If your business needs a drone in Sydney, you’ve got two options. You can rent the equipment and fly it yourself. Or you can hire a pilot who turns up with everything and handles the entire job.
Either way, you need a provider that runs professional gear, understands CASA compliance, and delivers what they promise without messing you around.
That’s what we do.
We’re Enord UAV Solutions, based in Melrose Park in Sydney’s northwest. We provide commercial drone services across Sydney for businesses of all sizes. Equipment rental, piloted aerial photography, building and roof inspections, construction monitoring, thermal imaging, and everything in between.
This page covers the full scope of what’s available, who uses it, and how to work out which option is right for your situation.
Two Ways to Hire a Drone for Business in Sydney
Before anything else, it helps to understand the two main models for commercial drone hire. They serve different needs and different types of clients.
Dry Hire, Rent the Equipment
Dry hire means you rent the drone and fly it yourself. You get the aircraft, the controller, batteries, and accessories. No pilot included.
This works for businesses that already have licensed drone operators on staff. Construction companies with trained site supervisors, surveying firms with CASA-accredited pilots, or media teams with their own flight crew. You get the specific platform you need for the job without the capital outlay of buying it.
Dry hire requires you to hold the right CASA credentials for the work you’re doing. For drones over 2kg used commercially, that means a Remote Pilot Licence (RePL) and operating under a Remote Operator’s Certificate (ReOC).
Our dry drone hire service covers this in full detail, including our fleet, rental terms, and what you need to have in place before you pick up the gear.
Wet Hire, Hire a Pilot With Equipment
Wet hire means you get a pilot and all the equipment as a full-service package. You brief us on what you need, we plan the flight, handle the CASA compliance, fly the job, and deliver the files.
This is the option for businesses that don’t have a licensed pilot, don’t own a drone, or simply don’t want to deal with the flying and regulatory side. You focus on your business. We focus on getting the aerial data or content you need.
Most of our commercial clients use wet hire. Real estate agents, property developers, project managers, strata committees, event organisers, and business owners who need aerial content or inspection data delivered ready to use.
Our drone pilot hire service covers the full process, and our drone inspection and drone photography pages go deeper into those specific services.
Which One Do You Need?
If you have a licensed pilot on your team and just need the gear, go with dry hire.
If you want the job done for you from start to finish, go with wet hire.
If you’re not sure, get in touch. Tell us what you’re trying to achieve and we’ll recommend the simplest path to getting it done.
Industries and Businesses That Use Commercial Drones in Sydney
Drones have become a practical tool across a lot of industries. But in Sydney specifically, most of the commercial drone work we do falls into a handful of categories.
Real estate and property marketing. Aerial photos and video make property listings stand out. Agents use drone content to show the property, the streetscape, the proximity to schools, parks, transport, and amenities. Developers use it for off-the-plan marketing and precinct overviews. This is consistently our most common commercial job.
Construction and development. Project managers use drones for weekly or fortnightly progress captures. The aerial record shows how the build is tracking against plans, supports stakeholder reporting, and provides documentation for compliance and dispute resolution. Sites across Parramatta, the Hills District, and western Sydney are where we do most of this work.
Property management and strata. Strata managers and facility managers use drone inspections to assess roof condition, identify maintenance issues, and document the state of common areas across apartment buildings and commercial properties. It’s faster, safer, and cheaper than sending someone up a ladder or hiring an EWP.
Insurance and claims assessment. Insurers and loss adjusters use drone imagery to assess storm damage, fire damage, water damage, and general wear on properties. The time-stamped, high-resolution data supports faster claims processing without putting anyone on a damaged roof.
Engineering and building consulting. Engineers use drone inspections for condition assessment reports, dilapidation reports, and defect investigations. Thermal imaging from drones identifies moisture ingress, insulation failures, and structural issues that aren’t visible to the naked eye.
Events and corporate marketing. Event organisers use drone footage for highlight reels, behind-the-scenes content, and promotional material. Businesses use aerial video for website content, social media, brand campaigns, and internal communications.
Solar and energy. Solar panel owners and installers use thermal drone surveys to identify hot spots, underperforming cells, and connection issues across rooftop and ground-mounted arrays.
