Getting your license

[Adamborz]

I’ll probably regret saying this but here goes:

Unless you’re paying money for a class to physically show/teach you how to fly a drone... you don’t need to pay hundreds of dollars for somebody to gather all the free FAA info and show it to you.

That’s my view. However, gold seal does have a guarantee that you’ll pass so if you’re worried about passing than I guess that is a good course.

I’m not sure what learning the subject matter
means... as opposed to learning to pass the test. If you can pass the test, you got the material.

Keeping the knowledge requires using what is learned often.... that’s the problem!

I doubt many 107 pilots are referring to sectional charts to check which frequencies they need to contact ATC before they land their drone at a airport. Or to see what airports offer jet fuel, or .... you get my point.

I use my 107 almost daily, haven’t once looked at a sectional chart. That doesn’t mean I don’t comply with 107 rules, I check for TFRs, check NOTAMs, use LAANC to get authorization to fly, use AirMap and Kittyhawk for that. The apps show you the airports around you, and other important info. FAA’s website has everything else you need.

Set your drone to max altitude of 400’, keep it within visual sight, have maintenance schedule (check your drone before every flight) don’t fly over people or at night or out of sight w/o waivers...

I’m not intending to knock the online courses, everybody has got to make a buck I guess, but it’s bad enough I have to pay $150 ever 2 years to test...

I keep those 2 books with me, have a check list of what I have to do daily, have the drone settings written down (to include format SD every first flight if day to purge the files I already downloaded).

We are not flying full size aircraft here guys, and landing at airports. At least I’m not. But if anybody here is a manned airmen, they’d be exempt from this anyway.

Sorry for the rant. The FAA wants to give you the knowledge for free, but you have got to want to find it.

The test isn’t that hard. The testing material does get you thinking and I guess that is the main point of it all. Be aware of your surroundings and that you’re not the only thing in the air.... and if you even think a manned craft is near you, get out of the way as fast as you can, anyway you can. Just because you’re allowed to be at 400’ doesn’t give you the right to play chicken with a manned aircraft that might be experiencing trouble...

Okay, back to work editing my pics and video from earlier... and here is a good FAA site to check daily:

NOTAMS, TFRs, and Aircraft Safety Alerts

www.faa.gov

 

[umanbean]

Sorry for the rant.

I didn't consider your post a rant, just good common sense... otherwise I agree with everything you said, that's the same way I look at it.

 

[Adamborz]

I didn't consider your post a rant, just good common sense... otherwise I agree with everything you said, that's the same way I look at it.

Thanks, but I know some people get “sensitive” when discussing the “107”.

 

[bdooley]

Gold Seal is what we use and suggest to all of our students and departments. There is a LOT to be said for "Learning the subject matter" rather than "Learning to pass the test".

We still use Gold Seal when searching for answers and trying to stay up-to-date.

Agreed, take the time to actually learn the material!

It is not necessarily imperative that you purchase a course to pass the test - there is plenty of free material out there on the internet. I started with the FAA's study guide for direction and spent about six months learning the material (okay, I am a slow learner). Then after I felt like I knew the material I took a bunch of the free sample tests at places like 3DR to find out where my weak areas were and to determine when I was ready to take the test. I passed with a 97 with no prior aeronautical experience.

If you do want to spend money on a course, I consistently see Gold Seal,RemotePilot101, and Tony Northrup mentioned here. I did purchase the RemotePilot101 recurrent course ($40) for my upcoming recurrent test and have been pretty happy with it.

Bookmark the Phantom Help link that Msinger provided earlier. It is BY FAR the best resource for finding everything Drone related that you could ever want. I wish I had known about it when I was starting to study for the test.

Good luck on your journey!

 

[umanbean]

I am needing to get my FAA 107 license. Can I please get input on what you did and what you would suggest.

You've gotten some good input and links -
Good Luck, hope it's easy for you and you learn the material well.

BTW (and some will consider this nitpicking, but): when you pass the part 107 airman's knowledge exam, or any other FAA knowledge exam, you are then certified at that level... you don't get a license you get a certificate

 

[bdooley]

Yes, maybe a little nitpicky. ? Us non-manned aircraft pilots tend to get a little lax in our terminology at times. It is what it is. ?

 

[horserae]

You've gotten some good input and links -
Good Luck, hope it's easy for you and you learn the material well.

BTW (and some will consider this nitpicking, but): when you pass the part 107 airman's knowledge exam, or any other FAA knowledge exam, you are then certified at that level... you don't get a license you get a certificate

Thanks for the correction. So silly question. I started studying and it said that you CAN NOT fly at night. But I have seen on this site different pics of thunderstorms and lightning storms at night. Were they flying illegally or is there a grey area to that rule?

 

[msinger]

I started studying and it said that you CAN NOT fly at night

There are currently no rules that prevent hobbyists from flying at night. Maybe don't do commercial work at night if you don't have to.

 

[dewens]

If you are certified 107 , you have to get a waiver to fly at night.

 

[dewens]

It is 107.29 that's the waiver you need to fly at night.

 

[bdooley]

If you are certified 107 , you have to get a waiver to fly at night.

Unless you are certified but flying as a hobbyist for that flight. Just because you are certified doesn't mean you can't fly as a hobbyist anymore - depends on the intention of the flight.

