Short answer: hire a pilot who holds an FAA Part 107 certificate and a MnDOT commercial license, carries liability insurance, shows real work like your project, and gives you a flat written price. Those four checks rule out most bad hires in five minutes.
Whether it's a lake listing, a jobsite or a roof after a hail storm, these questions separate professionals from hobbyists with a new drone.
| Check | Why it matters | A good answer |
|---|---|---|
| FAA Part 107 certificate | Any paid drone flight in the U.S. requires an FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate. | “Yes, here's my certificate number.” |
| Minnesota commercial license | Minnesota requires commercial drone operators to hold a MnDOT Commercial Operations License and carry insurance. | A current MnDOT license and proof of insurance. |
| Liability insurance | If something goes wrong over your property, insurance is what protects you. | A Certificate of Insurance (COI) on request. |
| Real work like yours | A wedding videographer and a land-listing pilot are different specialists. | A portfolio with your property type, not stock footage. |
| Clear pricing | Hourly quotes and surprise travel fees make budgets slip. | A written flat quote, with travel included. |
| Turnaround time | Listings and storm claims can't wait two weeks. | Photos in 1–2 days, video within a week. |
| Usage rights | You need to post the photos on MLS, social and print. | A commercial-use license for everything delivered. |
| Airspace know-how | Near airports like St. Cloud Regional or MSP, flights need FAA authorization. | “I'll request LAANC authorization if needed.” |
| Reviews | Past clients are the best preview of how a pilot works. | Google reviews from local clients. |
National drone companies take the booking and send whichever contractor is nearby, so the person who shows up may never have flown your area. A local pilot knows the airspace, the lakes and the towns, can reschedule around Minnesota weather the same week, and usually charges less for travel. The trade-off: check that a local operator is licensed and insured just as carefully.
We're a Minnesota drone service based in St. Cloud, run by a local construction business owner. Our prices are on our website (photos from $129, photo + 4K video from $279), photos are delivered in 24–48 hours, every client gets a commercial-use license, and our portfolio is our own flights across Minnesota.
Sources: FAA: Certified Remote Pilots (Part 107) · MnDOT: Commercial Drone Operations. Last updated October 23, 2026.
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