Drone Pilot LLC

What Drone Pilot LLC does

Drone Pilot LLC is a privately held, veteran-owned professional photography company based in Auburndale, Florida, operating under the trade name Drone Pilot Florida. Founded and run by Michael Reilly, the company delivers both ground-based and aerial (drone) photography services across seven service lines: thermography, real estate photography, roof inspection photography, portraits, wedding and engagement photography, aerial mapping, and event photography. The target customer base is fragmented across individual consumers, SMBs, and small commercial clients in Central Florida, with the founder's 30-year photography background cited as a primary credibility asset.

The company's technical stack is built on consumer-to-prosumer hardware — the DJI Mavic 2 Pro for aerial photography and the DJI XT Infrared camera for thermal imaging — combined with mapping software platforms Dronedeploy and Pix4Dcapture for orthomosaic mapping. Post-production is handled by Reilly using Darktable, Gimp, Photoshop, and Adobe Illustrator. Aircraft and sensor choices are appropriate for the service range but represent off-the-shelf components rather than proprietary technology.

Drone Pilot operates a direct-to-consumer, project-based service model with no subscription or recurring revenue component. Services are priced per session between $70 (portraits) and $350 (thermography), with payment processed through PayPal. Customers book through a Wix-based website or contact the company directly via phone or email. The company has no disclosed funding, no institutional investors, no parent organization, and no international presence; it is effectively a solo-operator LLC with a heavily local service profile.

Name

Drone Pilot LLC

Legal name

Drone Pilot LLC

Website

https://dronepilot.pictures

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Drone Pilot LLC is a veteran-owned, Auburndale, Florida-based photography service operated by Michael Reilly, offering drone aerial photography, thermography, real estate, wedding, portrait, and aerial mapping services to SMBs and individual consumers in Central Florida.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Drone and Aerial Photography Services

NAICS

Commercial Photography (541922)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Aerial Surveying & Crop Scouting (Imaging, Mapping, Stand Counts) (AFACAIAJ)

Keywords

• Aerial photography services
• Drone thermography inspection
• Real estate photography
• Orthomosaic aerial mapping
• Professional event photography

Headquarters

HQ city

Auburndale

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Professional Photography Services: One-time service fees for photography sessions including aerial photography, thermal imaging, real estate photography, portraits, weddings, and events. Services are priced per session with duration ranging from 1 to 1.5 hours. Payment processed through PayPal with credit/debit cards.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Drone Pilot LLC provides professional drone-based and ground-based photography services in Central Florida, including aerial mapping (orthomosaic), thermal imaging inspections, real estate exterior photography, roof inspections, portraits, wedding and engagement photography, and event photography. Sessions are booked online or by direct contact, run approximately 1 to 1.5 hours, and are delivered as finished photos/videos with payment processed via PayPal.

Product overview

Drone Pilot LLC is a veteran-owned professional photography company offering drone-based and ground-based photography services in Florida. The company provides a comprehensive suite of photography services including aerial mapping with orthomosaic capabilities, thermography using DJI XT infrared cameras, real estate photography, roof inspections, portraits, wedding photography, and event photography. Services can be booked online through the company's scheduling system.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Thermography

Quantifiable outcome

• Saves time, money, and labor costs for clients compared to amateur photography

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• DronedeploycoreTechnology or IntegrationFormal training and certification in Dronedeploy platform for aerial mapping operations including stockpile management and orthomosaic mapping services
• Pix4DcapturecoreTechnology or IntegrationFormal training in Pix4Dcapture for drone-based mapping and surveying operations
• Auburndale Chamber of CommerceminorOthersBusiness membership providing local networking, credibility, and community presence as a veteran-owned business

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Aerial Agents: Aerial Agents is a Florida-based drone photography and videography service specializing in real estate, construction, and commercial aerial imagery—closely matching Drone Pilot's service mix and regional focus.
• PrecisionHawk: PrecisionHawk provides commercial drone services and aerial analytics for agriculture, construction, and energy—directly comparable in thermography, mapping, and inspection offerings.
• Cybereye Drone Services: Cybereye Drone Services provides commercial drone inspections, thermography, and aerial mapping in Florida—directly comparable in service offerings, equipment (DJI thermal cameras), and regional market.
• Measure (a CSG company): Measure operates a nationwide drone-as-a-service network for construction, telecom, and energy inspection—comparable in offering drone inspection and mapping services to enterprise/SMB customers.
• DroneBase: DroneBase is a drone pilot marketplace and aerial data platform serving real estate, construction, insurance, and agriculture—directly overlapping with Drone Pilot LLC's service verticals and SMB/enterprise target market.

Others

• Pix4D: Pix4D provides photogrammetry software (Pix4Dcapture/Pix4Dmapper) used by Drone Pilot for mapping workflows—an enabling technology provider rather than a competing photography service.
• DroneDeploy: DroneDeploy is a software platform for drone mapping and orthomosaic processing—Drone Pilot's partner and certification source, but not a direct service competitor as it enables rather than delivers photography services.
• Skyward (a Verizon company): Skyward offers drone operations management and connectivity for commercial drone fleets—an adjacent platform provider in the commercial drone ecosystem.
• DJI Enterprise: DJI is the manufacturer of the Mavic 2 Pro and XT Infrared cameras that Drone Pilot uses—an equipment vendor enabling but not competing with the service business.

Emerging players

• HawkEye 360 / Aerial Inspection Services: HawkEye 360 and similar emerging drone inspection firms are scaling commercial inspection-as-a-service models in adjacent verticals (roofing, insurance, utilities)—partially overlapping with Drone Pilot's thermography and inspection niche.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/drone-pilot-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Drone Pilot LLC