SkyGator

05/05/2026

DJI Manifold 3 Vertical Capture: How to Do It Right (Full Walkthrough)
https://youtu.be/mEqzlpuwGzI

As awesome as the Manifold 3 is, DJI really dropped the ball on this one when it comes to instructions. They basic gave us a product, told us it can do a bunch of cool stuff and said go figure it out.

Recently I had a job that could really benefit from using the Manifold Smart 3d vertical capture but I was unable to find any sort of instructions on how to perform the task so I had to figure it out myself.

Learning hands on is always the best way but it would be still be nice to have some sort of reference before giving it a go so I decided to create one.

Here is a quick walkthrough for those wish to do a vertical Smart 3d capture using the DJI Manifold 3.

If you have any questions or suggestions (I’m not a content creator by trade) please don’t hesitate to comment below.

Nobody is showing how to actually do a Vertical 3D Smart Capture with the DJI Manifold 3 — so I made the video myself. If you've searched for this, you alrea...

05/01/2026

Issue 3 of The Commercial Drone Brief drops Tuesday morning — and it's a big one.

❄️ DJI's 2026 product pipeline is effectively frozen. 25 new products can't reach US shelves, including enterprise hardware. What that means for your fleet planning this year.

🇺🇸 The FCC opened a public comment period on building a domestic US drone industry. The window closes May 1 — here's why it matters.

🦅 WebODM split from OpenDroneMap and dropped its desktop installers to free. Best news of the week for operators running mapping and photogrammetry jobs.

The Commercial Drone Brief is a free weekly newsletter built exclusively for Part 107 commercial operators. No hobbyist content. No fluff.

Subscribe at the link below before Tuesday's issue goes out. 👇

https://commercialdroneguide.com/

04/18/2026

Never Run Out of Battery Again!

04/18/2026

The DJI Power 1000 is on sale again on Amazon. One of the best products I ever purchased. You can literally fly all day with this thing and just a few batteries.

DJI Power 1000 Portable Power Station – A robust, dynamic power station designed to fuel your outdoor adventures, road trips, and provide reliable backup power for home use. With a powerful 1024Wh battery and a maximum continuous output of 2200W, the DJI Power 1000 offers versatile, high-capacity....

04/17/2026

The Commercial Drone Brief Issue 2 drops tomorrow morning.

Inside:
— The FAA replaced the ICE NOTAM with FDC 6/2824. What changed, what it means for your flight planning, and why it matters for every commercial operator in the country
— Counter-drone lasers triggered airspace closures in Texas — and if you fly near the southern border, this is on your radar
— A free resource for tracking drone laws across all 50 states — built by Part 107 pilots, updated weekly

Free to subscribe. Link in the comments.

04/15/2026

Excited to share something I’ve been working on behind the scenes. A lot of you know I’ve been flying drones commercially with SkyGator for a while now. What you might not know is that I’ve been building a resource site specifically for commercial drone operators.
It’s called CommercialDroneGuide.com, and it covers everything from FAA Part 107 regulations and gear reviews to mapping workflows and how to actually build a business around drone services. I built the site I wish existed when I started — no hobbyist fluff, just real information for people flying drones for work.
If you’re a drone pilot, thinking about getting into the industry, or just curious about what commercial drone work actually looks like, check it out. If you know someone in the space, I’d really appreciate you sharing it.
🔗 commercialdroneguide.com

The professional's resource for commercial UAV intelligence.

04/07/2026

Built a free pre-flight/post-flight checklist for commercial drone operators 🚁
Runs on your phone. No app download. Customize it for your workflow. Export completed checklists as PDF for your records or clients.
Link in bio 👇

03/25/2026

This is what a complete drone mapping workflow looks like — from flight planning to final 3D orthomosaic. Full 40-minute walkthrough on my YouTube (link in comments).
Drone: DJI Matrice 4E | Planning: DJI FlightHub 2 | Processing: DJI Terra

03/25/2026

Complete drone mapping workflow from start to finish — no steps skipped. In this 40-minute walkthrough, I take you through route planning in , executing the mapping mission with the DJI , and processing the data in to produce a professional 3D .
This is the exact workflow I use on commercial jobs at SkyGator (skygator.com).
For more commercial drone guides: commercialdroneguide.com

In this video, I walk you through the complete workflow for creating a 3D orthomosaic map from start to finish — no steps skipped. This is the exact process ...

03/24/2026

Is DJI BANNED in the U.S.? Not Exactly…

03/24/2026

DJI isn’t fully banned in the US — here’s what actually happened.
The FCC added all new foreign-made drones to the Covered List in December 2025. But every DJI drone that already had FCC approval is still legal to buy, sell, and fly commercially under Part 107. Your Mavic, your Mini, your Matrice — all still legal.
What IS blocked: future DJI drones that haven’t received FCC authorization. DJI is currently suing the FCC over the ruling.
Full legal breakdown: commercialdroneguide.com/regulations/buying-drones-us-2026/