#drone-services
Bookkeeping for commercial drone photography and aerial inspection businesses, including FAA licensing costs, aircraft depreciation, and per-flight job costing
A US spray-drone business needs Part 107, a Section 44807 exemption, a Part 137 certificate, and a state commercial license before its first paid acre.
A $1,500 drone survey can net a few hundred dollars once US Part 107 fees, hull and payload insurance, and MACRS depreciation enter your per-acre math.
FAA Part 108 replaces one-off Part 107 BVLOS waivers with 24-month permits and certificates for drones up to 1,320 lbs. Learn the five cost buckets, insurance pricing at $475-$4,000 per drone, and the cost-per-flight-minute formula that turns BVLOS approvals into profitable pricing.
Commercial drone operators should separate FAA licensing costs, individually tracked aircraft depreciation, and per-job variable costs into distinct accounts, since a $200 real estate listing shoot and a $3,000 utility inspection job carry entirely different insurance, crew, and processing costs per flight hour.
