90-day launch plan + Richmond/Chesterfield market intel
A concrete action calendar, the live megaprojects in your backyard, and a read on your local competition.
90-day plan: Part 107 cert to first paying client
Three phases. Each builds directly on the last. The goal at day 90 is not "ready to launch" — it's a signed first contract or retainer in hand.
Phase 1 — Days 1–30
Certify, equip, and set up shop
Goal: Part 107 in hand, LLC formed, demo-ready workflow built
Week 1
Schedule your Part 107 exam
Create your IACRA account at iacra.faa.gov to get your FAA Tracking Number. Find a PSI testing center near Richmond (multiple locations in Henrico and Chesterfield). Book 2 weeks out — gives you a hard deadline to study toward. Download the FAA Remote Pilot Study Guide and start the Drone U free practice test as a baseline diagnostic.
Milestone: Exam date on calendar
Weeks 1–2
Study — airspace and weather first
Pull up SkyVector and locate RIC (Richmond International) and HEF, FCI, and other regional airports. Identify their Class D rings. Practice reading the airspace around Chesterfield's active construction zones — Meadowville is near Class G, but the approach corridors matter. Decode 5 real METARs from RIC daily at aviationweather.gov. Run one full 60-question timed practice test every other day from day 8 onward.
Target: 85%+ on practice tests consistently
Week 2
Form your LLC + get insured
File a Virginia LLC with the State Corporation Commission (scc.virginia.gov) — $100 filing fee, online, takes a few days. Name it something professional that signals data/surveying, not "drone photography." Open a dedicated business checking account. Get a quote from SkyWatch.ai for commercial drone liability — expect $500–$900/yr for $1M coverage. Do not fly commercially without this in place.
Milestone: LLC confirmed, insurance bound
Week 2–3
Pass your Part 107 exam
Take the UAG test. Bring your government-issued ID. The test center provides the FAA Airman Knowledge Testing Supplement (charts). You have 120 minutes for 60 questions — don't rush. After passing, apply for your Remote Pilot Certificate through IACRA (form 8710-13). Temporary certificate typically issued within a few days; physical card in 4–6 weeks. You can fly commercially with the temporary certificate.
Milestone: Part 107 certificate in hand
Week 3
Set up your software stack
Start a DroneDeploy free trial (14 days). Run through their tutorial missions on your current hobby hardware to learn the flight planning app and cloud processing workflow end to end. Sign up for Pix4D's 15-day trial as well — process the same dataset in both and compare outputs. Register your drone(s) with the FAA at FAADroneZone. Enable Remote ID if your drone supports it; buy a Remote ID module if not (required for commercial ops).
Milestone: First orthomosaic processed
Week 4
Hardware decision + first practice flights
You don't need NDAA-compliant hardware on day one for purely private commercial work. If you have a capable hobby drone (DJI Mavic 3 series or similar), use it for your first demo flights. Your Part 107 certificate covers you. Plan your NDAA-compliant hardware purchase for month 2–3 once you've validated the business. Fly a practice mapping mission on a large open property (a field, a park, a friend's farm). Process the output in DroneDeploy. This is your portfolio starter.
Milestone: Demo-quality orthomosaic in portfolio
Phase 2 — Days 31–60
Build pipeline and run demo flights
Goal: 3 demo flights completed, 2 proposal conversations active
Week 5
Research and identify target accounts
Pull the active projects listed in the Market Opportunities tab — LEGO campus (GC: Gray|Hourigan), Google Bermuda Hundred site, Diamond District, Springline District 60, Courthouse Landing. Look up each project's GC on LinkedIn and find the Project Manager or VP of Operations. Also search "Chesterfield building permits 2025 2026" on the county's website to find smaller active projects. Build a list of 20 target contacts — GCs, civil engineers, and land surveyors in the region.
Deliverable: 20-contact outreach list with PM names
Week 5–6
Build a one-page capability brief
A single PDF: who you are, what you deliver (orthomosaics, progress monitoring, volume reports, 3D models), what platforms and software you use, your Part 107 certificate number, insurance carrier and limits, and a sample output (screenshot from your practice mission). This is not a proposal — it's a leave-behind that proves you're professional. Keep it visual. GCs respond to examples of deliverables, not descriptions of services.
