What price drone market reports?

I am somewhat humbled at the response today after my bath based rant of last night. Thank you all those that have emailed to say that you keep reading and are in agreement!

So there is a feeling that the best days are over out there as corporate greed comes to take away innovation!

Noise from nonsense is drowning out and starving more deserving projects of funding and media attention.

Joshua Ziering of Kittyhawk.io has his video hot takes on LinkedIn so maybe I can have an occasional view from the bathroom (need a better name). Let’s face it most of the world’s thinking is done there.

My thinking in tonight’s tub has centred around market predictions. I receive at least one press release a day for these expensive reports. Just looking at the summaries I can tell that they have either been paid for by one of the app providers or are just numbers plucked from the air.

Early adopters of Drone Stuff This Week (DSTW) our Tuesday 21:00 GMT Hangout (advert over) Might remember that we used to roll dice and make up numbers for our forecasts.

I get why forecasts and market intelligence are important, and the free reports generated by vendors are a help if you keep your cynics spectacles fixed.

Here is the but, some of the multi-thousand dollar reports as I have said, are nonsense. I still see 3DR mentioned as a leading American manufacturer. Agriculture is still going to pay for everybody’s retirement. Rather worryingly counter UAS and UTM’s are the rabbit from the hat trend.

I have never bought a report, I have read a handful of good ones that have been sent to me.

If I was in the market for reports I think I would be after some sort of money back deal. If it’s 50% wrong after 12 months, I will have 50% back, please.

These reports generate a false hope and help create a self-fulfilling prophecy.

People caught in the headlights of drone media, rushing to get into their future and blinded by BS buy into what these reports say and go and purchase new equipment. Next years report can claim sales continue to rise.

Never mentioned the annual dropout rate. Many experienced operators, by that I mean people that know how to and practice safe flight are falling by the wayside. They are just not making enough dosh.

The USA is moving towards a Part 107 mass that seldom has more than six months experience. Plan in the first winter, don’t do quite as well that next summer, run out of cash the following winter. There are exceptions to the rule, they generally had a compelling use case for which they are qualified before starting.

Stop buying reports, rather study a skill that you can leverage.

Unrealistic expectations are I believe the cost of market reports.