Should You Fly Your Own Drone or Hire a Professional?

A capable drone can be bought for a few thousand dollars. So it is tempting to buy one, hand it to someone on the team, and stop paying a drone company every time you need photos of a roof, a facade or a site.

In Singapore, though, the drone is the cheapest part of the job. The licence, the permits, the insurance and the time it takes to set all of that up cost far more, and they do not stop after the first year.

Here is what doing it yourself really involves, and when it makes sense.

Can our own staff fly a company drone?

Yes, but only with the same licence and permits a drone company needs. That applies to any business use, even a team photographing its own company event with no money changing hands. Our guide to flying a drone for business explains each requirement; this article looks at what it costs.

What does doing it yourself really cost?

Here is what a company would pay to fly its own inspection-grade drone legally:

Item	Cost	How often
Inspection-grade drone	Around $6,000–7,000, plus spare batteries and accessories	Once, plus repairs and replacement
Pilot training course	Around $1,600–3,000 per pilot, before subsidies	Once per pilot
Pilot licence theory test and application	$136.25 test, plus $500 licence	Once per pilot, with a proficiency check every 4 years
CAAS Operator Permit	$700 in the first year; $300 to renew; $500 for each extra drone type	Every year
Activity Permit	$120 per job, or $45 to repeat a job at the same site	Every job
Drone registration	$25 per drone	Once per drone
Flight management system	About $200	Every year
Public liability insurance	Varies; quoted by the insurer	Every year

That adds up to roughly $9,000–12,000 before the first legal flight, not counting insurance or staff time. Getting licensed and permitted also takes several months.

Compare that with hiring. A drone survey of a typical residential block costs $900–2,000, with the permits, insurance and pilot included. You would need to fly several jobs a year just to break even, before counting the hours your own staff spend on it.

Doing it yourself vs hiring, on one scale

Do it yourselfBefore the first legal flight

$9,000–12,000

Hire a professionalOne drone survey, all in

$900–2,000

Drone$6,000–7,000
Pilot training$1,600–3,000
Licence + theory test$500 + $136.25
Operator Permit$700
Registration, flight system, first Activity Permit$25 + $200 + $120
Upper end of each range

Do-it-yourself figures from the table above, before insurance, staff time and yearly renewals. The hired survey is for a typical residential block, with permits, insurance and pilot included.

What are the risks of getting it wrong?

Cost is only half of it. The bigger risk sits with the company whose name is on the flight.

Fines. Flying for business without the right permits can bring a fine of up to $50,000, two years in jail, or both. In 2023, CAAS took action in 309 cases, and seven companies were prosecuted in court.
Damage and injury. A drone that falls onto a car, a walkway or a person becomes the company’s problem, and an uninsured flight leaves that exposure wide open.
Privacy. Flying past homes and offices means capturing people who did not agree to be filmed. Professional operators plan flight paths and handle images to avoid this.
Difficult conditions. Gusty winds between tall blocks and interference from steel structures can affect a drone’s compass and GPS. Flying close to a building takes training and experience.

What is at stake

Maximum penalty

$50,000

fine, two years in jail, or both, for flying for business without the right permits

CAAS action, 2023

309 cases

in which CAAS took action

In court, 2023

7 companies

prosecuted

Figures from the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) for 2023.

Will the results be good enough?

A drone in untrained hands can still take a nice photo. But usable inspection or survey work needs more than that.

Inspection photos have to be taken at a steady distance, with enough overlap to cover every part of the facade, so defects can be located and measured. Survey and mapping work needs careful flight planning and processing to come out accurate and to scale.

For a Periodic Facade Inspection there are extra conditions. A Competent Person must lead the inspection and get BCA’s approval before a drone is used. Residents must be given at least three days’ notice, and faces, homes and number plates must be blurred in the images. Since October 2025, the facade inspector must also personally supervise whoever operates the equipment. A set of photos taken by a staff member on their own will not meet these rules, and the work may have to be done again.

Extra conditions for a PFI drone survey

Before
Competent Person leads
and gets BCA’s approval before a drone is used
3+ days before
Residents notified
at least three days’ notice
During the flight
Inspector supervises
the facade inspector personally supervises whoever operates the equipment (since October 2025)
After
Private details blurred
faces, homes and number plates blurred in the images

A set of photos taken by a staff member on their own will not meet these rules.

When does doing it in-house make sense?

In fairness, sometimes it does. If your company flies every week over its own sites, such as a builder recording construction progress, the yearly cost of licences and permits can be spread over many flights.

Even then, it is worth hiring a professional first. A few jobs will show you what you actually need, which drone suits the work, and how much time the paperwork takes, before you commit to building a team.

For a facade inspection once every seven years, an occasional roof check or a yearly marketing video, it rarely adds up.

In-house or hire? A quick check

Ask

Does your company fly every week, over its own sites?For example, a builder recording construction progress

Yes

In-house can make senseThe yearly cost of licences and permits is spread over many flights.

then

Hire a professional first anywayA few jobs show which drone suits the work and how much time the paperwork takes, before you build a team.

Hire a professionalA facade inspection once every seven years, an occasional roof check or a yearly marketing video rarely adds up in-house.

What should a professional take off your hands?

When you hire a drone operator, the quote should cover more than the flight:

They should handle	Why it matters
Permits and airspace checks	Every job needs its own Activity Permit, and some sites need extra approvals that take up to four weeks.
Insurance	Ask for the sum insured, and a certificate before work starts.
Safety on site	A safety officer, a risk assessment, and a plan for what happens if something goes wrong.
Notices and privacy	Notices to residents or occupants, and blurring of private details in the images.
Weather	Rescheduling at no extra cost if wind or rain stops the flight.
Usable results	Images, maps or footage delivered in a form your engineer, team or client can actually use.

The short version

Flying your own drone for business in Singapore means a licensed pilot, a company Operator Permit, a permit for every job, insurance and months of setup. Before the first legal flight, that comes to roughly $9,000–12,000, plus staff time and yearly renewals.

Unless your company flies every week, hiring a professional costs less, takes the risk off your hands, and gives you results you can use the first time.