FAQs

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Are there any restrictions as to where you can fly drones?

Drones are regulated by the FAA. We subscribe to and use an automated FAA software to check for flight restrictions before every flight. FAA prohibits flights above 400 feet and they are also heavily restricted around large, major airports. Typically, you cannot fly a drone over large crowds of people. They also must be kept in line of sight at all times.

Can drones be flown all year round?

Yes. As long as it’s not raining or snowing, we can fly our drones.

How can drones be used in construction?

Planning, preconstruction, construction and close-out are the four primary phases for any particular construction project. Some break this out even further to include seven key stages: design, pre-construction, procurement, construction, commissioning, owner occupancy and project closeout. However you look at it, the objectives for each phase are unique.

Whether you’re building a small retail center or a massive industrial facility, each phase of the project presents opportunities to save time and money by identifying efficiencies and opportunities to keep moving the project forward. Many project managers and superintendents don’t realize just how powerful drones are in helping pinpoint these efficiencies and opportunities.

What are common ways construction companies use drones on the job site?
  • Site Selection: Rather than looking at outdated Google Maps, drone pilots are able to fly a prospective site without you having to leave the office while still getting a detailed, up-to-date view of the property your considering for your next job site.
  • Zoning Meetings: Rather than waiting for the zoning board to send someone out to visit your site, be proactive and bring the site to them.
  • Documentation & Legal Protection: By creating a map or doing a video flyover, we can document the conditions of the roads before your trucks and heavy equipment show up.
  • Progress Photos: These photos help document all phases of construction over time and keep your stakeholders, investors, owners, GC’s, subs, clients, banks, insurance companies and municipalities updated.
  • Progress Videos: Nothing pulls people into a project like video. Supplement your progress photos with videos that will get your clients excited about the progress being made.
  • Site Monitoring & Documentation (Orthomosaic Mapping): Think of these as Google Maps on steroids – up to the minute, high-resolution maps of your jobsite.
  • Site Plan Overlay: We can import your site plan as a separate layer in our drone maps or we can export our contour maps for use in your CAD system.
  • Stockpile Measurements: Want to know how many trucks you will need to haul away the piles of crushed concrete on your job site? Our stockpile measurement technology is a game changer.
  • Site Map Print Outs: While our jobsite maps are all available digitally, many prefer to roll out a map. Cover the walls in the job trailer with weekly maps we create so you can see your job progress come to life.
  • Panorama Tour: We capture a 360° panoramic image above your jobsite giving you the opportunity to see everything in one image.
  • Time-Lapse Mapping: We capture photos from the same locations each time we fly. This way, at the end of the project we can provide you a time lapse to both wow your current clients and impress future ones.
  • Software Integrations: Import your most up-to-date site plan to your drone map, to compare designs to reality. Export drone maps as 3D point clouds that integrate nicely with AutoCAD or any other CAD software.
  • Marketing: After you’ve captured all of that great content, elevate your company’s marketing using these stunning photos and videos.
How long have you been in business?

We started our company in 2013 and have flown thousands of missions since then.

What geographical area do you cover?

We service the entire United States.

What kind of drones do you fly?

Most of our pilots fly DJI drones and the Phantom 4 Pro is our go-to workhorse. We also love the Mavic series. Additionally, the Inspire is an outstanding model when a job requires 2 people.

Do you carry Insurance? If so, how much?

We carry a $2 million dollar liability policy. Many of our construction companies and General Contractors ask us to add them as additional insurance. This can be done with a simple phone call.

What industries do you service?

We offer our drone photography, videography and mapping services to the construction industry. We do offer drone services to other industries on a case by case basis.

How do I start the order process?

Call us, email us, text us, tweet us or go online and start that process. Whatever is easiest for you. Click here for our contact info or to request a quote.

When is my payment due?

Typically, we invoice and expect payment upon completion of our work. In some cases for larger, more complicated work, we may require a 50% down payment. We accept all major credit cards, checks or ACH payments.

 

How soon after an order is placed until I received my drone assets?

Weather is the biggest factor that keeps our pilots from flying. As long as the weather cooperates, we typically fly your project within 48 hours. Depending on what services you order, we try to deliver a finished product within 48 hours after flying.

 

 

What differentiates you from other drone companies?

There are thousands of people that own drones and want to be in this space, but here’s what makes Drone Bros different from the rest:

  1. We focus on being a reputable and efficient business first and a drone company a very close second. We are sticklers about customer service and are a bit “old fashioned” with how we do things. We answer our phones and make ourselves available to answer your questions. Drone Brothers is a full-time passion for us, not a side gig.
  2. We are nationwide. We have a network of pilots throughout the United States and the great thing about working with us is you have one number to call no matter where your job is or how many you have going simultaneously.
  3. We make sure our videos and photos deliver consistent branding for your company.
Who are your founders and how did the business get started?

Zachary and Merrick Wolfe come from a family of entrepreneurs. Zach was a Freshman at the University of Michigan and Merrick was a senior in high school and both were looking for a job to keep them busy during the summer months. Drone Brother was born. What started off as a part time, local business working with real estate agents has now become a full time, nationwide business serving construction, commercial real estate, residential real estate and corporate entities.