Objectives

• To analyze the Part 107 certificate.

• To define the reason behind not needing a
pilot’s license.
• To understand the Aeronautical Knowledge
Test.

2
 A Closer Look at Part 107
Certificate
• The Federal Aviation Administration, or
FAA, has adopted specific rules to allow
the operation of civil small unmanned
aircraft systems, or small UAS, in the
National Airspace System, or NAS, for
purposes other than hobby and recreation

3
 A Closer Look at Part 107
Certificate
• The rules are specified in 14 CFR Part 107,
Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems
− Part 107 addresses small UAS classifications,
certifications and operational limitations

4
 A Closer Look at Part 107
Certificate
• Applicants must pass a knowledge test at
an approved FAA testing center to
demonstrate their understanding of safe
procedures involving sUAS operations
• Applicants who demonstrate an
understanding of these rules may obtain a
Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate with a
small UAS rating

5
 A Closer Look at Part 107
Certificate
• In a simple summary, a Part 107 Certificate
covers commercial drone operations under
the following conditions:
− drone will operate in Class G airspace
− individual must keep the aircraft in sight, or
Visual-Line-of-Sight
− individual must fly under 400 feet AGL

6
 A Closer Look at Part 107
Certificate
• In a simple summary, a Part 107 Certificate
covers commercial drone operations under
the following conditions:
− individual must fly at or below 100 mph
− individual must yield the right-of-way to
manned aircraft

7
 A Closer Look at Part 107
Certificate
• In a simple summary, a Part 107 Certificate
covers commercial drone operations under
the following conditions:
− individual may fly over people in some
circumstances
• based on restrictions which change depending
on how large and safe the drone is
− the FAA has separated drones into four risk
categories, based on the damage they could
inflict
• to fly over people the drone must be in one of
the four categories

8
 A Closer Look at Part 107
Certificate
• In a simple summary, a Part 107 Certificate
covers commercial drone operations under
the following conditions:
− individual may fly over people in some
circumstances
• a pilot will need to apply for a waiver if there is
anything not covered in the four risk categories

9
 A Closer Look at Part 107
Certificate
• In a simple summary, a Part 107 Certificate
covers commercial drone operations under
the following conditions:
− individual must not fly from a moving vehicle if
they are the driver of the vehicle
− individual can fly the drone from a moving
vehicle if they are the passenger
• the drone can pass over the vehicle if it is just
transitioning
− for sustained flight, everyone in the vehicle
must know

10
 A Closer Look at Part 107
Certificate
• In a simple summary, a Part 107 Certificate
covers commercial drone operations under
the following conditions:
− individual can fly the drone from a moving
vehicle if they are the passenger
• this operation should occur in sparsely-
populated or unpopulated areas
− the FAA has separated drones into four risk
categories, based on the damage they could
inflict
• to fly over vehicles the drone must be in
category four

11
Private Pilot’s License Not Needed
• A manned private pilot’s license is not
needed to obtain the Remote Pilot
Certification under the FAA’s Part 107
designation

12
Private Pilot’s License Not Needed
• If a pilot certificate is already held which
was issued under 14 CFR Part 61 and a
flight review has been completed within the
previous 24 months, then the Part 107
training curriculum is not needed

13
Private Pilot’s License Not Needed
• Online training courses are available on the
FAA website for the Part 107 training
− complete a FAA form
− validate personal identity
− make an in-person appointment with the local
Flight Standards District Office, a FAA-
Designated Pilot Examiner, an Airman
Certification Representative or a FAA-
Certificated Flight Instructor to sign the form

14
Private Pilot’s License Not Needed
• There is no medical exam required to
operate a drone under Part 107
− a government issued I.D. like a driver’s license
or passport can substitute for a medical flight
physical

15
Private Pilot’s License Not Needed
• If an individual does not have a manned
pilot certificate and they are planning to
operate a drone commercially, then they
will need to take a Part 107 Certificate
Knowledge Test
− the certification is valid for two years;
therefore, certificate holders must pass a
recurrent Knowledge Test every two years

16
 sUAS Registrations
• The aircraft will need to be registered if it
weighs between 0.55 pounds, or 250
grams, and up to 55 pounds, or 25 kg
− civil and criminal penalties will occur if the
criteria is met and the unmanned aircraft is not
registered

17
 Taking the Knowledge Test
• After completing a Part 107 training
curriculum, such as this, the first step to
obtaining the Part 107 Certificate is to
schedule an appointment to take the
Aeronautical Knowledge Test at a FAA
certified Knowledge Testing Center

18
 Taking the Knowledge Test
• To pass the exam, the FAA estimates it will
require many hours of study
− they expect 90 percent of applicants to pass

