How to Get your Drone Pilot Certificate
107 School’s 107 test prep course will prepare you to earn your part 107 certificate and is a great foundation for learners that go on to become manned pilots. It’s a logical first certificate to earn in an aviation career.
How to Earn Your Drone Pilot Certificate
John Ellis
How to Earn your Commercial Drone Pilot Certificate
The FAA created a certification program for drone pilots commonly called a Part 107 certificate in 2016.
Flying a drone is a smart addition for many industries, and earning your part 107 certificate is a great way to get started in aviation. It’s a logical first certificate to earn, and a great introduction to the rules of flying in the national airspace. It’s foundational knowledge that will help anyone who pursues pilot certificates, and is a great way to introduce students to aviation training. Plus, it’s the least expensive way to start flying.
When the proposed rules were announced, the company I worked for realized how much of the material overlapped with courses we had already produced for manned aviation. The company cofounder, Ashley Betancourt, organized that material, and we set about producing the first course to teach Part 107 as an online ground school.
I earned my Part 107 in the first few weeks of the test becoming available to the public. At first we flew DJI Phantoms, then Mavics, and added an Inspire 1 to the mix shortly thereafter. I enjoyed directing the drone shoots once we began flying an Inspire as I could instruct the pilot how to fly the mission, and then control the camera with the second remote.
I’ve added a Mavic 3 to my fleet when I launched my Real Estate Photography company during the pandemic. I’ve since bought several other remotely piloted aircraft, both generations of Avata FPV drones and use the Avatar 2 for fly thru tours of properties. I have issues with my back, and carrying a heavy camera and lens on a gimbal is physically difficult for me, but flying FPV feels like a super power.
In addition to being fun, drone piloting can provide extra revenue streams, and licensure is essential for drone pilots to ensure they are not going to go afoul with authorities. The government likes to make examples of bad actors, and that can get expensive and be very inconvenient. If you are making money, you should do everything you can avoid unnecessary risks. Recreational flyers can take the TRUST test to fly for fun, but can’t fly for money.
Drones, UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle), and UAS (unmanned aircraft system) all refer to the same technology, but the FAA primarily uses the term UAS when discussing drone licensure, and a UAS involves all parts of the drone operation, including the aircraft, the remote, and the data link between them all. You’ll hear terms like sUAS (small unmanned aircraft system) in a part 107 course as well as a lot of other definitions.
I grew up studying with text books, and try to implement the best practices I’ve seen in them as well the wealth of practice I have from directing the curriculum at another education provider for about a decade. At that company, I directed the writing process and oversaw all video production. My team created and maintained a library of over 100 hours of course material, from remote pilot through CFI (certificated flight instructor). This is why I earned my Advanced Ground Instructor’s certificate.
The majority of the written material was done by flight instructors that I hired. I taught collegiately for over a decade before using my film production skills to grow that aviation education company from a mom & pop with a 100 square foot rented room in the back of home inspection company to where it was when I left at the beginning of this year.
A Remote Pilot Certificate is an FAA requirement for anyone that flies a small drone commercially. To earn your remote pilot certificate, you must demonstrate an understanding of regulations, operating requirements, and procedures for safely flying drones.
Recreational pilots must take a brief online course to learn where they are allowed to fly, but they can never fly in furtherance of a business, or earn money for flying their drones. Once you earn a Part 107 certificate you can start to earn money as an remote pilot.
It takes between 15-25 hours to study for your part 107 exam, and the knowledge gained during that time is essential to being a safe part 107 pilot.
Some people online will tell you not to study with a test prep company, that you can find all the information online and watch a few free videos. If you choose that route there may be large gaps in your training, and lack of knowledge is not a legal defense. The FAA has issued serious fines, some exceeding $100,000, and some drone operators have been arrested for interfering with manned aviation.
The reason 107 School exists is to share the knowledge I gained in ten years as the chief of curriculum at the first Part 107 exam prep provider. As an AGI (Advanced Ground Instructor) and remote pilot, with ten years experience creating aviation education videos, I was one of the very first certified remote pilots. I’m a career educator and author.
Certificate Eligibility & Requirements
For individuals who already have an FAA pilot certificate and are current, the path to a remote pilot certificate is simple and the FAA offers a brief online course for free, but for those that do not have a Part 61 pilot certifications, these are the minimum requirements:
Read, write, speak, and understand English
Be at least 16 years old
Be physically & mentally able to fly a drone
Once certified, must complete online recurrent training every two years to maintain current knowledge by taking an online FAA course (ALC-677)
If those prerequisites are checked, you can earn your certificate by following these steps:
1) The first step fits to create an account on the FAA’s Integrated Airman Certification and Rating Application (IACRA) web database. By filling this application, you will receive an FAA tracking number (FTN), that you’ll need to schedule your exams and other certification requirements.
2) Using your FTN from IACRA, you should schedule your Unmanned Aircraft General - exam at a FAA-approved Knowledge Testing Center (these are run by PSI). You can take it multiple times, but it costs $175, so studying is essential! The pass rate is about 92%, and the vast majority of people that take this exam study online or in person with a ground instructor.
3) Next you must fill out a form called FAA Form 8710-13 on the IACRA website, including inputting your Part 107 Exam passing score ID which is given to you when you complete the exam. Following an automated TSA security background check, your certificate will be on its way to you via mail. Your test results act as a temporary certificate while waiting for this plastic card to arrive.
4) Whenever you’re flying your drone for a Part 107 operation, you must have your certificate handy along with your driver’s license or another form of photo ID. Whenever you’re conducting commercial operations with your drone, you must have your certificate handy just like a driver’s license. You must also keep some other documents with you, the registration for the drone, a print out of proof of recurrent training after you’ve held your certificate for 24 months.
Unlike the initial Part 107 certification exam, the recurrent training course is free, so staying current won’t cost you anything.
Aviation, is a rapidly changing industry, and regulations and technology cause frequent changes in how day-to-day operations are conducted. In addition to keeping you legal and saving you from hefty fines, keeping up to speed with the recurrent training can also help you be better at your drone piloting job.
107 School’s 107 test prep course will prepare you to earn your part 107 certificate and is a great foundation for learners that go on to become manned pilots. It’s a logical first certificate to earn in an aviation career.
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