Study Guide – Part 107 : How to become a Drone Pilot
The genre of photography provides endless possibilites for unique ways to express yourself. I believe that one should never be afraid to look for a new perspective, and that is exactly what this post is about. While I have never felt the desire to become a pilot myself, aerial photography is quite fascinating, and becoming more accessible every day. Here I will discuss just how I went about getting my certifications, and give you a guide for how to do it yourself.
Let’s address the first question everyone asks. Do you really need to do it? (the quick answer is yes, probably, more on that later) But think about why this is important. People are required to pass a test and get a license to drive a car, right? So why should things be any different when it comes to aircraft? Drones operate within the National Airspace System, and share the sky with manned aircraft. In the interest of safety, it is important that we understand how to communicate and navigate within these airspaces. There are a great many rules and regulations regarding the use of drones, for good reason. By going through the certification process you can learn how to be a responsible drone operator. It will take a bit of time and effort, however the outcome is worth it.
Before we go any further, here is what you DON’T need. Despite what you may have heard, you do not need to have a pilot license or attend any classes. I did neither, nor did I have any prior flight training. Because of my aviation work, I am a bit familiar with some airport operations, terminology, and how serious the FAA takes themselves, And yes, it did seem daunting, but spurred by inspiration from a couple of friends and fellow WAICFL members (shout out to AnnaKay and Amber), I felt confident enough that I could do it.
What is the FAA?
The Federal Aviation Administration is the governing body that regulates, you guessed it, flying machines. Aircraft of all types, manned or unmanned, airplanes, helicopters, hot air balloons, ultra-lights, space rockets, and everything in between. My personal experience has shown me how strict the FAA can be, so let’s try to keep them on our side.
What is a drone?
According to the FAA, a drone is an sUAS, meaning “Small Unmanned Aircraft System.” The regulations specific to these fall under Title 14 Part 107 Rule of the FAR/AIM regulations.
The FAA categorizes drone flight two ways, recreational (for fun) and commercial (for money). I won’t dive too deep into this here, because chances are if you have come across this blog, you already understand the difference, and know the latter requires a license.
The license to fly a sUAS commercially is something called a “Remote Pilot Certificate”. Having this certificate will not only show that you understand and respect the rules, but also allow you to request waivers for certain locations and situations that would be off-limits to recreational flyers. To get a Remote Pilot Certificate, you just need to pass a written knowledge test with the FAA. Fortunately, there is a great amount of resources enabling you to accomplish this. So from start to finish, this is how it went.
The first thing I did was complete “The Recreational UAS Safety Test” (TRUST). This is something everyone who flies a drone in the US is required to do, no matter what reason you fly. This is FREE, you can do it online at any time, and takes about 30 minutes. I did mine through Scouting America, but there are multiple places online that you can use. You can find a list of testing administrators on the FAA website. Quick note: It’s also probably a good idea to have any friends or family who may be assisting you with any flights take this as well, as it is required for anyone on a sUAS flight crew.
This is when I purchased a small drone and began practicing at local nature preserves.
Next I signed up for three free online FAA related accounts that I will be using later.
FAA DroneZone : Here you will find educational resources and register your drone if you have the need to do so. Any drone over 250 grams must be registered with the FAA, wether it’s flown for recreation or commercial purposes.
IACRA – Integrated Airmen Certification Rating Application : Here is where you will receive your Individual FAA Tracking #, which is important because you will need it for your exam.
PSI Testing : Here is where you will go to schedule your exam when you are ready.
Now for the exam. To qualify you must meet the following requirements:
Be 16 years
Read & write English
Good mental & physical health
Complete Minimum of 20 hours study
Which means it’s time to study. I read, watched videos, and took practice tests. Using a variety of resources will better help you to understand what you need to know. Here is a list of the ones that I found most helpful, and few Amazon affiliate links.
Reading Materials : I started with two books I received from Unmanned Safety Institute at the 2024 Women in Aviation International conference, adding more as I went along.
FAA Remote Pilot – Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Study Guide
2024 Federal Aviation Regulations / Aeronautical Information Manual
Aeronautical Chart User’s Guide
Airman Knowledge Testing Supplement
Videos : There are so many videos out there!
