UAS Pilot Cert Renewal - Has Anyone Done It?

[herein2014]

My UAS pilot's cert expires in less than 2 months and I am trying to figure out what is needed to re-certify but exact information on what to study, what's on the test, and finding someone who has re-certified is proving difficult.

Some sites say fewer subject areas will be on the re-certification test vs. the initial test, but I have yet to see what those subject areas are or find test prep material for the re-cert test.

So has anyone renewed their rating and if so did you use any test prep material?

 

[btrussell]

Congrats on holding your certification for nearly 2 years. Does your certificate have an expiration date on it? Most FAA pilot certificates do not expire, but most have a recurrent training requirement window. If you do not hold another pilot certificate issued by the FAA and meet the recurrent training requirements for that certificate you will have to take and pass the recurrent training exam at a testing center. In the mean time I would suggest you register on the FAA safety web site and take the sUAS training course presented there. Safer Skies Through Education - FAA - FAASTeam - FAASafety.gov . There is an FAA advisory circular that provides the cut down topic list for the recurrent training test by subject. All of the subjects that are sUAS specific are covered in the on line training course. It would be a good place to start.

 

[BigAl07]

My UAS pilot's cert expires in less than 2 months and I am trying to figure out what is needed to re-certify but exact information on what to study, what's on the test, and finding someone who has re-certified is proving difficult.

Some sites say fewer subject areas will be on the re-certification test vs. the initial test, but I have yet to see what those subject areas are or find test prep material for the re-cert test.

So has anyone renewed their rating and if so did you use any test prep material?

How does yours expire in "less than 2 months" when August 29th 2016 us when they went LIVE.

No one has renewed theirs yet and the FAA has not released any details about the renewal process. Until they release the details anything you hear/read is a guess at best.

 

[herein2014]

How does yours expire in "less than 2 months" when August 29th 2016 us when they went LIVE.

No one has renewed theirs yet and the FAA has not released any details about the renewal process. Until they release the details anything you hear/read is a guess at best.

Live for the general public, I was one of the first 333 holders in the country and was invited to take a beta 107. My card has an issued date of March 2016.

It does not have an expiration date but the FAA is clear that they are only valid 2yrs from issuance.

 

[BigAl07]

Live for the general public, I was one of the first 333 holders in the country and was invited to take a beta 107. My card has an issued date of March 2016.

It does not have an expiration date but the FAA is clear that they are only valid 2yrs from issuance.

Well played. That leaves you in the middle of a vacuum in terms of re-certification. What does your DPE say about re-testing?

 

[msteger]

I was going to post a similar question.. I am taking my remote pilot exam tomorrow and I see the license is valid for 2 years. What is required when the 2 yr license expires? A simple paperwork renewal form (like renewing a drivers license) or does one have to take the remote pilot exam every 2 years to renew one's license?

 

[N42742]

Live for the general public, I was one of the first 333 holders in the country and was invited to take a beta 107. My card has an issued date of March 2016.

It does not have an expiration date but the FAA is clear that they are only valid 2yrs from issuance.

Wow, that is really interesting. Any chance we could see a picture of the certificate? Part 107 did not exist at the time so I'd really like to see what wording they used.

 

[BigAl07]

Live for the general public, I was one of the first 333 holders in the country and was invited to take a beta 107. My card has an issued date of March 2016.

It does not have an expiration date but the FAA is clear that they are only valid 2yrs from issuance.

I'd like to see the wording on that one as well. I'm sure they made some changes from the BETA to the final release in August of 2016. It would be interesting to compare and see the differences.

 

[msteger]

I took and passed my part 107 remote pilot exam this morning. I asked the proctor about the requirements for renewal in 2 years and she didn't know if the exam has to be taken every 2 years or if a simple form needs to be submitted for renewal (like a drivers license renewal).

 

[y2khardtop]

My Part 107, like my Private Pilot, has no expiration date listed. You just have to keep your medical current. If you have some sort of 333-license (not a PP), then I suspect you will need to get a part 107. I doubt you can "renew" something that doesn't exist any more.

 

[Aussie markD1969]

So you guys fly professionally ? . As a hobbiest in Australia no licence required same in the US ?

 

[y2khardtop]

if you so much as post a Youtube video in the US, you are basically risking being marked as commercial (since Youtube monetizes videos). So no you don't need a license to fly for fun, but if you use photos/videos/surveys/etc for almost anything at all, you might as well get your 107.

 

[GMack]

Under this FAA link Becoming a Pilot there is this statement:

"Pilot certificate Requirements:
Valid for 2 years – certificate holders must pass a recurrent knowledge test every two years."

...and bit further down for existing pilots, there's this:

"Remote Pilot Certificate Requirements:
Valid for 2 years – certificate holders must pass either a recurrent online training course OR recurrent knowledge test every two years."