Deliverable: Polished one-pager PDF
Week 6
First outreach round — warm, not cold
Start with connections: Does anyone in your hobby drone network know a GC or civil engineer? Does anyone in your professional network touch construction? A warm intro is worth 20 cold emails. For cold outreach, email the project manager directly (not the company's general inbox). Subject line: "Drone survey demo for [Project Name] — no cost, no commitment." Keep the email to 4 sentences: who you are, what you're offering, why it's relevant to their project, and a specific ask (15-minute call or site visit).
Goal: 3 responses from 20 outreach contacts
Week 7–8
Execute demo flights + deliver professional output
For each site that says yes: plan the mission, fly it, process overnight in DroneDeploy, QC the outputs, and deliver a shareable DroneDeploy link plus a one-page PDF summary (flight date, weather, GSD achieved, area covered, key measurements). Follow up 48 hours after delivery to walk them through the map on a screen share. The objective is not to be impressive — it's to show them exactly what they'd receive monthly for a set fee. The demo IS the sales call.
Goal: 3 demos delivered with professional reports
Week 7
Join the right local networks
Associated General Contractors Virginia chapter (agcva.org) — attend a meeting or event. This is where GCs and subcontractors network. Greater Richmond Association of Commercial Real Estate (GRACRE) — development community. Chesterfield Chamber of Commerce — construction and industrial firms. These aren't immediate deal sources; they're relationship incubators. Your goal is to have 3 meaningful conversations per event, collect cards, follow up within 48 hours.
Goal: Attend 2 industry events by day 60
Week 8
Order NDAA-compliant hardware
By now you've validated the workflow and have active conversations. Time to invest in compliant hardware. Start with Parrot ANAFI USA (~$3,500–$7,000) for a lower-cost Blue UAS-listed entry point for inspection and progress documentation. Add a Freefly Astro with RTK module to your roadmap for month 4–6 once revenue justifies it. In the meantime, your existing drone covers non-federal private commercial work. Research Advexure (advexure.com) and Frontier Precision for quotes — both specialize in NDAA-compliant platforms.
Milestone: Compliant hardware ordered or budgeted
Phase 3 — Days 61–90
Close first contracts and build recurring revenue
Goal: First paying engagement signed, retainer conversation active
Week 9–10
Convert demos to paid contracts
Follow up on every demo with a specific proposal — not "let me know if you need anything" but a written scope: deliverables, frequency, format, price, and terms. For a construction site PM, offer a 3-month trial package at a slight discount to reduce their perceived risk. Include a simple one-page service agreement (attorney-reviewed; LegalZoom or a local business attorney can draft this for $300–$500). Make the ask direct: "I'd like to start your first paid flight next Tuesday — can we move forward?"
Goal: At least 1 signed contract by day 90
Week 9
Pursue civil engineering firms directly
Richmond-area civil engineering firms include Timmons Group (they're the project engineer on the LEGO campus), Balzer & Associates, Kimley-Horn (Richmond office), and Dewberry. These firms use drone data for existing conditions surveys and as-built verification. Call their survey department or GIS team — not their main line. Offer to run a trial dataset through Pix4D and show them the output quality. Civil engineers move slower than GCs but generate steadier, higher-accuracy work.
Goal: 2 civil engineering firm meetings booked
Week 10–11
Start a Pix4D certification
Pix4D's official training and certification program (pix4d.com/training) is the credential that opens engineering firm doors. Online courses, some paid. The Pix4Dmapper certification specifically signals survey-grade competence. Take it in parallel with your first paying projects — the real-world dataset makes the training stick faster. Add the certification to your capability brief and LinkedIn immediately upon completion.
Milestone: Pix4D certification in progress
Week 11–13
Pitch a monthly retainer to your best demo client
Identify your most engaged demo client — the one who asked the most questions, forwarded the DroneDeploy link to their team, or mentioned a specific measurement they found useful. Propose a retainer: 2 flights per month, always the same deliverables, fixed monthly fee ($1,800–$3,000 depending on site size). Frame it as a "site intelligence subscription" — they get a consistent data record, you get predictable revenue. One signed retainer at month 3 changes the entire business trajectory.