19
 Taking the Knowledge Test
• To summarize the process, under Part 107,
commercial drone operators are required
to:
− pass an initial Aeronautical Knowledge Test at
a FAA-approved knowledge testing center
− be vetted by the Transportation Security
Administration, or TSA
− obtain a Remote Pilot Certificate with a small
UAS rating

20
 Taking the Knowledge Test
• To summarize the process, under Part 107,
commercial drone operators are required
to:
− every 24 months, pass a recurrent
Aeronautical Knowledge Test
− be at least 16 years old

21
 Taking the Knowledge Test
• To summarize the process, under Part 107,
commercial drone operators are required
to:
− make available to the FAA, upon request, the
commercially used sUAS for inspection or
testing, and any associated documents or
records required to be kept under the
proposed rule

22
 Taking the Knowledge Test
• To summarize the process, under Part 107,
commercial drone operators are required
to:
− report an accident to the FAA within 10 days of
any operation which results in injury or
property damage of more than $500
− to ensure the small UAS is safe for operation,
conduct a preflight inspection, to include
specific aircraft and control station system
checks

23
 Taking the Knowledge Test
• Those who need to operate outside the
flight and mission parameters of Part 107
will need to gain additional permission from
the FAA through a waiver process
− this can be for operations requiring flying at
night or operating beyond visual-line-of-sight
• A separate authorization request will need
to be submitted to fly in airspace other than
Class G

24
 A Closer Look at the Knowledge
Test
• The Unmanned Aircraft General– small
airman knowledge test covers the following
areas:
− (1) applicable regulations relating to small
unmanned aircraft system rating privileges,
limitations and flight operation

25
 A Closer Look at the Knowledge
Test
• The Unmanned Aircraft General– small
airman knowledge test covers the following
areas:
− (2) airspace classification, operating
requirements and flight restrictions affecting
small unmanned aircraft operation
− (3) aviation weather sources and effects of
weather on small unmanned aircraft
performance

26
 A Closer Look at the Knowledge
Test
• The Unmanned Aircraft General– small
airman knowledge test covers the following
areas:
− (4) small unmanned aircraft loading
− (5) emergency procedures
− (6) crew resource management
− (7) radio communication procedures

27
 A Closer Look at the Knowledge
Test
• The Unmanned Aircraft General– small
airman knowledge test covers the following
areas:
− (8) determining the performance of small
unmanned aircraft
− (9) physiological effects of drugs and alcohol
− (10) aeronautical decision-making and
judgment

28
 A Closer Look at the Knowledge
Test
• The Unmanned Aircraft General– small
airman knowledge test covers the following
areas:
− (11) airport operations
− (12) maintenance and preflight inspection
procedures

29
Knowledge Test Cost & Acquisition
• The cost to take the Aeronautical
Knowledge Test is $160 at a licensed
testing center
• The FAA only charges $5 to get a
commercial sUAS registration number
− other than those costs, there are no other
costs required to gain a Remote Pilot
Certificate from the FAA

30
Knowledge Test Cost & Acquisition
• After the Aeronautical Knowledge Test is
passed, there will be up to a 48 hour wait
to apply for the Remote Pilot Certificate
using the FAA’s online IACRA system
− IACRA stands for Integrated Airman
Certification and Rating Application site

31
Knowledge Test Cost & Acquisition
• After the application is sent in, an individual
will go through automatic TSA security
vetting, and then once passed, they will
receive a temporary electronic Remote
Pilot Certificate

32
Knowledge Test Cost & Acquisition
• The FAA anticipates, while it may take the
FAA six to eight weeks to issue a
permanent Remote Pilot Certificate via
mail, a temporary remote pilot certificate
can be issued in about 10 business days

33
Knowledge Test Cost & Acquisition
• The temporary Remote Pilot Certificate will
allow the certificate holder to exercise all
the privileges of the certificate, thus
significantly reducing the waiting period
prior to being able to operate as a remote
pilot in command under Part 107

34
Future Challenges for Regulation
• As they have since their inception, the
organizations tasked with regulating the
world’s airspace must continue to
scrutinize the results of their efforts to
determine the best way to safely handle
the huge amount of air traffic and avoid
accidents

35
Future Challenges for Regulation
• The development of drone technology for
new and emerging uses will present new
challenges for safety assurance
− for example, delivery drones will most likely
want to fly far beyond visual-line-of-sight, or
VLOS, so organizations like the FAA will need
to determine how to best incorporate a feature
like this into their guidelines

36
Future Challenges for Regulation
• Other issues, such as night-flying and high-
altitude flight for drones are probably more
issues to be encountered
• Through adaptability in regulation, it has
been shown the field of aviation can be
safe

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