Do you actually need Part 107?
The dividing line is purpose, not payment and not aircraft size. If a flight does anything other than serve your own personal enjoyment, it falls under Part 107. That includes work you were not paid for: shooting a friend's business premises, posting monetised footage, or handing free photos to an estate agent.
Part 107 required
- Real estate or property photography
- Wedding, event, or client video work
- Roof, tower, or infrastructure inspection
- Mapping, surveying, or agricultural work
- Monetised YouTube or stock footage
- Any flight furthering a business, paid or not
Recreational exception is enough
- Flying purely for personal enjoyment
- Photos you keep or share non-commercially
- Club and hobby flying at approved sites
Recreational flyers must still pass the free TRUST test, register aircraft over 250 g, and follow Remote ID rules. See the full drone law guide.
What the exam actually covers
The Unmanned Aircraft General – Small test is 60 multiple-choice questions in 120 minutes, three answer choices each, with a 70% pass mark — 42 correct. Weighting across the five knowledge areas looks like this:
12 practice questions in our bank
12 practice questions in our bank
8 practice questions in our bank
5 practice questions in our bank
22 practice questions in our bank
Where people actually lose marks: not the drone rules — those are short and memorable. It is sectional chart reading and airspace classification. Knowing that a dashed magenta line means Class E to the surface, and that 40/12 inside a Class C ring means 4,000 down to 1,200 feet MSL, is worth more exam points per hour of study than anything else.
How to get certificated, step by step
- 1
Confirm you are eligible
You must be at least 16 years old, able to read, speak, write and understand English, and in a physical and mental condition to safely operate a small unmanned aircraft. No medical certificate is required.
- 2
Get an FAA Tracking Number
Register for an FTN through the FAA IACRA system before you schedule anything. The testing centre needs it to file your result.
- 3
Study the five knowledge areas
Regulations, airspace, weather, loading and performance, and operations. The FAA publishes the free Remote Pilot Study Guide (FAA-G-8082-22) covering all of them.
- 4
Schedule the UAG knowledge test
Book the Unmanned Aircraft General – Small test at an FAA-approved PSI testing centre. The fee is about $175, paid directly to the centre.
- 5
Pass with 70% or better
The exam is 60 multiple-choice questions in 2 hours. You need 42 correct. If you fail you may retake it after 14 calendar days.
- 6
File Form 8710-13 in IACRA
Submit the remote pilot certificate application through IACRA using your exam ID. You will complete TSA security vetting as part of this step.
- 7
Receive your certificate
A temporary certificate is usually available in IACRA within days of vetting clearing, with the permanent card arriving by mail. Keep it in your possession whenever you fly.
The limits you are being tested on
These are the operating rules of Part 107 subpart B. Nearly all of them can be waived by the FAA on application — the two that cannot are the ban on carrying hazardous material and the ban on careless or reckless operation.
| Limit | Value | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum altitude | 400 ft AGL, or 400 ft above a structure when within 400 ft of it | 107.51(b) |
| Maximum groundspeed | 87 knots (100 mph) | 107.51(a) |
| Minimum visibility | 3 statute miles from the control station | 107.51(c) |
| Cloud clearance | 500 ft below, 2,000 ft horizontally | 107.51(d) |
| Maximum aircraft weight | Under 55 lb including everything on board | 107.3 |
| Night operations | Permitted with anti-collision lighting visible 3 statute miles | 107.29 |
| Visual line of sight | Required, unaided except for corrective lenses | 107.31 |
| Aircraft per pilot | One at a time | 107.35 |
| Controlled airspace | Prior ATC authorization, normally via LAANC | 107.41 |
| Accident reporting | Within 10 days if serious injury or $500+ property damage | 107.9 |
| Alcohol | 8 hours minimum, BAC below 0.04% | 107.27 |
| Recurrent training | Every 24 calendar months | 107.65 |
Getting airspace authorization
Class G airspace needs no permission. Class B, C, D, and the surface area of Class E all require prior ATC authorization before you launch.
LAANC
The Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability returns near instant approval up to the ceilings published on the FAA's UAS Facility Maps. Access it through an approved provider app such as Aloft or AirMap.
FAA DroneZone
Where you register aircraft, and where you request further authorizations and waivers that LAANC cannot grant — higher ceilings, BVLOS, and operations over people. Allow up to 90 days for a waiver decision.
B4UFLY
An awareness app showing restrictions and advisories where you plan to fly. It does not grant authorization and does not register aircraft — it tells you what you are dealing with before you request anything.
Part 107 questions people actually ask
Do I need a Part 107 licence to fly a drone?
You need Part 107 if the flight is anything other than strictly recreational. Photographing a property for an agent, filming for a client, inspecting a roof, or posting monetised footage all count as non-recreational, whatever the drone weighs. Purely recreational flyers instead take the free TRUST test.
How much does the Part 107 test cost?
About $175, paid to the PSI testing centre when you sit the exam. The certificate itself carries no additional fee. Retakes cost the same again, so it is worth arriving prepared.
How hard is the Part 107 exam?
It is 60 questions with three answer choices and a 70% pass mark. Most of the difficulty sits in sectional chart reading and airspace classification rather than the drone rules themselves, which is where most study time should go.
Does a Part 107 certificate expire?
The certificate does not expire, but its privileges lapse unless you complete free online recurrent training every 24 calendar months. Since 2021 that recurrent requirement is a training course rather than a retest at a testing centre.
Can I take the Part 107 test online?
No. The initial knowledge test must be taken in person at an FAA-approved PSI testing centre with a government-issued photo ID. Only the recurrent training every 24 months is online.
What is the minimum age for Part 107?
You must be 16 to be issued the certificate. There is no minimum age to sit the knowledge test, so a 15-year-old can pass the exam and receive the certificate on turning 16.
Do I still need to register my drone with Part 107?
Yes, and this catches people out. Under Part 107 every aircraft must be registered regardless of weight. The 0.55 lb / 250 g exemption applies only to recreational flyers, not to Part 107 operations.
Written against 14 CFR Part 107 and the FAA Remote Pilot Study Guide (FAA-G-8082-22). This is educational material, not legal advice, and it is not affiliated with or endorsed by the FAA. Rules change — confirm current requirements at faa.gov/uas before you fly or sit the exam.