How to hire a drone pilot

Watch the video below for a full walkthrough, or follow the steps in this article at your own pace.

You've posted your job. Now pilots are responding. Here's exactly how to review those responses, vet your options, and hire the right person for your project.

Log in to your Droners.io account and go to the My Jobs section. You'll see a list of all the jobs you've posted. Click on the job you want to manage. This opens the job detail page, where you can review everyone who has responded.

Once you're inside your job, you'll see a Bids and Inquiries section. This is where all pilot activity for that job lives. Every pilot who has bid on your job or reached out about it will appear here.

Not every response looks the same, and it helps to know what you're looking at.

● A bid means the pilot has submitted a specific dollar amount for your job. You'll see a price listed next to their name, along with a Hire button.

● An inquiry means the pilot has made contact (either they messaged you, or you reached out to them), but they haven't submitted a price yet. There is no dollar amount listed, and no Hire button yet.

Think of it this way: a bid is a formal offer. An inquiry is an open conversation.

Before you hire anyone, take a few minutes to message them. Click Message next to a pilot's name to open the chat.

A good opening message might ask:

● Did you read the full job description?

● Can you complete everything listed?

● Can you get it done by [your preferred date]?

If you need to share extra details about the job, this is the place to do it. When you send a message, the pilot gets an email notification with your message included. When they reply, you get one too. You can even reply directly from your email and it will post into the chat automatically.

Talk with a few pilots before making your decision. It takes a few minutes and tells you a lot.

Click on a pilot's name to open their full profile. Here's what to look at:

● About section: A short description of who they are and what they specialize in.

● Portfolio: Photos and videos from their past work. This gives you a clear sense of their style and quality.

● Equipment: The drones they use, if that matters for your project.

● Badges: Verified credentials and certifications.

● Reviews: Ratings and written feedback from previous clients. Pay close attention here. A pilot with 12 five-star reviews across 56 flights is a strong signal. A pilot with one review and one star is worth noting, even if their portfolio looks good.

The portfolio and reviews are the most useful things to look at. Everything else supports those two.

When you're ready to hire, you have two options.

Option 1: Use the Hire button. Go back to the Bids and Inquiries section and click the Hire button next to the pilot you've chosen.

Option 2: Hire through messaging. If you've been chatting with a pilot and you're ready to move forward, you can also click Hire Pilot directly from within the conversation. Both options take you to the same place: a confirmation screen showing the pilot's bid amount and the total due.

On the hire confirmation screen, you'll see the total for the job. In most cases, nothing is due until the work is completed and you've had a chance to review the footage.

However, some pilots include a deposit in their bid. If that's the case, you'll see a separate line for the deposit amount on this screen, and that portion will be due at the time of hiring. Not every pilot requires one, but it's good to check before you confirm.

Click Hire Pilot to confirm. The pilot will receive an email notification letting them know they've been hired and that the job is ready to move forward.

Back in your My Jobs section, you'll see the status updated to Pilot Hired. From here, you can continue communicating with your pilot through the messaging tool as they prepare for and complete the job.

Once the work is done and you've reviewed the footage, you'll be guided through the next steps, including payment and leaving a review.

Have questions about this process? Leave a comment below or contact our support team directly.