Which model fits your utility
Drone inspection services get poles flown without building a team. An in-house program puts pilots, data, and timing under your control. Here is how the two compare for utilities on cost, speed, and control.
For recurring inspection programs, an in-house drone program usually wins on cost, speed, and control. Drone inspection services make the most sense for one-time projects, specialized flights, or utilities without staff to train yet.
Utilities flying in-house with Utileyes cut inspection costs by 50% or more compared to outsourcing and move from photo to dispatch in as little as 15 minutes, instead of waiting weeks for outside providers to deliver results.
Lower inspection costs compared to outsourcing
From image capture to actionable report
For most users to become proficient
Less manual processing time
Public utilities and co-ops weigh the same six factors when deciding whether to keep paying a provider or fly their own inspections.
Inspection is a recurring cost. The model you choose sets what you pay every cycle.
Per-pole or per-mile fees apply each time the system is inspected, and costs repeat year after year.
Utileyes customers flying in-house cut inspection costs by 50% or more compared to outsourcing.
Findings only reduce outage and fire risk once a crew is dispatched.
Images are processed and written up by the provider before results reach your team.
Pilots can upload as they fly, and your inspectors review and tag in real time. Real-time uploads
Red flag warnings and storm damage do not wait for an open slot on a provider calendar.
Flights are booked around the provider schedule and crew availability across other clients.
Your pilots are already on staff, so post-storm and red flag flights can go out the same day.
Inspection history becomes more valuable every cycle, as long as you can use it.
Results arrive in the provider format, which may need rework before it fits your systems.
Images and findings live in your platform and export as clean CSV into your GIS or work order system at any stage. Export and integration
Consistent severity ratings decide which repairs happen first.
Defects are scored against the provider categories, which may not match your priorities.
Tag by outage potential, safety hazard, or fire mitigation, and edit inspection forms mid-inspection with no coding. Severity tagging
Bringing inspections in-house takes some setup. This is where providers have the edge.
No pilots, drones, or certifications needed on your side to get a first inspection done.
Pilots need FAA Part 107 certification. Utileyes works with the drones you already own, and most users are proficient on the software in less than a day.
Utileyes figures reflect published platform metrics. Results vary with inspection complexity, connectivity, and program size.
Many utilities start with a provider and bring inspections in-house once the program proves its value. Images already collected by a provider or another platform can be uploaded to Utileyes and organized by asset, so past inspection data carries forward. Organize existing data
Five steps take a utility from relying on a provider to flying its own inspections.
Choose one person, often a line superintendent or operations manager, to coordinate safety, IT, and field teams.
Commercial drone flights require an FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate. Many utilities cross-train linemen or field techs. FAA Part 107 for utility teams
Pick a single feeder, substation zone, or high-risk circuit so the team gets results quickly.
Match drones to your inspection needs and pair them with software that organizes photos automatically and exports to your existing systems.
Track poles inspected per week, time from flight to report, and vendor spend, then expand coverage with the results. How to start a utility drone inspection program
Drone utility inspection services are outside providers that fly a utility's poles, lines, and equipment, then deliver images and findings back to the utility. The provider supplies pilots and drones, and the utility pays per inspection cycle, usually by pole, mile, or project.
For recurring inspection programs, in-house is usually cheaper because the per-cycle provider fee goes away. Utilities flying in-house with Utileyes cut inspection costs by 50% or more compared to outsourcing. For a single small project, a provider can still cost less than standing up a team.
Yes. Anyone flying a drone for commercial purposes in the United States, including utility inspections, needs an FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate. Utilities often certify a few linemen or field techs to start.
Yes. Many utilities start with a provider and move in-house once the program proves its value. Images already collected by a provider or another platform can be uploaded to Utileyes and organized by asset, so past inspection data is not lost.
Ask how long it takes from flight to delivered findings, what format the data arrives in and who owns it, whether defects can be scored against your own severity standards, how re-flights are handled, and what each inspection cycle costs over several years.
