Yes, our pilots go through extensive training and are fully licensed.

Yes, Firefly Aerial has a one million dollar liability insurance policy. Any project that requires a higher amount of liability insurance will be discussed and changes to the insurance will be made accordingly.

Yes, all of our drones are registered with the FAA.

We use DJI drones with state of the art technology that are capable of completing different types of missions. We generally use DJI Mavic2 Pro to capture aerial photos and videos, DJI Mini2 for work in tighter spaces, and DJI Avata for first person view (FPV) videos and real estate flythrough videos. All drones are equipped with 4K cameras.

Our customers vary from real-estate agents, event venues, and other businesses that want to promote their brand with the help of amazing aerial footage to homeowners, property managers, investors and many more. As our company grows, we will service a wider range of customers.

You do not need to be licensed to fly a drone for recreational purposes. However, by law you need a Part 107 license in order to fly a drone commercially. The license is also required to fly a drone to promote your business.

US airspace falls under the jurisdiction of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and they have the ultimate authority. While some pilots may be able to leave with a warning, other serious infractions may accrue fines in excess of $30,000 for each incidence per drone and in some instance imprisonment.

As per the FAA guidelines and regulations, commercial pilots are not allowed to fly a drone over 400 feet, beyond visual line of sight, directly over a group of people (sustained flight), and in close proximity to airports and other restricted airspace. During our consult with clients we will discuss any potential issues, how to mitigate them, and if the mission is able to be carried out at all.

Once you recognize the need for a drone service provider, you can contact us via phone, email, social media, or the contact form on our website. Next step is to discuss your project, preferences, goals, objectives, and particular requests that you may have. We then go over different package options, a list of additional services, and any suggestions we may have for your project. We give you a personalized price quote that is based on the services you require and the project location and duration. We then research the proposed airspace and apply for any special flight authorizations/waivers (we will let you know if this is required as it may impact scheduling) and plan the mission. Once everything is ready, we schedule the mission time and date (if you have any weather preferences, time constraints, or you would like to be present on the day of the mission, please let us know as soon as possible as it may affect scheduling).

There are several factors that will affect the timing from the moment you contact us until we are able to fly the mission. First of all, the turnaround time may be greatly affected, if we are required to request any waivers or flight authorizations to fly the mission. It can take anywhere from minutes to 30 days to get an approval or denial from the FAA to fly in restricted airspace. Secondly, your weather preference - if you prefer clear skies (up to 10% cloudy), this may lead to an extended timeline; for customers that are happy with blue skies/partially cloudy (up to 50% cloudy) or gray skies (up to 100% cloudy), we are generally able to fly a mission within 96 hours after being contacted. Lastly, whether or not you want to be present during the mission will affect scheduling as well. If you have a particular date and time in mind, please let us know and we will try our best to accommodate you. If the time is of the essence to you, please let us know and we will see what we can do to help you out.

Restricted or ‘special use’ airspace is the areas where drones are not permitted to fly without special permission, or where limitations must be imposed for various reasons. Areas next to airports, government buildings, prisons, stadiums, generally fall under such airspace. We do an extensive research on the proposed airspace before each mission. Being a licensed drone operator, we are able to apply for waivers and airspace authorizations to fly in such areas. We always let our clients know beforehand if such waiver/authorization is required, and whether we are able to fly the mission in the proposed airspace at all, whether there will be any delays with scheduling the mission (FAA approval/denial may take up to 30 days), and whether there will be any altitude restrictions imposed in the area.

Some sites/properties require a prior authorization from a site manager, Home Owners Association, etc, in order for a drone to be flown. Such restrictions are not Firefly Aerial’s responsibility, and are solely responsibility of the client. If a pilot arrives at the property/site on the scheduled flight date and is denied property entry or told not to fly a drone by the security/management, there will be a $50 fee added to the price for the pilot to come back on a different day. Hence, we ask our clients to ensure a flight permission (if required) is granted prior to the scheduled flight date and time.

We are able to fly drones unless there is heavy rain, high wind, or low visibility. If you have a specific weather preference for your mission, we will try our best to accommodate your request. If the project is time sensitive and we are unable to complete it due to weather, we will issue a refund. If the weather changes during the mission and we are unable to continue/complete the mission, we will wait for a weather change for up to 30 minutes. If no change occurs and we are still unable to fly a drone, we will have to reschedule for another day at no cost.

For most customers, including real estate, special events, recreation, and construction, our recommendation is the blue skies/partially cloudy option (up to 50% cloudy). This way the turnaround time is reduced and you still get great drone imagery/videos. For property inspections the level of cloud coverage is not of that importance. However, we do recommend gray skies (up to 100% cloudy) for thermal inspections. Although these are our recommendations, we always take into consideration your weather preferences as well as your time constraints

Your presence is generally not required with some exceptions. If that is the case you will be notified prior to the commencement of the project. You are more than welcome to join us on the day regardless, especially if you would like to be there to contribute to the process/give specific instructions. We always discuss with our clients their preferences, goals, and particular requests prior each project.

At Firefly Aerial we deliver high-resolution imagery. If clients do not require photo/video editing services, we will deliver raw files. For edited content, all photos are HDR, and videos are 4k resolution.

We have contacts with a professional editor to do all of the editing. If you have a specific request, please let us know and we will try to do our best to accommodate you. As a part of the editing package, we offer a complimentary revision and editing of the final photos/videos which must be submitted within 5 business days after receiving them.

We deliver the data and imagery/videos to our clients via Google Drive or jump drive. If you prefer a different method of delivery, please feel free to let us know and we will see what we can do.

In case you are unsatisfied with your mission results, please contact us no longer than 5 business days after receiving the files. If the data and/or imagery/videos do not pass our quality standards, we will re-fly the mission at the earliest availability. While we strive to provide the best outcome for our clients and accommodate all of their requests/preferences, there is a number of conditions that are out of our control and do not qualify for a re-fly, such as cloud coverage, shadows, sun glare, haze, location activity, and the FAA imposed restrictions (i.e. altitude, time of the day when a mission can be done, flight time duration).

Pricing is on a case by case basis as it comes down to the type of job, the drone/equipment required, software, processing, distance and time spent. During our consult, we discuss all details and give a full breakdown with no hidden fees.

Our pricing strategy varies according to the type of the project requested. For our real estate customers, we base our pricing on the size of the property. We offer universal starter packages (with or without on-ground photographry services) with extra services at an additional charge. For other industries requiring aerial photo and video services, we charge an hourly rate since those projects will require us to shoot an event, a recreational activity, etc., and therefore are based on the time spent at a location. We also charge an hourly rate for inspections since there are a lot of factors apart from the size of a location, that can impact the time it takes to complete a project.

If the contract requires Firefly Aerial to periodically service the client, certain discounts can be offered. We also offer a 10% job discount for certain projects. Depending on the type of project we can also offer package deals. Please contact us for more information.

At present we are accepting direct bank wire/transfers, checks, and cash. We anticipate introducing more payment methods soon.

Yes, we do require a 25% deposit to secure a booking.

Yes, we do require a full payment or payment confirmation no less than 48 hours prior to the scheduled flight date. We do also accommodate last minute projects (depending on our scheduling availability).