What are the requirements to become a pilot with National Drone Services?

To join our network, you must have a valid FAA Part 107 certification, at least $1M in drone insurance, a clean flight record, and access to well-maintained drone equipment that meets industry standards.

How does the pilot payment process work?

Our payment process is simple: once you complete a job, upload the content directly to our platform and mark the job as complete. Our QC experts will review your work, and if it passes quality control, you're paid instantly. We aim to provide pilots with approximately 75% of the job value.

How frequently will I receive job opportunities?

Job frequency depends on your location and the demand in your area. Urban and suburban areas typically see more frequent job opportunities, while remote areas may have fewer requests. You can set your operating radius to expand your coverage area.

Join the Pilot Network + Use the Platform

Two ways to work with NDS: Get assigned paid work from our capture requests, or use our platform to deliver your own client work. Both paths use the same platform - process, host, visualize, and track aerial data over time.

Two Reasons to Join

Get assigned paid work from NDS capture requests, or use the platform to deliver your own client work. Both paths use the same aerial data infrastructure platform.

Get Assigned Paid Work

Join our pilot network to receive capture requests from NDS clients. Accept jobs in your area, complete the work, and deliver through our platform. Competitive payouts (~75% to pilot) and straightforward workflow.

Use the Platform for Your Clients

Deliver your own client work through our platform. Process, host, visualize, and track aerial data over time. Map-based browsing, time-series comparison, annotations, and reporting - all available immediately after account setup.

Competitive Compensation

For network jobs, we pass ~75% of revenue to pilots - vs 15-20% from competitors. We'd love to make that 100%, but we need to keep the lights on!

We're Here for You

Unlike competitors who have never flown a drone - we're pilots. We know how to answer technical questions and support your work.

What are our requirements?

Must have a valid and current FAA Part 107.

Must have at least $1M in drone insurance.

Must have a clean flight record.

Must have access to well-maintained drone equipment that meets industry standards.

And yes, you must be ready to soar!

Two Ways to Use Our Platform

Whether you want to join our pilot network for client jobs or use our data delivery platform for your own business, we've got you covered.

Join Our Pilot Network

Get access to high-paying client jobs in your area. Perfect for pilots looking to earn consistent income from established clients.

Requires application approval
Access to client job network
Competitive pilot payouts (~75%)

Data Delivery Platform

Use our purpose-built platform to deliver drone data to your own clients. Available immediately after account setup.

Available immediately after signup
Deliver data to your own clients

💡 Perfect for DSPs!

Finish your account setup after applying to start delivering data professionally.

You can use both! Join our network for client jobs and use our platform for your own clients.

How It Works

Create your free NDS account — you can start using the Data Delivery platform right away.

Apply to the Pilot Network from your profile to unlock paid client jobs in your area. Approval typically takes 1-2 business days.

Get jobs: When capture requests are submitted in your area, you'll receive email notifications with job briefings.

Deliver through NDS platform: Complete the job, upload data directly to the platform, and mark as complete.

Get paid: Our QC experts review your work. If it passes, you're paid instantly (~75% of job value).

Ready to Get Started?

Create your free account to get started. Once you're in the platform, you can submit your Pilot Network application to receive paid flight jobs in your area.

Create Free Account Explore Data Delivery

📋 How it works:

• Step 1: Create your free account in under 2 minutes.
• Step 2: Inside the platform, go to My Profile → Pilot Network Settings and submit your Pilot Network application.
• 1-2 days: We'll review your application and notify you by email.