finally figured it out

[DUR DA DUR]

ok guys,
I've always loved r/c and wanted to do something in the hobby. I've a little from the days of wanting to be a pro pilot, or sell foamies, not that anything is wrong with that, it's just a little out of my reach. Lately i've been interested in two things...photography and r/c. And i've been reading alot of articles in magazines about aerial photography. I would really love to start a bussiness doing this. Get some bussiness education, research the hell out of it, get some loans and start a bussiness. What do you guys think. Is there enough of a need out there for this sort of work. What kind of things need to be photographed from the air? I really think this would be a great job for the rest of my life and i just want to know what you guys think about it, throw in the good the bad, whatever.

[hillmanr2]

A good friend of mine makes his living doing aerial photography with his gasser heli. Most of his work is real estate photo's of high end homes. He has also done TV commercial work and some movie work. He hires a camera man to shoot the pics and he flys the heli. Helis are a very good way to go as they can operate in tight locations.

http://www.airquesthelicam.com/

[DUR DA DUR]

wow guys, i really think this could be a huge thing for me. Now other than your typical gear needed for this type of work....the heli and camera, waht else would i need to get started. would i need education in bussiness, as far as getting loans. I know i would have to get the loans....i can't finance this on my own. I would come up with a bussiness plan, scan the market, collect some interest in my services, etc. I just kinda need a starting point. Should i start with tryin to get the loan?? well, all i can say is i'm extremely happy. I'll put everythin i have into this....and hopefully it will all work out in the end.

[youngflyer]

hey bro i think its an awesome idea however imo the demand is small for areial photography using fixed wing planes because they need a runway to take of and land and also move at a high rate so it would be hard to get the right shot. on the other hand, stationary heli's can get much better video and pics and i believe that aspect of the hobby is booming. i know a teen out in ca who is rolling in the dough.

[hillmanr2]

I also have my own construction company.

#1The very first thing you need to do is find out what kind of demand is in your area. Talk to real estate companies, local news agents, and any other video production companies in your area. Ask these companies how interested they would be and see if you can at least get a verbal agreement with them.

#2Next would be to talk to other aerial photography companies in your state. Try to find out what works, what the market is like etc.

#3 Do the research on what equipment you will need and find a photographer who is willing to work with you with the understanding he will only get paid when you do.

#4 DO NOT GET YOUR FRIENDS INVOLVED IN YOUR BUSINESS!!!! If you do they will not be your friends anymore and you may lose both your business and friends.
DO NOT GET A PARTNER. Partnerships have less than a 1:20 chance of working.

#5 Start off doing this as a part time job. Keep your day job to offset or hopefully eliminate any loans you made need. IF you get a loan to cover living expenses and run your business your chance of failure increase dramatically. This hopefully means you will have to work 10-12 hrs a day , 7 days a week. I say hopefully because if this happens you are on your way to success.

#6 Don't expect to have people knocking down your door in the first year. You may even have to do some jobs at a loss (try not to) in the beginning to prove yourself.

#7 Find a successful person to be your mentor in business. It doesn't matter if they are in the same field, just that you respect them and they are successful. Follow the advice given.

#8 See number 5

I hope this helps you. I jumped into my first business venture way to fast with to much borrowed money. The business failed quickly and I ended up with a lot of debt.
Russ

[DUR DA DUR]

i would go with helis. i'm gonna get a business plan going in the next week....spend my freetime researching, finding interested parties....(realtors, anybody who would need it)

[SleepyC]

I wish you luck.. BUT I have learned from a few past businesses... only way to make a good living in the world we live in is to have a business that isn't a FAD, or is not in a NITCH market.

I would say 1 out of 100 of these businesses get lucky.. (And I wish you much sucess if you try)

BUT... if you want to make a good living, and actually be able to have an income that will not add any undue stress, pick a business that is not UBER cool.... a business that will not go out of fashion, a business that 99% of the general public will always need.

Construction - will never go out of style. People will ALWAYS need construction.
Landscaping - Grass ALWAYS grows/ snow will always fall
Even a laundry mat - people will ALWAYS need to wash clothes.
Even a car wash - cars GET DIRTY!

Just keep that in mind... any kind of a trend business or a nitch business is probably 100% harder to make it profitable, because your limiting your prospective clients even before you start!

If I could go back and us ethe money I spent on my 2 businesses in the past, I would have found a good location, a place in need of a laundry mat, and opened one... yes its unglamorous, but it can be very profitable.

I have a freind that owns one, and he works around 25 - 30 hrs a week, and makes a great living. (Don't get me wrong when he first started he was working 70 hrs a week... but now he is established)

Either way.. GOOD LUCK!

[why_fly_high]

Another thing to consider is that the FAA has ruled that RC aircraft that is used for profit or business is considered a UAV. With that the they are most likely going to have some certification processes for the pilots and aircraft. The problem is they have not come out with the processes yet to get aircraft certified. Remember the story about the LA Sheriff's Department that got shut down by the FAA when flying a little 2-3 pound electric plane. Even though it was flown like a hobby aircraft it was not a hobby unit and deemed a UAV.

Also, don't forget about insurance. When you do this for profit you AMA is no longer in affect. The best thing you can do is find people that are doing the same thing and get as much info as you can from them. Pick people from the other side of the country so they won't look at you as competition and they will be more likely to share info with you.

Good luck!

Dan

[youngflyer]

bro i have a friend who does website design. also i believe kevin garland aka sukoikid can help you to!

[RappyMan]

I'm on my 3rd AP run. It's fun work, but puts you in challenging and unique flying situations. On several of the flights, if the chopper went down we may have never found it or got it back. Realize that it's $2K-5K or more up there in the air & the pucker factor is definately there.

#1 - AP originator lost funding by his friend who took all the gear and helicopter back
#2 - Going great (I moved out of the area) - he's doing 2 to 4 jobs a weekend (still working full time.)
#3 - just getting going and equipment proven. Only 1 paying job so far & might be more difficult to find jobs in Iowa.

As a part time job & to do for fun... it's great. It is a big jump to make it to full time pay I'd have to believe.

[DUR DA DUR]

that one job.....does it invole realtor work???? just curious....i e-mailed a couple realtor agencies to see if they woud be interested in this kind of service