Goal: Retainer proposal submitted by day 90
90-day milestones at a glance
Part 107 exam scheduled
Day 7
LLC filed + insurance bound
Day 14
Part 107 certificate in hand
Day 18–21
First orthomosaic processed from practice site
Day 25
20-contact outreach list built
Day 35
3 demo flights executed and delivered
Day 55
2 industry networking events attended
Day 60
First paid contract signed
Day 75–85
Retainer proposal submitted
Day 90
Active megaprojects in your backyard
Chesterfield County is in the middle of one of the most concentrated industrial development booms in Virginia's history. These are live, active construction sites right now — each one a potential anchor client.
The general contractor on the LEGO campus is Gray|Hourigan — a joint venture between Richmond-based Hourigan and Kentucky-based Gray. Timmons Group is project engineer. These are your two most important relationship targets in Chesterfield right now.
LEGO Manufacturing Virginia — Meadowville Technology Park
$1.5B · 340 acres
1.7 million sq ft, 13-building campus at 1400 Meadowville Road. Topped out October 2025, now in interior fit-out and MEP phase through 2027 opening. Construction workforce of hundreds on site daily. At 35% completion in Oct 2025, significant structural and sitework still ahead. A solar park construction is beginning this spring 2026. GC is Gray|Hourigan; project engineer is Timmons Group.
Your angle: Site progress documentation for Gray|Hourigan's owner reporting. Stockpile volume tracking for the ongoing sitework. Solar park ground prep surveys as that phase begins. The Meadowville Road bridge widening (VDOT, $25M) is a separate active infrastructure project adjacent to the site.
Google Data Center — Bermuda Hundred Road
$9B VA investment · 300+ acres
At 2700 Bermuda Hundred Road, adjacent to Meadowville Technology Park. Mass grading underway as of late 2025; 18–24 month construction timeline means active earthwork through 2026–2027. Google is also eyeing 880 acres in Moseley and 350 acres near Westchester Commons for additional campuses — all in Chesterfield. Data center construction involves massive earthwork, utilities, and multiple building pads — ideal for volumetric and progress surveys.
Your angle: Mass grading volume tracking is exactly what Propeller and DroneDeploy do best. The GC for a Google data center will have established processes — your target is to get into the subcontractor data services chain. Find out who is doing the civil/grading work and approach them directly.
Springline at District 60 — Northeastern Chesterfield
$1B · 42 acres
Mixed-use development along the Route 60 corridor. First phase (James at Springline, 298 luxury apartments) already open. Now: $160M Hilton Richmond The Mondelle hotel and conference center (12 stories, 270 rooms, 30,000+ sq ft meeting space) broke ground December 2025. Developer is Shamin Hotels. Multiple additional phases of residential, retail, and commercial planned. Active vertical construction throughout 2026.
Your angle: The hotel project is a named building under active vertical construction — ideal for weekly progress documentation for the owner and development team. Mixed-use developments with multiple phases have sustained data needs across years, not months.
Diamond District — City of Richmond
Phase 1 active · 70 acres
70-acre sports and entertainment district anchored by CarMax Park (minor league baseball, opening April 2026). Developer is RVA Diamond Partners. Five-year buildout with residential, commercial, and office components. Phase 1 construction underway as of November 2025. Site closed to public until October 2026 — significant active construction throughout. Located near Downtown Richmond with complex urban airspace considerations.
Your angle: Urban construction documentation. The developer (RVA Diamond Partners) is the relationship target here — large mixed-use developers tend to run their own progress documentation or use a standard vendor; getting to them early in Phase 1 is the window. Airspace: check LAANC — proximity to RIC approach paths requires careful authorization.
Courthouse Landing — Route 288, Chesterfield
124 acres · ongoing
First tenants opened 2025; additional retail, office, and residential phases in development. Located off Route 288 — strong regional access, Chesterfield's fastest-growing commercial corridor. Multiple pad sites and building phases create sustained documentation needs over 2–4 years.
Your angle: Pad-site development moves fast — new buildings going vertical every few months. A monthly progress subscription covering the whole 124-acre site gives the developer a consistent record across all phases. This is a smaller conversation than LEGO but much more accessible to a new operator.
