Part 107 Eligibility and Requirements

Part 107 Eligibility and Requirements


Remote Pilot Certificate Eligibility

To be eligible for a Remote Pilot Certificate, you need to satisfy the following four criteria:

  1. Be 16 years old,
  2. Speak and write English,
  3. Be physically and mentally able to operate a drone safely, and
  4. Pass the FAA Knowledge Exam


Alcohol and Drug Restrictions

You are NOT allowed to act as a pilot or crew member of a drone if you:

  • Have consumed ANY alcohol within the 8 hour period prior to flight;
  • Are under the influence of alcohol;
  • Are using any drug that would cause you to be unsafe in the operation of a UAS; or
  • Have a blood alcohol level of .04 or greater.

The FAA can suspend, revoke, or deny any remote pilot certificate for up to 1 year if they find a person to be in violation of the alcohol or drug policy. According to 107.57, a conviction for growing marijuana is grounds for denial of an application for a remote pilot certificate with a sUAS rating for a period of 1 year after the date of the final conviction.


Obtaining Your FAA Tracking Number

Effective January 13, 2020, the FAA launched improvements to its test for all FAA airman certificates which includes the Part 107. One of the most important changes is that the FAA now requires all applicants to obtain an FAA Tracking Number. This number will be obtained by creating an Integrated Airman Certification and Rating Application (IACRA) profile BEFORE registering for a knowledge test. Once your profile is created, an FTN will be generated for you. This number will help the certifying officers pull up airman information in a much more consistent format which leads to a quicker process for all involved. The following link will have more information on these changes. https://www.faa.gov/training_testing/testing/acts/


Temporary Remote Pilot Certificate

Once you pass your Unmanned Aircraft Knowledge exam (which we know you will!), you need to go to the FAA Integrated Airmen Certificate and/or Rating Application (IACRA) to fill out FAA Form 8710-13. You will already have an IACRA account, because you registered with them to obtain your FTN. Once you complete these steps, the FAA will issue you a temporary remote pilot certificate that is valid for 120 days.


Recurrent Training Courses

As of April 6, 2021 free online training will be provided by the FAA that will replace the recurrent exam. That means that instead of taking another exam every 24 calendar months, you will be able to use the free training provided by the FAA at https://faasafety.gov to keep your Part 107 current. You must renew your certification every 24 calendar months. The 24-month window begins immediately after each exam you pass (initial exam and subsequent recurrent training).

There are multiple training options, depending on your current status. You can find all three of them from the FAA at this link. (https://www.faa.gov/news/updates/?newsId=97201)


What Part 107 Does Not Apply To

Part 107 applies to all commercial drone operations in the United States. It does NOT apply to:

  • Model aircraft (operated for recreational use);
  • Operations outside the US;
  • Amateur rockets;
  • Moored balloons;
  • Unmanned free balloons;
  • Kites;
  • Public aircraft operations; or
  • Air carrier operations.

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