So, what good is "Part 107?"

[Droning in AR]

Part 107, the must-have certification for drone pilots seeking to do lawful commercial work has been out for 2+ years by now. A lot drone operators decided to get theirs, and many people were shocked to find that they needed to travel quite a ways to find a testing center, shocked at how much it cost to get their Part 107, shocked to find out that it's only valid for two years, and shocked to find out during their studies that it pertained to almost NOTHING about drones.

All these questions on the weather? You look out the window and if it looks like rain - you don't fly. All of these questions about landing at airports? This is about flying DRONES - not airplanes. The test is ridiculous when it comes to drone use.

We pay a small fee to get our driver's license, and driving an automobile down the highway is MUCH more dangerous than flying a DJI (or comparable) drone. And we don't have to take a big test and pay a large fee every two years for a drivers license. If you keep proper flight logs for your drone that you can show as proof (and you can show that you use it for a business quite often), why would you have to pay to re-test? Especially every two years. It's stupid.

I can see for general info, safety, and legal purposes. I get that. I believe in being legal, and all of our drones are FAA registered and we are part 107 as well.

But it seems every where we go, there are people doing jobs that have nothing more than their $5 FAA registration, and that's it. If we tell the people that hired them that they could be fined for hiring someone that is NOT "Part 107," they seem like they could care less. My own nephew works for a roofing contractor and he flies a drone to inspect roofs, and he's not Part 107.

It seems the more people I talk to that spent the time and investment to get their Part 107, they have decided that they are not going to re-take the test. Most of the work being done by them isn't government work anyway, so they don't care. However, I personally warned our local government NOT to hire this local guy who did not have his Part 107, but they ignored me - and hired him anyway.

 

[Ansia]

You do know there are many different types of drones that do require the knowledge you gather to fly? The multirotors aren't the only type of drones out there.

 

[dronesky]

When there is a accident ask them who the feds are going to come after when they hire a Non 107 pilot someone who has no insurance or license

 

[Dudek1090]

Part 107, the must-have certification for drone pilots seeking to do lawful commercial work has been out for 2+ years by now. A lot drone operators decided to get theirs, and many people were shocked to find that they needed to travel quite a ways to find a testing center, shocked at how much it cost to get their Part 107, shocked to find out that it's only valid for two years, and shocked to find out during their studies that it pertained to almost NOTHING about drones.

All these questions on the weather? You look out the window and if it looks like rain - you don't fly. All of these questions about landing at airports? This is about flying DRONES - not airplanes. The test is ridiculous when it comes to drone use.

We pay a small fee to get our driver's license, and driving an automobile down the highway is MUCH more dangerous than flying a DJI (or comparable) drone. And we don't have to take a big test and pay a large fee every two years for a drivers license. If you keep proper flight logs for your drone that you can show as proof (and you can show that you use it for a business quite often), why would you have to pay to re-test? Especially every two years. It's stupid.

I can see for general info, safety, and legal purposes. I get that. I believe in being legal, and all of our drones are FAA registered and we are part 107 as well.

But it seems every where we go, there are people doing jobs that have nothing more than their $5 FAA registration, and that's it. If we tell the people that hired them that they could be fined for hiring someone that is NOT "Part 107," they seem like they could care less. My own nephew works for a roofing contractor and he flies a drone to inspect roofs, and he's not Part 107.

It seems the more people I talk to that spent the time and investment to get their Part 107, they have decided that they are not going to re-take the test. Most of the work being done by them isn't government work anyway, so they don't care. However, I personally warned our local government NOT to hire this local guy who did not have his Part 107, but they ignored me - and hired him anyway.

Seen a lot of that non 107 people who don’t care. Even said said we live in a small town, nobody is going to come looking here.

 

[bullerman1946]

Make it a reasonable test. It kind of looks like they don't want people to take the test.

 

[sar104]

Make it a reasonable test. It kind of looks like they don't want people to take the test.

Just because it's not precisely tailored to everyone's specific, limited flying intentions doesn't make it an unreasonable test. It's broad and deep enough to cover most potential aspects of non-recreational sUAS operations and ensure that pilots have at least been exposed to the fundamentals of aviation safety. What's missing is a flight test, due to the lack of resources to implement. Most people complaining about this appear to be recreational pilots who don't want to take it anyway. The FAA clearly wants pilots to take it.

 

[Canyon Mike]

Part 107, the must-have certification for drone pilots seeking to do lawful commercial work has been out for 2+ years by now. A lot drone operators decided to get theirs, and many people were shocked to find that they needed to travel quite a ways to find a testing center, shocked at how much it cost to get their Part 107, shocked to find out that it's only valid for two years, and shocked to find out during their studies that it pertained to almost NOTHING about drones.

All these questions on the weather? You look out the window and if it looks like rain - you don't fly. All of these questions about landing at airports? This is about flying DRONES - not airplanes. The test is ridiculous when it comes to drone use.