Midlothian Depot — Chesterfield
$100M · townhomes + retail
Townhome and retail project with Whole Foods as anchor tenant. Under construction 2025–2026. Residential-heavy projects have strong demand for sales center aerial photography in addition to construction documentation — dual revenue opportunity.
Your angle: Construction GC + developer marketing team are two separate clients in one project. The GC wants progress documentation; the developer's marketing team wants aerial photos and video for their sales center and website. Pitch both.
VDOT — I-95 Chesterfield Improvements + Meadowville Rd Bridge
$22M + $25M infrastructure
I-95 improvements estimated completion Fall 2026 ($22M). Meadowville Road bridge widening ($25M proposed) to support LEGO campus access. Infrastructure projects have formal procurement — but the GCs awarded these contracts need documentation and their civil engineers need survey data. Longer cycle to get into, but publicly available procurement info via VDOT's website.
Your angle: Target the civil engineering firm on each project (find via VDOT procurement records) rather than VDOT directly. Engineers are the ones who specify and procure survey data. Corridor mapping for road widening is a natural drone use case.
Local competitive landscape
The good news: the Richmond/Chesterfield drone surveying market is thin. There are service providers, but no dominant local player that owns the construction documentation niche. That gap is yours to fill.
The most direct competition you'll face in construction surveying isn't other drone pilots — it's traditional survey crews and the GC's own in-house documentation process (photos from a phone, someone walking the site). Your job is to displace that inertia, not outcompete sophisticated drone operators.
Known local and regional operators
Skye Link Drone Services — Richmond, VA
Richmond-based, Part 107 certified, offering aerial inspections, LiDAR mapping, thermal inspections, and construction drone services. Appears to target utilities, renewable energy, and engineering/surveying firms. Has a professional web presence and claims LiDAR capability.
Gap you can exploit: They appear to serve multiple industries without a deep construction focus. A specialized positioning — "the construction site intelligence company for Richmond/Chesterfield GCs" — differentiates you instantly. Also: DroneDeploy/Procore integration and monthly retainer model aren't prominently featured in their positioning.
PhotoFlight Aerial Media — Virginia (statewide)
Experienced multi-industry operator: government, film, engineering, mapping, inspections, live video. Broad service offering across Virginia. Not specifically Richmond-construction-focused.
Gap you can exploit: Generalist positioning. They do everything for everyone. You do construction and industrial in Richmond/Chesterfield extremely well. Specialization beats generalism at the sales level — "we specialize in construction site documentation for Richmond GCs" wins the meeting.
Drone Brothers — National with Virginia presence
National gig-economy drone network that deploys local pilots for client projects. Has done Virginia construction work. Uses a network model — pilots are contracted, not employees. Offers stockpile measurement and construction documentation.
Gap you can exploit: Local relationship and responsiveness. A national network can't offer "I'll be on your site tomorrow morning and personally walk you through the data." You can. GCs strongly prefer a local operator they know. Also worth noting: Drone Brothers is a potential partner — they sometimes need local pilots for their network.
Lincoln Surveying — Virginia (aerial mapping division)
Established land surveying firm with an aerial mapping arm using LiDAR-capable drones. Serves the surveying and civil engineering market across Virginia. Has the surveyor license that enables legally stamped survey deliverables.
Gap you can exploit: They're a survey firm doing drone work, not a drone firm building construction relationships. Their clients are engineers, not GCs. Partnership angle: Approach Lincoln Surveying as a subcontractor for their drone flight work — they need qualified pilots. This could be early revenue while you build your own client base.
National platforms (Volatus/ConnexiCore, FlyGuys)
National drone-as-a-service platforms that match clients with local pilots. They're in Virginia but not specifically Richmond-focused. Compete on scale and brand, not local relationships.
Opportunity: Sign up as a pilot on both platforms. FlyGuys and Volatus pay local pilots for specific project work — this generates income while you build your own pipeline. Then, when you land direct clients, you're not dependent on platform margins.
Your positioning in this market
Based on the competitive landscape, your clearest positioning is:
"Richmond/Chesterfield's construction intelligence specialist — monthly orthomosaics, volume reports, and progress documentation delivered to your DroneDeploy or Procore dashboard, using NDAA-compliant hardware."