Who knows, but it sounds like another ($150 ???) test may be coming around August 2018 for those that got theirs early.

 

[BigAl07]

My Part 107, like my Private Pilot, has no expiration date listed. You just have to keep your medical current. If you have some sort of 333-license (not a PP), then I suspect you will need to get a part 107. I doubt you can "renew" something that doesn't exist any more.

Let's clear some confusion about a Section 333 Exemption. This process has been in place for many years now to allow aviators to petition to do an operation that falls outside of existing FARs. The FAA utilized Section 333 Exemptions to allow us to operate "Commercially" until Part 107 was codified and put into place.

A Section 333 Exemption does still exist (we use them in manned aviation) but it's not needed for sUAS operations "normally". Once Part 107 went "Live" we had a process to allow sUAS commercial operations and no longer needed a Section 333 Exemption for most operations. There are still a few instances where they are being renewed for things falling outside of Part 107 and the possible "waivers" but the process has not been removed/killed.

With all this being said you are correct with your statement:
" If you have some sort of 333-license (not a PP), then I suspect you will need to get a part 107. I doubt you can "renew....."
This is true because most things can now be done under the Part 107 process and no need to have duplicate processes in place. Look at it as a migration process rather than one process being deleted because it's still alive and utilized daily in manned aviation.

Keep in mind that a Section 333 Exemption requires you to have a Pilot Certificate of a min of Sport Pilot.

 

[BigAl07]

Under this FAA link Becoming a Pilot there is this statement:

"Pilot certificate Requirements:
Valid for 2 years – certificate holders must pass a recurrent knowledge test every two years."

...and bit further down for existing pilots, there's this:

"Remote Pilot Certificate Requirements:
Valid for 2 years – certificate holders must pass either a recurrent online training course OR recurrent knowledge test every two years."

Who knows, but it sounds like another ($150 ???) test may be coming around August 2018 for those that got theirs early.

I think you're probably spot on about this. Really $150 every other year is a small price to pay to be a professional sUAS operator. I intentionally did not use "Commercial" because Part 107 encompasses a lot more than just Commercial operations.

 

[msteger]

Thanks.

 

[msteger]

My Part 107, like my Private Pilot, has no expiration date listed. You just have to keep your medical current. If you have some sort of 333-license (not a PP), then I suspect you will need to get a part 107. I doubt you can "renew" something that doesn't exist any more.

I thought the part 107 licenses were valid for 2 years? You say they don't expire after 2 years?

 

[barefootbeachcombing]

I thought the part 107 licenses were valid for 2 years? You say they don't expire after 2 years?

The license card doesn't have an expiration date on it. But the certification has be to be renewed at the specified interval.

 

[illowaska]

If you are a commercial operator either retake the test before your two years and/or implement a company approved renewal program. You want to be able to say "yes" when someone asks if you have renewed regardless of how the FAA is going to help us complete that requirement. You don't want to be on the other end of a lawyer as he's slamming you simply because you can't prove you did not "renew" your certification.

 

[matthewsjl]

OK, as a certified pilot, I'll try and clarify.

In general, Pilot certificates do not have expiration dates. However, the rules build in a check that needs to be maintained every 2 years for continuous currency - but you could lapse and say take a number of months break and then get recurrent by completing the recurrent requirements.

107.65 governs currency and if you're past the initial, the following applies:

(a) Passed an initial aeronautical knowledge test covering the areas of knowledge specified in §107.73(a);
(b) Passed a recurrent aeronautical knowledge test covering the areas of knowledge specified in §107.73(b);

So, the critical thing here is the wording "knowledge test" - yes, that's defining that it's something to be completed at an FAA testing center. I don't see any leeway (unless you have a pilot cert issued under part 61) in there for a "company approved program" - it's clear that it needs to be a knowledge test.

Now, 107.73(b):

(b) A recurrent aeronautical knowledge test covers the following areas of knowledge:

(1) Applicable regulations relating to small unmanned aircraft system rating privileges, limitations, and flight operation;

(2) Airspace classification and operating requirements and flight restrictions affecting small unmanned aircraft operation;

(3) Emergency procedures;

(4) Crew resource management;

(5) Aeronautical decision-making and judgment;

(6) Airport operations; and

(7) Maintenance and preflight inspection procedures.

Now, I just looked and I don't see a "recurrent" knowledge test. However, by default, the recurrent is a subset of the initial.

Just as a comparison, as I am a Part 61 certificate holder, the test I have to do is a "training course" which is available through the FAA training website (faasafety.gov). Now, again, it doesn't seem like there is any recurrent course, so I'll likely do the initial again......

Hope that helps,

John