FAA Part 107 Test Tomorrow?
Focus on the rules, airspace, weather, charts, and numbers that are hardest to reconstruct when the test is close. This is a last-minute review for the FAA Unmanned Aircraft General – Small knowledge test.
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Part 107 Test at a Glance
Test:
Unmanned Aircraft General – Small (UAG)
Questions:
60
Time:
2 hours
Passing score:
70%
The FAA may include validation questions that do not count toward your score. The number, if any, is not disclosed in advance.
The test follows the FAA Remote Pilot – Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Airman Certification Standards. Expect questions involving regulations, airspace, weather, loading and performance, and flight operations.
Part 107 Numbers You Need Cold
55 lb
A small UAS operated under Part 107 must weigh less than 55 pounds at takeoff, including everything onboard or attached.
400 ft AGL
Maximum altitude is generally 400 feet above ground level.
400 ft from a structure
A drone may fly higher than 400 feet AGL when it remains within 400 feet of a structure and does not fly higher than 400 feet above the structure’s immediate uppermost limit.
100 mph / 87 knots
Maximum groundspeed.
3 statute miles
Minimum flight visibility from the control station.
500 ft below clouds
Minimum vertical separation below clouds.
2,000 ft horizontally from clouds
Minimum horizontal separation from clouds.
3 statute miles
At night, required anti-collision lighting must be visible for at least this distance and have a flash rate sufficient to avoid a collision.
10 days
Deadline for reporting a qualifying Part 107 accident to the FAA.
$500
Property-damage reporting threshold: damage to property other than the drone that costs more than $500 to repair or replace, whichever is lower.
24 calendar months
Remote pilots must maintain aeronautical knowledge recency by completing the applicable recurrent training within the previous 24 calendar months.
MEMORY CHECK
400 feet. 100 mph. 3 miles visibility. 500 below. 2,000 horizontal. 10 days. $500.
Airspace & Sectional Charts
Do not just memorize airspace names. Practice deciding two things: What airspace is at the drone’s altitude, and does the operation require FAA authorization?
Chart Clues Worth Recognizing
- Airport symbols and surrounding airspace boundaries can change what authorization is required.
- A fuzzy magenta vignette commonly indicates Class E beginning at 700 feet AGL.
- A fuzzy blue vignette commonly indicates Class E beginning at 1,200 feet AGL.
- Numbers associated with controlled-airspace shelves are expressed in hundreds of feet MSL.
- MSL means altitude measured from mean sea level. AGL means height above the ground.
- Check chart legends rather than guessing when a symbol is unfamiliar.
- Airspace authorization does not replace other Part 107 requirements.
COMMON CONFUSION
A drone operating at 300 feet AGL is not automatically in Class G just because it is below 400 feet. Determine the airspace from the chart and the location.
Class B
Sectional clue: solid blue boundaries.
Part 107 takeaway: FAA airspace authorization is required.
Class C
Sectional clue: solid magenta boundaries.
Part 107 takeaway: FAA airspace authorization is required.
Class D
Sectional clue: dashed blue boundaries.
Part 107 takeaway: FAA airspace authorization is required.
Class E at the surface
Sectional clue: dashed magenta boundaries.
Part 107 takeaway: FAA airspace authorization is required when the operation is within the controlled airspace designated for an airport.
Class G
Uncontrolled airspace.
Part 107 takeaway: ATC authorization is not required, but all other applicable Part 107 rules still apply.
Can You Read the Airspace?
Sectional-chart questions become much easier when you learn to identify the boundary first, determine the floor and ceiling second, and then ask whether Part 107 authorization is required.
Loading & Performance
A drone that can lift a payload is not automatically safe to fly with it. Weight, balance, density altitude, wind, and battery condition can change performance and controllability.
Center of Gravity
- Center of gravity is the point at which the aircraft would balance if suspended.
- Loading changes can move the center of gravity.
- An improperly located center of gravity can reduce stability and controllability.
- Secure external loads so they cannot adversely affect flight characteristics or controllability.
- Use the manufacturer’s operating limitations and loading information for the aircraft being flown.
Performance Traps
- More weight generally requires more lift and power.
- High density altitude reduces aircraft performance.
- Wind can increase power demand and make the return portion of a flight harder than the outbound portion.
- Cold or degraded batteries can reduce usable performance.
- Do not plan a flight around the assumption that the advertised maximum battery time will be available in actual conditions.
TEST MINDSET
When a question adds weight, heat, altitude, wind, or an unfavorable center of gravity, ask what happens to aircraft performance and controllability.
Current Part 107 Rules to Know
VISUAL LINE OF SIGHT
The remote PIC, person manipulating the controls, or visual observer must be able to maintain the required visual awareness of the small unmanned aircraft. First-person-view technology does not by itself replace the visual-line-of-sight requirement.
A person may not act as remote PIC or visual observer for more than one small UAS operation at the same time.
RIGHT OF WAY
A small unmanned aircraft must yield the right of way to all aircraft, airborne vehicles, and launch and reentry vehicles. Never assume a drone has priority because it is operating below 400 feet.
NIGHT OPERATIONS
- Routine Part 107 night operations are allowed when the applicable requirements are met.
- The remote pilot must have completed the required updated initial knowledge testing or recurrent training.
- The drone must have anti-collision lighting visible for at least 3 statute miles.
- The lighting must have a flash rate sufficient to avoid a collision.
- Controlled-airspace authorization is still required when applicable.
OPERATIONS OVER PEOPLE
Category 1:
Drone weighs 0.55 lb or less throughout the operation, including everything onboard or attached, and has no exposed rotating parts that would lacerate human skin.
Categories 2 and 3:
Use aircraft meeting FAA performance-based eligibility requirements. Category 3 has additional restrictions on where and how operations over people may occur.
Category 4:
Uses an eligible aircraft with an airworthiness certificate under Part 21 and operates within applicable operating limitations.
Sustained flight over an open-air assembly carries additional requirements. Do not assume that simply holding a Part 107 certificate allows unrestricted flight over crowds.
REMOTE ID
Remote ID: Three Paths
Standard Remote ID drone
Broadcasts required identification and location information.
Remote ID broadcast module
A module can be added to an eligible drone. When operating with a broadcast module, the pilot must be able to see the drone throughout the flight.
FRIA
A drone without Remote ID equipment may be operated within an FAA-Recognized Identification Area when applicable requirements are met. Both the drone and pilot must remain within the FRIA, and the drone must remain within visual line of sight.
Part 107 pilots register each individual drone separately. Remote ID does not replace airspace authorization or other Part 107 operating rules.
ACCIDENT REPORTING
10 DAYS / $500
Report a qualifying Part 107 accident to the FAA within 10 days when it causes serious injury, loss of consciousness, or damage to property other than the drone exceeding $500 to repair or replace, whichever is lower.
MOVING VEHICLES
Operating a drone from a moving aircraft is prohibited. Operation from a moving land or water vehicle is permitted only under specified Part 107 conditions, including operation over a sparsely populated area and no transportation of another person’s property for compensation or hire.
EMERGENCIES
In an in-flight emergency requiring immediate action, the remote PIC may deviate from Part 107 rules to the extent necessary to respond to that emergency. If requested by the FAA, the remote PIC must provide a written report of the deviation.
The 400-Foot Rule Has an Exception
400 feet AGL is the basic ceiling, but structures create an important Part 107 exception. This is exactly the kind of rule where one missing detail can change the answer.