That combination — local, construction-specialized, compliant hardware, modern software stack with Procore integration — is not currently owned by any visible Richmond-area operator. It's a defensible position that gets harder to displace the longer you hold it and the more site-specific data history you accumulate for each retainer client.
"Richmond/Chesterfield's construction intelligence specialist — monthly orthomosaics, volume reports, and progress documentation delivered to your DroneDeploy or Procore dashboard, using NDAA-compliant hardware."
That combination — local, construction-specialized, compliant hardware, modern software stack with Procore integration — is not currently owned by any visible Richmond-area operator. It's a defensible position that gets harder to displace the longer you hold it and the more site-specific data history you accumulate for each retainer client.
Ongoing market intelligence process
The megaprojects above are today's list. You need a repeatable system to catch new projects early — before competitors do — and track the construction cycle on existing ones.
Free intelligence sources to monitor monthly
County planning dept publishes all active rezoning and site plan applications. New major projects appear here 6–12 months before groundbreaking — your early-warning system. Bookmark and check monthly.
The definitive source for Richmond commercial real estate news. Free articles cover every major project announcement, GC awards, and development updates. Set up a Google Alert for "Richmond construction" and "Chesterfield development" pointing here.
Daily local news digest. Construction and development section tracks active cranes and projects. Good for quick pulse checks.
Issued permits are public record. A new commercial building permit is a signal that a GC is about to mobilize — usually 2–4 weeks before site work begins. Check the county permit database weekly once you're operational.
Same for City of Richmond projects. The Diamond District and City Center work appears here.
All active VDOT infrastructure projects in the Richmond district. The GC on each project is public once awarded — find their project manager and add to your outreach list.
Economic development announcements for the region. When a new facility is announced, construction starts 6–24 months later — this gives you time to get into position before the GC mobilizes.
Associated General Contractors Virginia chapter. Events, member directory, and project bid listings. Attend quarterly events to build relationships with the GCs who will be your best clients.
Paid intelligence tools (worth it once you're billing)
Dodge Data & Analytics
Industry standard for construction project leads. Shows projects at planning, bidding, and under-construction stages with GC names, contract values, and timelines. ~$150–$500/month. The professional version of what you can do manually with free sources. Worth it at month 6+ once you're closing regular business.
ConstructConnect
Similar to Dodge. Often bundled with bid management tools. Some pilots use this to identify projects in the bidding phase and approach the winning GC the day the award is announced.
Your monthly intel routine (30 minutes)
Week 1 of each month: Check Chesterfield and Richmond building permits for new commercial issuances. Add any new GC names to your outreach list.
Week 2: Read the latest Richmond BizSense construction roundup. Note any new project announcements, GC awards, or groundbreakings.
Week 3: Check VDOT Richmond District for new contract awards. Check Greater Richmond Partnership for economic development announcements.
Week 4: Review your active client list — which sites are approaching milestones (structure topping out, envelope closing, interior fit-out)? Milestone events are natural moments to upsell additional documentation deliverables. Also: follow up on any dormant outreach contacts from the previous month.
Week 2: Read the latest Richmond BizSense construction roundup. Note any new project announcements, GC awards, or groundbreakings.
Week 3: Check VDOT Richmond District for new contract awards. Check Greater Richmond Partnership for economic development announcements.
Week 4: Review your active client list — which sites are approaching milestones (structure topping out, envelope closing, interior fit-out)? Milestone events are natural moments to upsell additional documentation deliverables. Also: follow up on any dormant outreach contacts from the previous month.
Google Alerts to set up today
Set these up at google.com/alerts — free, delivered to your email:
"Chesterfield County construction" "Richmond Virginia groundbreaking" "Meadowville Technology Park" "Gray Hourigan Richmond" "Chesterfield development project" "Timmons Group Richmond" "Hourigan Construction" "Diamond District Richmond" "LEGO Chesterfield" "Google Bermuda Hundred"
"Chesterfield County construction" "Richmond Virginia groundbreaking" "Meadowville Technology Park" "Gray Hourigan Richmond" "Chesterfield development project" "Timmons Group Richmond" "Hourigan Construction" "Diamond District Richmond" "LEGO Chesterfield" "Google Bermuda Hundred"