If your industry isn’t on this list, that doesn’t mean we can’t help. If it involves getting a drone in the air for a business purpose in Sydney, it’s probably something we’ve done before or can figure out quickly.
Commercial Drone Services We Offer
Here’s a summary of what we do. Each service has its own page with full detail.
Drone Equipment Rental (Dry Hire)
Rent professional DJI drones for your own commercial use. Our fleet includes the Mavic 3 Pro, Mavic 3T (thermal), Mavic 3 Enterprise, and Matrice 4E. Flexible rental periods from daily to weekly. Full kit included with every rental: drone, controller, multiple batteries, charger, carry case, and spare propellers. Delivery and pickup available across Sydney.
You need valid CASA credentials to fly commercially. We verify your qualifications before the rental.
Full details on our dry drone hire page →
Aerial Photography and Video
Professional aerial photography and up to 5.1K video for real estate, property marketing, development sites, business promotion, and events. We plan the flight around the best angles and light, and if desired, we can organise something to deliver edited, colour-corrected files ready to use.
Full details on our drone photography page →
Drone Inspections
Aerial inspections for roofs, building facades, solar panels, and infrastructure. We use high-resolution cameras and thermal imaging (DJI Mavic 3T) to capture detailed visual and thermal data. Deliverables include photos, video, thermal imagery, and optional formal PDF reports with annotations and findings.
Full details on our drone inspections page →
Construction Site Monitoring
Scheduled weekly or fortnightly aerial captures over active construction sites. Consistent angles and overview shots that create a visual timeline of the build for progress reporting, compliance documentation, and stakeholder communication.
This is part of our piloted services. Learn more about hiring a drone pilot →
Thermal Imaging
Thermal inspections using the DJI Mavic 3T with radiometric thermal data. Used for identifying heat loss in buildings, detecting moisture ingress in roofs and walls, assessing solar panel performance, and locating electrical faults. Measurable temperature data embedded in each image for use in engineering and assessment reports.
Our Commercial Fleet
We run a fleet of current-model DJI drones selected for commercial work. The right drone gets matched to the right job.
The DJI Mavic 3 Pro handles most of our photography and video work. It shoots 5.1K video with up to 46 minutes of flight time and O3+ transmission. This is the drone that produces the real estate aerials, the promotional videos, and the development site overviews.
The DJI Mavic 3T is our thermal and inspection platform. It carries both a 4K HDR camera and an integrated thermal camera, which means we capture visual and thermal data in one flight. Around 34 minutes of flight time per battery. This is the drone behind our roof inspections, solar panel surveys, and building assessments.
The DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise is a commercial-grade platform designed for mapping, large-area coverage, and repeatable flight plans. Up to 45 minutes of flight time with O3 transmission. We use this for construction monitoring, larger commercial properties, and jobs that need systematic data capture.
The DJI Matrice 4E is the most capable platform in the fleet. Up to 49 minutes of flight time with O4 transmission. It handles enterprise-level inspection and monitoring work where extended airtime, reliability, and data quality are non-negotiable.
Every drone is maintained between jobs, firmware-updated, and flight-tested before it goes to site. All equipment is fully insured.
CASA Compliance for Commercial Drone Work
If a drone is being used for business in Australia, CASA rules apply. This is non-negotiable, and the penalties for getting it wrong are significant. Fines start at over $1,600 per offence and can reach $16,500 if the matter goes to court.
Here’s what businesses need to know.
If you’re renting a drone (dry hire): You need the right credentials yourself. For drones under 2kg, that means an RPA operator accreditation, drone registration, and notifying CASA. For drones over 2kg, you need a Remote Pilot Licence (RePL) and must operate under a Remote Operator’s Certificate (ReOC). Most of the drones in our fleet are over 2kg, so commercial dry hire clients need the full credentials.
If you’re hiring us to fly (wet hire): We handle all of it. CASA compliance, airspace assessment, flight authorisation if required, risk assessment, and documentation. You don’t need to hold any licences or deal with any of the regulatory side. That’s included in the service.
