What are the Different Drone Pilot Jobs in the UAS Industry?

Being a pilot is no longer just sitting behind the stick of an airplane. Drone pilot jobs open up a whole new line of interesting work for people with a pilot’s license.

Until the FAA outlines new laws for the commercial use of drones, people with a pilot’s license will be in high demand. Companies that have a 333 exemption must hire pilots to use a drone for commercial use.

There are endless possibilities for drone pilot jobs. For example, drones can be used to help monitor the progress of construction sites from the air and cut the time walking from construction site to construction site. Drone pilot jobs allow pilots to work in a commercial way they have not been able to do before the civilian use of drones.

Image Source: Drone Injuries Lawyer Blog

Drones can be used in the roofing industry inspecting hail/storm damaged houses from the air. Previously this was done by helicopter or small aircraft. There are many opportunities for drone pilot jobs in the roofing and housing industry.

Large farming operations in the United States will benefit from drone pilot jobs. Using a drone can help pinpoint where farmers need to add pesticides, re-grade their field, see where crops are not getting enough water, and ultimately help the overall yield of the farmer’s crops.

Drones have the ability to take the danger out of risky jobs. For example, after a major storm, linemen have to inspect miles of power lines to make sure there are no damages. Hiring a drone pilot to fly over the lines to inspect them would take half the time and cut the danger down to zero.

Oil companies could hire drone pilots to help survey potential ground with oil. Instead of using a helicopter, a drone can capture all the data needed to determine where the best spots are for more in-depth, on foot surveys of the ground.

Image © Ascending Technologies

Using drone pilots to assist in the preservation of our wildlife in the United States is also a much needed drone pilot job. Using drones to help catch poachers is much more cost effective than using a helicopter. It is also much more discrete. Once poachers hear a helicopter coming they take off. Drones are not loud and can still accomplish the same task.

Pilots will have many opportunities once the FAA outlines the use of drones for commercial use. Companies will be hiring drone pilots left and right to make their business or company much more effective in their respective fields.

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This article was written by Alex Martin. He is a junior at Texas Christian University studying Strategic Communication and a minor in Photography. He is from St. Louis, MO and loves playing hockey with his dad and water skiing at Lake Ariel. Alex is very interested in how the drone industry will expand in the coming years.