Low-altitude Economy: Unlocking New Avenues of Opportunity for the Public

In the current era, the low-altitude economy is like a rising star and is gradually becoming the new focus in the economic field. Dominated by civil manned and unmanned aerial vehicles, it encompasses multiple industrial fields such as low-altitude manufacturing, flight, support, and comprehensive services, opening up unprecedented opportunities for ordinary people.

I. Low-Altitude Economy: The New Trend of the Era
The low-altitude economy, as an emerging economic form, is leading the trend of the times. Its rise is not accidental but the result of the combined action of multiple factors. With the continuous progress of science and technology, the performance of aerial vehicles has been continuously improved and the cost has gradually decreased, making low-altitude flight activities more popular and feasible. Meanwhile, the growing demand for efficient and convenient transportation methods and unique tourism experiences has also provided a powerful driving force for the development of the low-altitude economy.

The scope of the low-altitude economy is very broad, covering military, government, commercial, and civil fields. In terms of products, there are not only aerial vehicles such as helicopters and drones but also operating equipment like infrared thermal imagers and high-definition cameras. The world's low-altitude economy started from agricultural services. After years of development, it has now become an important part of the national economy in many countries. In China, the low-altitude economy has also gradually received attention, been written into national plans, and relevant regulations have been issued to provide policy support for its development.

The low-altitude economy has unique characteristics. Its flight activities are mainly carried out in the low-altitude airspace and are divided into three categories: low-altitude transport flight, low-altitude operation flight, and low-altitude leisure and entertainment flight. The main output forms and activity fields are also different from other economic concepts.The development process of the low-altitude economy is full of opportunities and challenges. Internationally, developed countries in Europe and the United States have accelerated the introduction of rules and standards in the low-altitude field, promoting the rapid development of the low-altitude economy. In China, the state has also established research institutions on the low-altitude economy, written it into national plans, and proposed to accelerate the cultivation of low-altitude tourism formats and release the consumption potential of general aviation.
The low-altitude economy has broad development prospects and features a long industrial chain, high technological content, and concentrated innovative elements. It can not only improve production efficiency, the quality of life, and transportation convenience, reshape people's production and living modes, but also is expected to become a new economic growth engine. However, the low-altitude economy also has some risks, such as policies not being implemented as expected, different degrees of airspace opening in various provinces and cities, and product research and development not meeting expectations.
II. Ways for Ordinary People to Enter the Low-Altitude Economy
(1) Drone Economic Chain

1. Drone Pilots: With the development of the low-altitude economy, drone pilots have become a popular occupation. Currently, there is a talent shortage of up to 1 million people for drone operator positions in China. The work content of drone pilots is rich and diverse, including not only operating drones but also installing and debugging equipment, planning flight routes, calibrating flight parameters, and analyzing collected data. After obtaining a drone pilot license, one can find employment in fields such as express delivery, agricultural plant protection, and emergency rescue, with a considerable income.
2. Drone Maintenance and Modification: With the increase in the popularity of drones, equipment failures and maintenance have become a necessity. If you have a background in mechanical maintenance or electronics knowledge, you can enter this niche market with a relatively low threshold but high profits.
(2) Aerial Tourism

1. Cooperation with Local Operators: In areas rich in tourism resources, you can consider becoming a ground partner of a low-altitude sightseeing operator, responsible for project promotion, tourist liaison, etc., and sharing stable profits.
2. Innovative Product Planning: You can try to plan supporting services related to low-altitude tourism, such as designing comprehensive "air + ground" tourism routes to provide tourists with a more complete experience and earn service fees.
(3) Aerial Logistics

1. Contracting Rural Logistics Stations: Drone low-altitude delivery has already started pilot projects in some areas, especially suitable for rural areas, mountainous areas, and other areas with inconvenient transportation. Contracting logistics stations and becoming regional agents for drone logistics can earn transfer fees.
2. Last-Mile Delivery Service: Participating in the "last-mile" delivery work is a path with a considerable income and simple operation.
(4) Education and Training

1. Becoming a Low-Altitude Economy Lecturer: If you have research in fields such as drone operation, low-altitude economy policies, and industry trends, you can open online or offline courses to share your experience and earn income at the same time.
2. Opening Training Classes: The training market for drone pilot license examinations is becoming a red ocean. Opening targeted training classes can attract a large number of people who intend to enter the industry.
(5) Creative Product Development

