Drone Work That Moves the Needle For Your Business
We don't just fly drones. We help Chicago businesses sell properties faster, catch costly problems before they spread, win more bids, and prove what happened on-site.
Projects Completed
Years Experience
Industries Serviced
FAA Compliant
Recent Work
Real Chicago projects. Real properties our clients sold, leased, repaired, or built — captured from above.
Problems We Solve
Every service below exists for one reason — to deliver an outcome that pays for itself.
Construction Site Services
Keep projects on schedule, on budget, and out of court. Track progress weekly, measure stockpiles instantly, and back every change order with time-stamped evidence stakeholders can't argue with.
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Thermal Inspections
Find expensive problems before you pay for them. Trapped moisture, heat loss, failing solar panels, and overheating equipment — caught from the air, before the bill (or the lawsuit) lands on your desk.
Learn More →3D Modeling
Stop guessing at as-built dimensions. Bid jobs accurately, sell renovations, and resolve disputes with a measurable digital twin of any property — built from the air in hours, not weeks.
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Orthomosaic Maps
A geo-accurate, measurable map of your site delivered in days — not weeks of ground crews. Use it to bid, to bill, to defend a boundary claim, or to show stakeholders exactly what they're buying.
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Enterprise Drone Solutions
One drone partner for every site you manage. Predictable cadence, consistent data, one point of contact — built for property managers, utilities, and operations teams who can't afford an inconsistent vendor.
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Real Estate Drone Services
Sell and lease properties faster than the competition. We make buyers feel like they're already home before they ever schedule a tour — and give brokers the visual edge that closes deals.
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Aerial Photography & Videography
Marketing content built to drive views, leads, and bookings — not just to look good in a portfolio. Listings that get clicked, events that get reshared, brand work that earns its placement.
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Why Clients Hire Us
Most drone pilots sell flight time. We sell outcomes — listings that close faster, projects that stay on schedule, claims that get paid, and assets that don't fail in the middle of the night.
Chicago Drone Service is run by Dan Gierke, an FAA Part 107 certified Remote Pilot in Command who treats every flight like a deliverable for the client's bottom line. That means we ask the harder question up front: what is the outcome you're trying to drive? Then we build the mission, the imagery, and the data product around that — not around what's easy to capture.
We work with real estate brokers chasing faster days-on-market, GCs defending change orders, roofers documenting hail damage for insurance, property managers running portfolios across the city, and developers who need to see what they own from the only angle that tells the truth.
Fully insured. Fully FAA compliant. Based in Chicago, working anywhere a drone can legally fly. If a drone is the right tool for your problem, we'll tell you. If it's not, we'll tell you that too.
Our Portfolio
Explore our work across Chicago and beyond
St. Hedwig Church — Cinematic Aerial Tour
Twilight flyover of the historic Bucktown landmark, captured for a community fundraising campaign.
Chicago Skyline — Morning Reveal
Slow ascending reveal of the downtown skyline at sunrise — establishing footage delivered to a marketing client.
Roosevelt High School — Photogrammetry Model
Full-building 3D reconstruction generated from a structured drone mapping flight. Used for facility planning.
Residential Property — Textured 3D Reconstruction
Photo-textured model of a single-family home for a real-estate listing package — orbit-ready for buyer walkthroughs.
Commercial Building — 360° Model Orbit
Full-structure orbit of a textured commercial-property model, captured to support tenant marketing and leasing.
Site Survey — Walkthrough Model
Construction-site model used to verify scope and document conditions before a phased renovation kicked off.
Rooftop & Envelope Inspection Model
High-resolution 3D capture of a building roof and façade — supports condition reporting and insurance documentation.
Tell Us The Problem
Tell us what you're trying to accomplish. We'll tell you whether a drone solves it — and how fast.
Phone
(847) 881-4344
dan@chicagodroneservice.com
Location
Chicago, Illinois
Questions Clients Ask Before Hiring Us
The straight answers — no sales pitch.
Drone photography pricing varies based on the project scope, location, and deliverables needed. We offer competitive rates starting from basic aerial photo packages. Every project is unique, so we provide free custom quotes tailored to your specific needs — just fill out our contact form or give us a call.
Yes, all of our drone pilots are FAA Part 107 certified and fully insured. We maintain the highest safety standards and comply with all federal, state, and local regulations for commercial drone operations. Safety and professionalism are at the core of everything we do.
We serve the entire Chicago metropolitan area including all surrounding suburbs, Cook County, DuPage County, Lake County, Will County, and Kane County. We're also available for projects throughout Illinois and can travel for larger enterprise engagements.
Standard turnaround time is 24–48 hours for edited photos and 3–5 business days for fully edited video content. Rush delivery is available for time-sensitive projects like real estate listings. 3D models and orthomosaic maps may take 5–7 business days depending on complexity.
Flying in certain parts of downtown Chicago requires special FAA authorization due to controlled airspace near O'Hare and Midway airports. We handle all necessary airspace authorizations and waivers through the FAA LAANC system to legally and safely operate in restricted areas — you don't have to worry about any of the paperwork.
Thermal drone inspection uses infrared cameras mounted on drones to detect heat signatures invisible to the naked eye. This technology identifies energy loss, moisture intrusion, electrical hot spots, and insulation gaps in buildings, roofs, and equipment — all without any physical contact or scaffolding needed.
Safety comes first. If weather conditions are unsuitable for safe flight (high winds, rain, snow, or low visibility), we'll reschedule your flight at no additional cost. We monitor weather forecasts closely and will proactively communicate any schedule changes with you ahead of time.
For commercial drone operations, the pilot needs FAA Part 107 certification — which all our pilots carry. Property owners don't need special permission for us to fly over their own property, but we handle all the regulatory requirements including airspace authorization, flight notifications, and any local permits that may be needed.