. I know that won't cover the drone but should be enough to get liability cover.

The BMFA insurance will provide you with 3rd party liability cover for recreational flights.

It will not cover you for those 'free' jobs you have lined up though. It doesn't matter if you are being paid or not, if the purpose of the flights is commercial. Similarly it wouldn't cover you for unpaid flights he might make to obtain video/photos for your own advertising.

You may want to borrow some of the course materials from your friend so you can also become familiar with the limitations, risk assessments and planning requirements for commercial flights as I'm sure you will have realized, even once he has the PfCO, there are still many restrictions on where and how you can fly.

Raphael Dahan · Apr 10, 2017

Stratospheric said:
Okay so my mate aced the theory test but we are waiting to get the flight test done. we know we cannot do any paid jobs until we get the licence put through. We have got the British model Association insurance which covers us for non-commercial use. I know that won't cover the drone but should be enough to get liability cover.

In all honesty I don't know whether he is practising or not But going by what he said today I guess he hasn't practised much at the moment with the inspire.. Last year we borrowed a Yuneec typhoon H for a few months and he he got about between 5 and 10 hours practice on that including a couple of flights for a friend to help him out producing a video.

I'm the one doing the editing and have done a number of videos with Premier pro for my personal use for my sailing over the last 8 years. I have been asking my mate to get me some more footage so I can practice. My last video was for a college course at the end of 2016. This was a group video so I didn't have direct control as it was a democracy with every shot. We all edited different videos based upon how we perceived the footage. The footage for this video we used a friends inspire 1 and had him flying it. see attached

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I don't think I'm too bad at editing and have got a bit to learn on colour grading. I haven't got used to using effects at the moment, I tend to use straight video.

I have lined up a couple of jobs for friends and acquaintances Which we will do for free to get experience in the next 6 months.

In my defence getting the inspire was not my decision, I would much rather have got the Phantom 4 pro.

Think like that, you are a rich man, and bought a Boing 747, you are not a pilot for now, but love to be a professional one, what does you need to do to become a pro one, that can transport people from one destination to another in a safe manner ??
Think you are filming in a wadding party, above the hades, lost orientation for a moment and crash.
You imagine the situation ?
You must consider this work with a lot responsability to your environment you are flying in, people's equipment and so. As a pilot, I can tell you that it's no so easy to get skills with this machine. People think that if they know how to move forward by pushing the sticks, so they can work and make money. You must be highly responsible before you decide to take a job.

Skydog · Apr 10, 2017

Seems like everyone is giving you "bad news" regarding your new venture into commercial drone services.
They are being kind. Based on the info you are providing this sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. This is not something you can jump into without a lot of preparation, forethought and skill level. And that's before you even buy your first drone... let alone solicit a job.
Take a step back. Critical thinking has been left out of your business plan. The smartest thing you have done so far is to ask people on this forum for advice. Please take it seriously.

deltalimatango · Apr 13, 2017

I think Skydog put it best, as did the others here. I had an P4 first, then moved to a Mavic and finally settled on an I2. For me the choice was very simple. I am a photographer and the I2 fits the bill. I have no real desire or plan to make money but to enjoy my few hours away from the house when I can fly. Taking high quality photos that remind me of my DSLR are just extra sauce for the goose. I've been asked to fly my I2 at a few weddings but I know my limitations and the last thing I want is to blow a wedding scene. I suggest you take your time, fly your drone, and have fun with it. The experience will come with practice.

IrishSights · Apr 13, 2017

Stratospheric said:
...In my defence getting the inspire was not my decision, I would much rather have got the Phantom 4 pro.

Sorry let me get this straight because I have difficulty understanding your statement. Your mate got you to spend £3500 of your hard earned savings on an Inspire which you did not want? You wanted a P4Pro instead yet you parted with you dosh just for him? I wish I had a mate like you! The fact that you refer to him as a friend or mate tells me you don't see him in terms of being a business partner.

To be serious you need to research and a business plan, spreadsheets, forecasts etc and get it checked over by someone who knows business plans. Most councils have startup enterprise officers. All councils here in N. Ireland have a section for those wanting to start their own business and offer courses and advice.

Just my opinion partnerships rarely work and needs a very special relationship if it is to do so. It sounds like you don't really know how much practice your partner has so it makes me think what else don't you know. Partners need to be open and major at communicating with each other and no business secrets. You can have different roles of course.

It sounds like we are all giving you a hard time, however there is nothing here in the replies I could disagree with and that's after nearly 40 years being self employed in quite a few industries.

Stand back, reassess and take the advice offered by the replies.

andrew259 · Apr 14, 2017

I'm not sure anyone answered your first question... although it varies from person to person.
I would suggest a 6 months to a year flying most days.
It's not about dealing with issues when everything is going well... that's easy. It's when things start to go wrong that you need that practice.

That said, everything that is being said here is correct.

4 years ago you could buy a drone and win work just by having one. Those days are long gone. There are too many very skilled pilots out there and to compete you will need to stand out.

I would tend to suggest that many operatives don't have drones as 100% of their business. I don't think anyone starting out now with this in mind will be successful in the long run. You need other strings to your bow.

Good luck though. We ALL need good luck.