1. Aerial Photography Services: If you are good at photography, you can invest in a drone and provide aerial photography services for weddings, event records, short video materials, etc.
2. Developing Drone Accessories: With the popularity of drones, there is a huge market demand for batteries, storage devices, protective equipment, etc. Investing in research and development or acting as an agent for these products can help you seize the market during the explosive growth.
III. Risks and Challenges
As an emerging economic form, the low-altitude economy brings many opportunities while also facing a series of risks and challenges.
(1) Technical Threshold

1. Aircraft R & D Difficulties: The development of the low-altitude economy relies on the technical support of various low-altitude aircraft. However, at present, problems such as compatibility and coordination among different technical systems are becoming increasingly apparent. New low-altitude aerial vehicles pose a huge challenge to airworthiness certification capabilities. It is necessary to systematically carry out corresponding airworthiness certification technology research, accumulate experience, and improve airworthiness standards and certification technologies.
2. Need for Technical Standardization: Most of the existing airworthiness standards for aviation are aimed at traditional fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters. New low-altitude aerial vehicles represented by eVTOL need to formulate new airworthiness certification standards. In terms of communication, navigation, and surveillance equipment standards, general aviation airport and take-off and landing platform standards, and maintenance and repair standards, standardization also needs to be achieved to reduce operation and maintenance costs and promote the sustainable development of the low-altitude economy.
(2) Competition Pressure

1. Intense Peer Competition: In the mode of combining express delivery with the low-altitude economy, there is relatively large competition pressure among peers in the express delivery industry. The enthusiasm for obtaining certificates in the low-altitude economy field also reflects the intensity of competition. In the future, as the enthusiasm for obtaining certificates continues to rise, employment competition will also become increasingly fierce.
2. Intensified Urban Competition: The low-altitude economy has become a "hot cake" that various regions are vying for. Many provinces and cities have written the low-altitude economy into their local government work reports, established industrial funds or increased fund support. However, not every place has the resource endowment for developing the low-altitude economy. If there is no industrial foundation and it's just following the trend blindly, it may end up in a mess in the future.
(3) Policy Supervision
1. Need for Improvement of Regulations: There are some aspects in the supervision and legal policies of the low-altitude economy that need to be adjusted. The regulations on drone management need to be improved, data privacy and security protection need to be strengthened, the liability determination and insurance system need to be clarified, and at the same time, a fair competitive market environment needs to be established and market supervision needs to be strengthened.
2. Unification of Management Standards: At present, a unified management standard for the low-altitude airspace has not yet been formed, and phenomena such as "unauthorized flight" and "random flight" frequently occur, which may lead to chaos in airspace use. On the other hand, low-altitude airspace resources have not been fully developed and utilized, restricting the development of the low-altitude economy.
IV. Seize Opportunities and Create the Future Together
The low-altitude economy has brought many opportunities for ordinary people, but it also faces risks and challenges. In this promising field, how should we seize opportunities and create the future together?

Firstly, we need to deeply understand the development trend and market demand of the low-altitude economy and find the entry point suitable for ourselves. If you have a dream of flying, you can sign up for flight training courses and obtain a pilot license; if you have a background in mechanical maintenance or electronics knowledge, you can enter the drone maintenance and modification market; if you live in rural areas, mountainous areas, or other areas with inconvenient transportation, you can contract logistics stations and become regional agents for drone logistics; if you are passionate about knowledge dissemination, you can become a low-altitude economy lecturer or open training classes; if you are good at photography, you can provide aerial photography services or develop drone accessories.
Secondly, we should actively respond to risks and challenges. In terms of technology, we should constantly learn and master new technical knowledge and improve our technical level; in terms of competition, we should give play to our own advantages and provide differentiated products and services; in terms of policy supervision, we should abide by laws and regulations and actively cooperate with the supervision departments.

Finally, we should work together to promote the healthy development of the low-altitude economy. Government departments should strengthen policy support and supervision to create a good environment for the development of the low-altitude economy; enterprises should increase investment in technological research and development and innovation to improve the quality of products and services; individuals should actively participate in the development of the low-altitude economy and contribute their own strength.

In conclusion, as an emerging economic form, the low-altitude economy has brought many opportunities for ordinary people. Let's seize the opportunities, actively respond to challenges, and jointly create a bright future for the low-altitude economy.