 

[cneedelman]

Also look at https://jrupprechtlaw.com, there are practice tests there and I used Prepware's Remote Pilot, $5.99 when I bought it. There's also a Part 107 Facebook page where you can ask questions. Anything you don't understand look up on Youtube and you'll find many videos. No need to spend a lot of money

 

[bdooley]

Yes, that is an excellent resource I failed to mention. They have a great study guide that was free 2 years ago.

 

[gsreinke]

I’ll probably regret saying this but here goes:

Unless you’re paying money for a class to physically show/teach you how to fly a drone... you don’t need to pay hundreds of dollars for somebody to gather all the free FAA info and show it to you.

That’s my view. However, gold seal does have a guarantee that you’ll pass so if you’re worried about passing than I guess that is a good course.

I’m not sure what learning the subject matter
means... as opposed to learning to pass the test. If you can pass the test, you got the material.

Keeping the knowledge requires using what is learned often.... that’s the problem!

I doubt many 107 pilots are referring to sectional charts to check which frequencies they need to contact ATC before they land their drone at a airport. Or to see what airports offer jet fuel, or .... you get my point.

I use my 107 almost daily, haven’t once looked at a sectional chart. That doesn’t mean I don’t comply with 107 rules, I check for TFRs, check NOTAMs, use LAANC to get authorization to fly, use AirMap and Kittyhawk for that. The apps show you the airports around you, and other important info. FAA’s website has everything else you need.

Set your drone to max altitude of 400’, keep it within visual sight, have maintenance schedule (check your drone before every flight) don’t fly over people or at night or out of sight w/o waivers...

I’m not intending to knock the online courses, everybody has got to make a buck I guess, but it’s bad enough I have to pay $150 ever 2 years to test...

I keep those 2 books with me, have a check list of what I have to do daily, have the drone settings written down (to include format SD every first flight if day to purge the files I already downloaded).

We are not flying full size aircraft here guys, and landing at airports. At least I’m not. But if anybody here is a manned airmen, they’d be exempt from this anyway.

Sorry for the rant. The FAA wants to give you the knowledge for free, but you have got to want to find it.

The test isn’t that hard. The testing material does get you thinking and I guess that is the main point of it all. Be aware of your surroundings and that you’re not the only thing in the air.... and if you even think a manned craft is near you, get out of the way as fast as you can, anyway you can. Just because you’re allowed to be at 400’ doesn’t give you the right to play chicken with a manned aircraft that might be experiencing trouble...

Okay, back to work editing my pics and video from earlier... and here is a good FAA site to check daily:

NOTAMS, TFRs, and Aircraft Safety Alerts

www.faa.gov

But if anybody here is a manned airmen, they’d be exempt from this anyway.
Only if you are current within last two years

 

[BigAl07]

.....We are not flying full size aircraft here guys, and landing at airports. At least I’m not. But if anybody here is a manned airmen, they’d be exempt from this anyway.

While it's all good & fine you're not flying on/near airports that doesn't mean that no one else is taking full advantage of the opportunities of Part 107. As an example we were flying in support of a simulated emergency (crashed aircraft) and we flew from an operating airport and our flights were restrained by airport/runway markers. Had we not known how to read them there's no way we could have pulled this project off safely or legally.

Keep in mind that Part 107 encompasses a lot more than just Real Estate operators flying a Phantom over farmland. It covers Mutlirotors, helicopters, and fixed wing from micro up to 54.99lbs. Think bigger than just DJI Phantoms.

I think that a multi-tiered Part 107 is a great idea so that there is a Cliff's Notes version for the low hanging fruit as well as a Full version that covers more complicated and dangerous operations. Unfortunately we both know people would be upset because they have to take different tests for different levels of privilege and some would complain saying the advanced tests are just "over kill" for what they plan to do. Maybe one day we will see tougher testing standards but for now we're stuck with One-Size-Fits-All Part 107.

 

[MTO]

I 2nd the Remote Pilot 101, Jason Schappert will keep your attention while explaining everything in detail. I don’t have experience with any other training course, but just passed the recurrency exam with ease...and I can’t believe how much I forgot in 2 years!

 

[Adamborz]

While it's all good & fine you're not flying on/near airports that doesn't mean that no one else is taking full advantage of the opportunities of Part 107. As an example we were flying in support of a simulated emergency (crashed aircraft) and we flew from an operating airport and our flights were restrained by airport/runway markers. Had we not known how to read them there's no way we could have pulled this project off safely or legally.

Keep in mind that Part 107 encompasses a lot more than just Real Estate operators flying a Phantom over farmland. It covers Mutlirotors, helicopters, and fixed wing from micro up to 54.99lbs. Think bigger than just DJI Phantoms.

I think that a multi-tiered Part 107 is a great idea so that there is a Cliff's Notes version for the low hanging fruit as well as a Full version that covers more complicated and dangerous operations. Unfortunately we both know people would be upset because they have to take different tests for different levels of privilege and some would complain saying the advanced tests are just "over kill" for what they plan to do. Maybe one day we will see tougher testing standards but for now we're stuck with One-Size-Fits-All Part 107.

Agreed,

I’m not saying nobody uses the full capabilities of the 107, but I’d hazard a guess the majority don’t.

Yes, a “different levels” system would make sense in the future. Just like airplanes have different certification levels, and boat captains have 6-pack or tonnage ratings etc.

Hey requiring a 107 leaves more jobs for me as some people don’t have the time to get theirs.