Matt Kendall – Part 107 Study Guide
Altitude University – FAA Part 107
Practice tests : These will help
PSI Sample Test – I highly encourage you to take this practice test. It is the exact format of the real one, with different questions of course. So by familiarizing yourself with it, you will be more comfortable when you take the exam.
The exact questions will be different on everyone’s exam, but as long as you can understand what they are asking you will be ok. As someone from outside the world of aviation, here are a few of the concepts that you will need to know that you may not be familiar with currently.
Airspace Classes A, B, C, D, and E – Different sections of the sky have different rules about flight within them. Areas surrounding government buildings, airports, stadiums, theme parks (just to name a few), all have restrictions in place to ensure safety.
Zulu time – Also referred to as “Universal Time Coordinated” (UTC) or “Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). This is basically a universal worldwide time.
How to read a sectional chart – These are highly detailed aviation maps. Featuring information on topography, ATC radio frequencies, airspace classes, air traffic, and a great deal more.
Understanding the degrees on a compass – North is 0º or 360º / East is 90º / South is 180º / West is 270º. You should be able to figure out the rest.
GPS Coordinates – You will need to understand the measurment lines of longitude and latitude, and how to use them to find coordinates of a given location.
MSL and AGL – Height is relative and dependent upon your location on the globe. MSL stands for “Mean Sea Level” while AGL stands for “Above Ground Level”. This one should be self explanatory.
METARs and TAFs – These are detailed weather reports from airports that share information relating to wind speeds, cloud cover, and precipitation. To help myself with these, I looked up the METAR and TAF reports from local airposts every day to see how well I could decode them.
Phonetic Alphabet – you don’t have to memorize it, just learn how to recognize it when you see or hear it.
Load Factor Charts – This relates to how movement can affect the performance of the aircraft you are piloting. There is a bit of math for this one, but a standard calculator can help you with it.
Abbreviation & Acronyms – The FAA LOVES these, the USI pamphlet has a great legend of some that you will see most.
NAS – National Airspace System
ATC – Air Traffic Control
UA – Unmanned Aircraft
sUAS – Small Unmanned Aircraft System
PIC – Pilot In Command
VO – Visual Observer
VLOS – Visual Line Of Sight
TFR – Temporary Flight Restriction
When you feel ready, it’s time to schedule your test. This is the most expensive part of getting the Remote Pilot Certificate, my test was $175, so make sure you are confident that you can pass. If you don’t pass the first time, you can take the test again but you must wait 14 days, and pay for it again.
You will need to schedule the test through the PSI website using the FAA # that you received with IACRA. There are currently over 700 locations within the US that are available for you to choose from, so it should not be difficult for you to find a location that works for you. I took mine on a Tuesday morning in July of 2024, at Sunstate Aviation flight school in Kissimmee, FL.
Quick Note : If you are still nervous about passing your exam, or if you would like a more structured way to study, you might like to consider a class. You don’t have to study on your own as I did. This one from Pilot Institute offers a reimbursement if you do not pass.
After the test. (that’s right, we are not done yet)
When you pass the test, you are given some information that will include your exam ID. You must then go back to the IACRA website, and enter your exam information. A few days later, a “Temporary Airmen Certificate” will show up in your inbox, and a few weeks later the physical license will show up in your mailbox.
That’s it
1 – TRUST
2 – Sign up to get your FAA #
3 – Study
4 – Practice (optional)
5 – Study
6 – Schedule your exam
7 – Continue to study
9 – Take your exam
8 – Enter your passing exam information with IACRA
Important Note : Once you become a licensed Remote Pilot, there will be a few things that you must follow up with. You may need to register your drone, or get a waiver to fly a certain mission. The FAA is constantly looking at data and regularly updates their rules and regulations, so you will be required to take refresher courses. At this time, these courses are free and online. But these are the rules as of the Summer of 2024, which is when I took my test. As I continue down this path, more updates will follow. If you have questions, reach out.
For now, good luck and happy studying!