We pay a small fee to get our driver's license, and driving an automobile down the highway is MUCH more dangerous than flying a DJI (or comparable) drone. And we don't have to take a big test and pay a large fee every two years for a drivers license. If you keep proper flight logs for your drone that you can show as proof (and you can show that you use it for a business quite often), why would you have to pay to re-test? Especially every two years. It's stupid.

I can see for general info, safety, and legal purposes. I get that. I believe in being legal, and all of our drones are FAA registered and we are part 107 as well.

But it seems every where we go, there are people doing jobs that have nothing more than their $5 FAA registration, and that's it. If we tell the people that hired them that they could be fined for hiring someone that is NOT "Part 107," they seem like they could care less. My own nephew works for a roofing contractor and he flies a drone to inspect roofs, and he's not Part 107.

It seems the more people I talk to that spent the time and investment to get their Part 107, they have decided that they are not going to re-take the test. Most of the work being done by them isn't government work anyway, so they don't care. However, I personally warned our local government NOT to hire this local guy who did not have his Part 107, but they ignored me - and hired him anyway.

All really good points. RC airplanes have been around for decades with the ability to fly high and fast, and some are much bigger than a DJI or other drones. Where was the FAA then? In any case, the law is so unenforceable and the test so over the top that compliance will be non-existent. But if you used to make big money flying a photographer around in your plane or chopper, and now see that business evaporating, you'd want the people taking it away to have to go through the same hoops you did, even if they're not flying humans around in a 20,000 pound flying machine filled with flammable fuel.

 

[SWAT1]

I think drones are still so new that the faa figured they had to come up with a test but lacking enough questions on drones they threw in about fifty private pilot questions.

 

[lonjsnyder]

If you want aircraft liability insurance, many underlying aircraft insurance policies (SkyWatch {Star Insurance} & DroneInsurane.com {Liberty Insurance} as examples ) have coverage exclusions for failure to have valid Part 107 Certification. That makes having Part 107 a must for those that wish to avoid the unlikely but potential financially devastating occurrence where your UAV causes substantial bodily harm.

 

[Mauiskye]

If you want aircraft liability insurance, many underlying aircraft insurance policies (SkyWatch {Star Insurance} & DroneInsurane.com {Liberty Insurance} as examples ) have coverage exclusions for failure to have valid Part 107 Certification. That makes having Part 107 a must for those that wish to avoid the unlikely but potential financially devastating occurrence where your UAV causes substantial bodily harm.

Verifly does not require part 107 & you are covered up to $10mil. $10/hr for $1mil coverage

Drone Liability Insurance by the Hour

Learn more about our on-demand liability insurance for private and commercial drone flights. Starts at just $10 per flight.

www.verifly.com

 

[Paul2660]

Has anyone made a claim successfully with Verify? I looked at it, but choose to get a paper policy for liability. I am always a bit surprised by the daily crash video's or lost my drone videos/posts on this site, where over 50% are in a city or around a densely populated residential area. To me a liability policy just makes sense.

I also agree there are a lot of folks flying for jobs around my area in Arkansas, daily with no 107 license. Not sure how any of that will ever be reined in anytime soon.

My state requires a liability policy number and copy of policy page for any type of permit to fly in a State Park or other "restricted by Arkansas" area. This means take off and fly from. Apps such as Verify I am not sure if they would qualify. However since the permit process requires all of the policy info before hand on the permit hard copy, not sure that "instant liability" 1 hour etc apps would qualify. They should if they are legit, but not sure that will ever work in my State (Arkansas).

Paul C

 

[lonjsnyder]

Verifly does not require part 107 & you are covered up to $10mil. $10/hr for $1mil coverage

Drone Liability Insurance by the Hour

Learn more about our on-demand liability insurance for private and commercial drone flights. Starts at just $10 per flight.

www.verifly.com

Nice, you’ve done your research!
Global is their underlying policy through which I have my annual UAV liability policy for that exact reason.

 

[bullerman1946]

I agree with SWAT1.

 

[dkeberhardt]

As a former Air Force pilot, ATP, etc, etc and now a 107 pilot, I agree that the initial test is way too much and recurring every two years (@ $150) is TOTALLY RIDICULOUS.

 

[Russ43Phantom]

Part 107, the must-have certification for drone pilots seeking to do lawful commercial work has been out for 2+ years by now. A lot drone operators decided to get theirs, and many people were shocked to find that they needed to travel quite a ways to find a testing center, shocked at how much it cost to get their Part 107, shocked to find out that it's only valid for two years, and shocked to find out during their studies that it pertained to almost NOTHING about drones.

All these questions on the weather? You look out the window and if it looks like rain - you don't fly. All of these questions about landing at airports? This is about flying DRONES - not airplanes. The test is ridiculous when it comes to drone use.

