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Commercial drone pilots fly for film, real estate, mapping, agriculture, and inspection — a fast-growing, tech-driven Arizona career where an FAA certificate and a strong reel, not a degree, get you hired. Here's the roadmap, with the Arizona certification, airspace, and demand that matter.
Certification in Arizona
The credential is federal, not state — to fly commercially anywhere, including Arizona, you pass the FAA Part 107 knowledge exam for your Remote Pilot certificate. Arizona's clear skies and year-round flying weather are a real advantage for building hours.
How to start in Arizona
Study for Part 107, learn airspace (mind the busy Phoenix Sky Harbor and military airspace around Luke and Davis-Monthan), and build a portfolio of clean aerial photo, video, mapping, or inspection work that clients can actually use.
Where the Arizona jobs are
Arizona keeps drone pilots busy — a fast-growing real estate market (aerial listings), film and commercial production drawn to the desert scenery, construction and solar-farm mapping, agriculture, and inspection work for copper mines and utilities like APS, SRP, and TEP.
Ready to start? Browse live Arizona opportunities — internships, training programs, and scholarships across the state.
Your Part 107 and your reel are the credential — clean, well-flown work gets you hired
Drone work rewards safe flying and strong deliverables, not a diploma. Pass the FAA Part 107 exam, learn airspace and flight planning, and build real hours and a portfolio of aerial photo, video, mapping, or inspection work. A reel of clean, paid-quality projects is what lands work — freelance, at a drone services company, or in your own operation.
Keep going: see whether the trades are worth it, compare becoming an EV technician, and check if it will pay off.