Pricing

A local search is $650 plus mileage, and that covers almost every case we fly. You will hear the number for your own case on the phone, and it is written on the agreement before you are asked to pay anything — nothing reaches an invoice that was not discussed with you first.

What a search costs

Local search

$650plus mileage

Within about 150 miles of Austin — almost every case.

Up to 3 hours on site, flown in the hours the conditions actually favor
Thermal and spotlight-equipped aircraft, flown by the pilot who reads the imagery
A search plan built from where and when the animal was lost
What we found, and what we cleared, told to you straight the same night

Mileage is $1.55 per mile, charged round trip from Austin.

What every search costs

Every search is these two charges. Nothing is added to an invoice that was not discussed with you first.

Charge	Amount	When it applies
Local search	$650	Within about 150 miles of Austin. Up to 3 hours on site.
Mileage	$1.55 per mile	Round trip from Austin, on every search.

Surcharges, only in the cases they cover

Most searches carry none of these. Each applies only in the narrow situation described, and you are told before the search if one does.

Surcharge	Amount	Applies only when
Adverse weather surcharge	$125	Conditions require weather-rated aircraft — sustained wind over 20mph, gusts over 25mph, temperatures at or below 36°F, or fog and heavy mist. The charge covers the higher cost of flying our weather-rated aircraft, and the added risk of flying in those conditions.
Holiday surcharge	$175	The search falls on a US national holiday, or the two days before or after one.
Controlled airspace surcharge	$75	The search area is near an airport, inside its controlled airspace. Drones may not fly there without FAA authorization, which we obtain before the search. The charge covers the extra planning and coordination, and the risk of flying in airspace shared with other aircraft.

Cancelling

Nobody books a search days in advance — an animal is missing now — so these windows are short by design. They exist because a booked search is time we have turned other cases away for.

Measured from your scheduled arrival window

Notice given	Refundable
More than 5 hours	75%
2 to 5 hours	50%
Under 2 hours	Non-refundable

Once the search has begun — which includes traveling to you — the fee is non-refundable.
If we cancel — weather, airspace, safety, equipment — you choose between a full refund and a credit toward a rescheduled search. That is not at our discretion.

How booking and paying work

We talk it through on the phone first — what happened, where, the terrain, and what it would cost. You get the number for your case on that call, along with an honest read on whether a search would help at all.
If it makes sense, we send a service agreement to sign electronically, with the cost written on it. Nothing is committed until you sign.
Signing produces an invoice. It is paid before we deploy, so the search is fully arranged before anyone drives anywhere.
There is no charge for the call, for the assessment, or for being told a drone is the wrong tool for your situation.

Not sure what your case would cost?

Send us where the animal was lost and what happened, or call. You will get the number for your specific case, and a straight answer on whether flying it is worth your money.

Tell us what happened

Or call 512-808-0246