Airspace in Sydney is complicated. A large portion of the metro area falls within controlled airspace around Sydney Airport. Additional restrictions exist near military airfields, helicopter routes, hospitals with helipads, and major event zones. We check the airspace for every job and manage any CASA authorisations required. If a location needs special approval, we factor in the lead time and keep you informed.
We don’t cut corners on compliance. It protects our clients, it protects us, and it means the data and footage you receive was captured legally and can be used with confidence.
Why Sydney Businesses Choose Enord
There are plenty of drone operators in Sydney. Here’s why commercial clients keep coming back to us.
We’re local. Based in Melrose Park, we’re right in the middle of Sydney’s northwest corridor. That means fast response times for jobs across Parramatta, the Hills District, North Shore, Ryde, and western Sydney. No long travel charges. No logistics headaches.
We’re straightforward. You get a clear quote, defined deliverables, and honest advice. If a job can’t be done at your location because of airspace, we tell you upfront rather than wasting your time. If dry hire makes more sense than wet hire for your situation, we’ll say so.
We’re properly set up. CASA-compliant. Fully insured. Professional DJI equipment maintained between every job. Spare batteries, propellers, and controllers at every shoot. We don’t show up with a consumer drone and hope for the best.
We’re flexible. Need a single shoot for a listing? Done. Need weekly construction captures for six months? We’ll set up a schedule. Need both dry hire and piloted services depending on the project? We can do that too.
We actually answer the phone. It sounds basic, but it matters. When you call or email, you get a response. When you’re on site and need to adjust the brief, we adapt. When you need files delivered fast, we make it happen. That level of communication is something a lot of commercial clients have been burned on before.
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as “commercial” drone use? CASA defines commercial use as anything done for hire or reward. If a drone is being used for work, for a client, or for anything where money changes hands, it’s commercial. That includes real estate photography, construction monitoring, inspections, event coverage, and business marketing content.
How much does commercial drone hire cost in Sydney? It depends on the service. Dry hire rates vary by drone model and rental period. Piloted services are priced based on the type of work, the location, and the job duration. Get a free quote with the specifics of your project and we’ll give you a clear number.
Do I need any licences to hire a drone for my business? If you’re hiring us to fly (wet hire), no. We handle all the CASA compliance. If you’re renting the equipment to fly yourself (dry hire), you’ll need the appropriate CASA credentials depending on the drone weight and how you’re using it.
Can you operate in controlled airspace near Sydney Airport? Yes. We’re licensed to operate in controlled airspace zones. Flights in these areas require a CASA flight authorisation, which we manage. Let us know your location early so we can factor in the lead time.
What industries do you work with most? Real estate and property marketing, construction and development, strata and property management, insurance, engineering, events, and corporate marketing are our most common commercial clients. But we work across any industry that needs aerial data or content.
Can I get a recurring service for ongoing projects? Yes. We run scheduled weekly and fortnightly drone captures for construction sites and commercial properties across Sydney. We can also set up regular packages for real estate agents who need consistent aerial content for listings.
What’s included when I hire you for a piloted job? The pilot, the drone, all equipment and accessories, CASA compliance and flight planning, risk assessment, airspace authorisation if required, and delivery of your final files. You don’t need to provide anything except the brief.
How quickly can you turnaround files after a job? Standard turnaround is a few business days. If you need files faster, let us know when you book and we’ll accommodate. For construction monitoring clients on a recurring schedule, we often deliver same-day or next-day.
What if I need both dry hire and piloted services? That’s fine. Some of our commercial clients rent equipment for certain jobs and hire us to fly for others, depending on the project. We’re set up to offer both, and we can advise on which option makes more sense for each situation.
Do you provide invoices and ABN details for business payments? Yes. We issue proper tax invoices and provide all the documentation your accounts team needs for business payments.
Ready to Get Started?
Whatever the job, we’ll get you the right drone, the right approach, and the right result.
Get a free quote by telling us what you need, where it is, and when you need it. We’ll come back with a clear plan and price.
Or call us on 0422 237 421 and we’ll talk it through.
Enord UAV Solutions 17 Cobham Ave, Melrose Park NSW 2114 0422 237 421 | info@enord.com.au