People who turn a passion into a job usually start from the tool: I have a drone, I can fly, I look for someone who will pay me to fly. It is the most natural starting point, and also the weakest. For the client, the flight is a cost. What they buy is an answer.
The client buys an answer
Whoever runs a solar plant does not want a flight: they want to know which modules are faulty and where they are. The building contractor does not want footage of the roof: they want to know where the damage is, with photos that hold up in front of the loss adjuster. The surveyor does not want a beautiful orthophoto: they want measurements with a stated accuracy, which they can sign.
If the product is "one hour of flight", every pilot with a similar drone is a competitor, and the only way to win is to lower the price. If the product is "the list of faulty modules, with position and thermal image", there are few competitors and the comparison is on the quality of the result.
Every sector has its own result
| Sector | What the client buys | What it takes besides the flight |
|---|---|---|
| Solar | The list of faulty modules, with position and thermal image | Thermography. There is a dedicated technical specification, IEC TS 62446-3:2017, on the thermographic inspection of plants in operation |
| Surveying | Orthophotos, models and volumes with stated accuracy | Ground control points or RTK, the processing, the language of the people who sign: surveyors, engineers |
| Roofs and construction | The damage documented, with dated and georeferenced photos | Knowing what a loss adjuster or an insurer is looking for |
| Agriculture | Maps of crop condition | Basic agronomy. For spraying, see below |
| Video and photo | The finished edit, with the rights in order | Editing, releases from the people filmed |
Spraying with a drone is not something you start overnight. The European directive on the sustainable use of pesticides says: "Member States shall ensure that aerial spraying is prohibited" (Directive 2009/128/EC, Article 9(1)). Derogations exist, but only "in special cases" and under precise conditions (paragraph 2), which each country applies in its own way. Before offering it to a client, read the rule of your own country.
Five questions before choosing
- Who already pays for this answer today, without a drone? If nobody pays today, they are unlikely to pay tomorrow.
- How do they get it today? Scaffolding, a mobile elevating work platform, a helicopter, an inspection on foot. The drone wins if it costs less, is faster or puts people at less risk.
- Can I read the data like the people who will use it? A thermal image that nobody interprets is not a result.
- Which category will I fly in? The European regulation divides operations into the 'open', 'specific' and 'certified' categories (Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947, Article 3). In the 'specific' category you need an operational authorisation from the authority or, in some scenarios, a declaration (Article 3(b)). Time and costs go into the price. It depends on the drone, the distance from people and the place: check it job by job.
- What exactly do I deliver? If the result cannot be described in one line, the client will not know what they are buying.
The price follows the result
If you sell a result, you price the result: per plant, per hectare, per report, per inspection. It also includes the hours the client does not see: preparation, permits, processing, the report. Whoever prices per flight hour gives all the rest away. The real cost of an hour of work is the subject of chapter 4.
The proof is part of the result
A result the client has to use in front of a loss adjuster, an insurer or a public body is worth as much as the ability to show how it was obtained: when, where, with which aircraft, by whom and in what conditions. Large clients ask for it even before the price. Whoever delivers it together with the result starts ahead.
How it works in Dronetrake
- The quote is built line by line: the result, the processing, the permits, not only the flight hours.
- The result is delivered to the client through a portal with its own link, file by file.
- Every uploaded file has its fingerprint and its upload time, and the mission keeps together place, aircraft, pilot, flights and documents.
Sources
- Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/947, Articles 3 and 5: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2019/947/oj/eng
- Directive 2009/128/EC, Article 9: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2009/128/oj/eng
- IEC TS 62446-3:2017, thermographic inspection of photovoltaic systems: https://webstore.iec.ch/en/publication/28628