Pilot agreement

Who can join

DroneHire is a platform for professional, DGCA-licensed drone pilots in Hyderabad and surrounding districts. To be eligible, you must:

• Hold a valid DGCA Remote Pilot Certificate (RPC) at the time of registration and maintain it throughout your engagement with DroneHire.
• Own or have regular access to a drone that meets DGCA's categorisation and airworthiness requirements for the shoots you intend to accept.
• Have a reliable, working WhatsApp number on which you are reachable during business hours.
• Be based in or able to operate regularly in Hyderabad or surrounding areas (Rangareddy, Medchal, Sangareddy districts).

Independent contractor status

You are engaged as an independent contractor, not an employee of DroneHire. This means:

• You are free to accept or decline any shoot offer sent to you.
• You set your own working hours and are responsible for your own equipment, insurance, and expenses.
• DroneHire does not deduct or withhold taxes on your behalf. You are responsible for your own tax compliance under Indian law.
• You do not receive employee benefits, PF, ESI, or any other employment entitlements from DroneHire.

How shoots are assigned

• When a client books a shoot, DroneHire will send you a shoot brief via WhatsApp — including type, location, date, and estimated fee.
• You must accept or decline within 2 hours of receiving the offer. No response within 2 hours will be treated as a decline.
• Once you accept, you are committed to completing the shoot on the agreed date and time.
• DroneHire will introduce you to the client via WhatsApp for shoot-day coordination.

Your responsibilities on the shoot

• Arrive at the shoot location on time and ready to fly.
• Conduct a pre-flight check and ensure your equipment is in airworthy condition.
• Comply with all DGCA regulations, ATC requirements, and local bylaws applicable to the shoot location.
• Before flying, confirm with DroneHire or the client that any required property permissions, location approvals, and airspace clearances are in place. If permissions are unclear or missing, do not fly and notify DroneHire immediately — this protects you from liability for an unauthorised flight.
• Do not fly in restricted zones, during prohibited hours, or in unsafe weather conditions.
• Capture footage to the agreed brief and specifications (resolution, type of shots, duration).
• Deliver raw and/or edited footage to DroneHire within 24 hours of the shoot (edited within 48 hours unless otherwise agreed).
• Treat clients professionally and courteously at all times.

Payment to pilots

• DroneHire pays pilots within 48 hours of confirmed footage delivery.
• Payment is made via UPI or bank transfer to the account details you register with us.
• The fee for each shoot will be agreed before you accept the booking. DroneHire's service fee is deducted before payment is made to you.
• No payment is due for shoots that are cancelled before commencement, except where a cancellation fee is expressly agreed in writing.

Pilot conduct and quality standards

DroneHire maintains a quality standard to ensure clients receive professional output. Pilots are expected to:

• Deliver footage at a minimum of 4K resolution (where equipment permits) or as specified in the booking brief.
• Apply basic colour grading and stabilisation for video deliverables unless raw footage is requested.
• Respond promptly to client queries shared via DroneHire during the booking process.
• Notify DroneHire immediately if you are unable to complete a booked shoot due to equipment failure, weather, or emergency.

Repeated low-quality deliverables, no-shows, or unprofessional conduct may result in removal from the DroneHire network.

Insurance and liability

Each pilot is responsible for obtaining and maintaining appropriate third-party liability insurance for commercial drone operations. DroneHire strongly recommends this coverage and may require proof at any time.

DroneHire is not liable for any loss, damage, injury, or legal claims arising from a pilot's drone operations. By accepting a shoot, you accept full operational responsibility and liability for the flight.

Intellectual property

Footage captured during a DroneHire booking is delivered to the client and DroneHire. You retain no right to distribute, sell, or license footage captured under a DroneHire booking to third parties without explicit written consent from the client. You may include samples in a personal portfolio unless the client has requested confidentiality.

Termination

Either party may end this arrangement at any time by providing written notice via WhatsApp or email. DroneHire may immediately suspend a pilot from the network if they breach DGCA regulations, commit fraud, behave inappropriately with clients, or fail to meet quality standards on repeated occasions.

Amendments

DroneHire may update this agreement from time to time. We will notify registered pilots via WhatsApp of any material changes. Continued acceptance of shoot offers after notification constitutes acceptance of the updated terms.