We pay a small fee to get our driver's license, and driving an automobile down the highway is MUCH more dangerous than flying a DJI (or comparable) drone. And we don't have to take a big test and pay a large fee every two years for a drivers license. If you keep proper flight logs for your drone that you can show as proof (and you can show that you use it for a business quite often), why would you have to pay to re-test? Especially every two years. It's stupid.

I can see for general info, safety, and legal purposes. I get that. I believe in being legal, and all of our drones are FAA registered and we are part 107 as well.

But it seems every where we go, there are people doing jobs that have nothing more than their $5 FAA registration, and that's it. If we tell the people that hired them that they could be fined for hiring someone that is NOT "Part 107," they seem like they could care less. My own nephew works for a roofing contractor and he flies a drone to inspect roofs, and he's not Part 107.

It seems the more people I talk to that spent the time and investment to get their Part 107, they have decided that they are not going to re-take the test. Most of the work being done by them isn't government work anyway, so they don't care. However, I personally warned our local government NOT to hire this local guy who did not have his Part 107, but they ignored me - and hired him anyway.

It seems to me that there should be several levels of testing and licensing. I agree that the amount of information and level of detail required by the FAA 107 test is, for most, much more than needed for MOST drone applications. So, drone applications should be classified as to how much knowledge is needed to implement the application safely. If for example, the application does not need the drone to fly above local tree levels, the knowledge and testing should be much less then currently required for a general 107 license.

 

[lay1back]

Part 107, and registration is all part of a bigger plan. Compliance and restrictions. Drones possessing and use is not guaranteed, and every government see them as a threat. The R/C world has been doing the same thing for decades with no oversight. Your toy/camera platform has potential for delivery of harm as the military has pointed out. We will be squeezed further.

 

[N42742]

This is a common theme that I see replayed over and over. "The test has nothing to do with drones." If you are going to operate in the NAS, it has EVERYTHING to do with drones. And as was said earlier, the Part 107 certificate is a one-size-fits-all. Not everyone is going to fly a small multirotor.

Part 107, as it currently stands, lacks the distinction of category and class that is a big part of manned aviation. It will be coming, though, and drone pilot certificates (aka "licenses") will become more specialized and restrictive at the same time. My suggestion is to enjoy the relative ease with which you can earn a Part 107 airman certificate from the FAA. It is going to become harder.

 

[Julius13]

Part 107, the must-have certification for drone pilots seeking to do lawful commercial work has been out for 2+ years by now. A lot drone operators decided to get theirs, and many people were shocked to find that they needed to travel quite a ways to find a testing center, shocked at how much it cost to get their Part 107, shocked to find out that it's only valid for two years, and shocked to find out during their studies that it pertained to almost NOTHING about drones.

All these questions on the weather? You look out the window and if it looks like rain - you don't fly. All of these questions about landing at airports? This is about flying DRONES - not airplanes. The test is ridiculous when it comes to drone use.

We pay a small fee to get our driver's license, and driving an automobile down the highway is MUCH more dangerous than flying a DJI (or comparable) drone. And we don't have to take a big test and pay a large fee every two years for a drivers license. If you keep proper flight logs for your drone that you can show as proof (and you can show that you use it for a business quite often), why would you have to pay to re-test? Especially every two years. It's stupid.

I can see for general info, safety, and legal purposes. I get that. I believe in being legal, and all of our drones are FAA registered and we are part 107 as well.

But it seems every where we go, there are people doing jobs that have nothing more than their $5 FAA registration, and that's it. If we tell the people that hired them that they could be fined for hiring someone that is NOT "Part 107," they seem like they could care less. My own nephew works for a roofing contractor and he flies a drone to inspect roofs, and he's not Part 107.

It seems the more people I talk to that spent the time and investment to get their Part 107, they have decided that they are not going to re-take the test. Most of the work being done by them isn't government work anyway, so they don't care. However, I personally warned our local government NOT to hire this local guy who did not have his Part 107, but they ignored me - and hired him anyway.

Agreed. I am about to take the exam again after 2 years. I’m a bit of a drone Nazi when I see people doing work with no knowledge of what they are doing, even not having a registered drone. While I don’t think every two years is reasonable I do however feel the test should be hard, otherwise the industry would be flooded with irresponsible cowboys who can claim to be part 107 licensed. When I say hard, I mean one should understand the questions, not just be able to phone it in. I’ve never piloted a plane but feel like I could after the study time I put in to sit for the exam. I spent over 3 months with my nose in a few textbooks so I fully understood about weather, airport markings, and sectional maps. It has made me a better UAS pilot.

 

[ribjig]

Isn't the intent at the time of flight
what determines license required...?
If one decides AFTER flight to make money
from results of flight then only a hobbyist
license is required...?

An example: taking aerial photos to hang
in one's own home but then sometime later
deciding to sell them at an art fair, publish
them in a book or magazine, etc....?

The roofing contractor employee mentioned above,
if he doesn't make EXTRA income from aerial inspections
then no income is made from drone & 107 not needed???

 

[crohead13]

I got my 107. I passed with a 98. I was 'shocked' 0 times.