Operating limits — memorize these word for word

  1. 1
    Max groundspeed: 87 knots / 100 mph

    §107.51(c) — tailwind can push you over even if airspeed is fine

  2. 2
    Max altitude: 400 ft AGL (or +400 ft above a structure within a 400-ft radius)

    §107.51(b) — terrain is NOT a structure

  3. 3
    Minimum visibility from the control station: 3 statute miles

    §107.51(d) — measured at the RP, not the aircraft

  4. 4
    Cloud clearance: 500 ft below clouds, 2,000 ft horizontal

    §107.51(e) — gives manned IFR traffic time to see-and-avoid

  5. 5
    sUAS weight limit: < 55 lb (everything below 55 is sUAS; at 55 you leave Part 107)

    §107.1 — includes payload and battery

People & vehicles — Categories 1–4

  1. 6
    Cat 1: ≤ 0.55 lb / 250 g + no laceration risk

    §107.110 — DJI Mini class. No DOC needed

  2. 7
    Cat 2: ≤ 11 ft-lb kinetic energy + no laceration risk + Declaration of Compliance

    §107.115/120

  3. 8
    Cat 3: ≤ 25 ft-lb + closed/restricted site OR transit + DOC

    §107.125/130

  4. 9
    Cat 4: Airworthiness certificate + operating limitations

    §107.140 — for big delivery/industrial UAS

  5. 10
    Moving vehicles: all categories may TRANSIT; sustained flight needs a closed/restricted site

    §107.145

Night & lighting (§107.29)

  1. 11
    Civil twilight: 30 min BEFORE sunrise to 30 min AFTER sunset (CONUS)

    Outside CONUS: see Air Almanac

  2. 12
    Anti-collision lighting required during civil twilight AND night

    Visible for 3 statute miles, sufficient flash rate

  3. 13
    Night ops allowed without waiver if: (1) RP has training covering night AND (2) aircraft has anti-collision lighting

    2021 amendment — pre-2021 every night flight needed a waiver

  4. 14
    Civil twilight is NOT night — they are two distinct periods (both require anti-collision lighting)

    §107.29(d) — night = end of evening civil twilight to start of morning civil twilight

Alcohol, drugs, medical (§107.27 / §91.17)

  1. 15
    Bottle-to-throttle: 8 hours minimum

    Same as Part 91 — applied through §107.27

  2. 16
    BAC limit: 0.04% (and not impaired)

    Half the typical driving limit

  3. 17
    No flying under the influence of any drug (including OTC) that affects faculties

    Includes Benadryl, sleep aids, anything that causes drowsiness

Accident reporting (§107.9)

  1. 18
    Trigger (ANY one of three): serious injury OR loss of consciousness OR property damage > $500 (excluding sUAS)

    OR not AND — any one triggers

  2. 19
    Deadline: 10 calendar days

    Submit via FAA DroneZone

  3. 20
    NTSB Part 830 also required if anyone is killed or seriously injured — regardless of UAS weight

    49 CFR §830.2 — common test trap

Certification (§107.61, §107.65, §107.77)

  1. 21
    Minimum age: 16

    §107.61(a)

  2. 22
    Pass score: 70% (42/60 correct)

    FAA Knowledge Test, 2 hours, 3-choice multiple choice

  3. 23
    Recurrent training: free online ALC-677 every 24 calendar months

    Both Part 107-only and Part 61 pilots use ALC-677

  4. 24
    Change of address: notify FAA within 30 days

    §107.77

  5. 25
    Certificate must be available for inspection by FAA, NTSB, TSA, law enforcement

    Paper, PDF, or photo all acceptable

Registration (Part 48)

  1. 26
    Fee: $5. Term: 3 years. Number must be externally visible on the aircraft

    Since Feb 2019 — no longer acceptable inside battery compartment

  2. 27
    All Part 107 aircraft must be registered regardless of weight. Recreational < 0.55 lb is exempt under §44809

    Common trap — 0.55 lb exemption is recreational-only

Remote ID (Part 89, effective Sept 16 2023)

  1. 28
    Three compliance paths: (1) Standard Remote ID, (2) Broadcast Module, (3) FRIA (FAA-Recognized Identification Area)

    Pick one — most modern drones have built-in Standard RID

  2. 29
    Broadcast contents: UAS ID, lat/lon/alt, velocity, control-station lat/lon, time, emergency status

    Broadcast over Bluetooth/Wi-Fi; received by FAA app

Airspace authorization (§107.41)

  1. 30
    Class B, C, D, and Class E surface — ATC authorization required (LAANC or DroneZone)

    You CANNOT just call the tower for permission on the radio

  2. 31
    Class G — no authorization needed, but all other Part 107 rules apply (400 AGL, VLOS, etc.)

    Most rural areas under 1,200 ft AGL

  3. 32
    LAANC: instant authorization at/below UAS Facility Map grid altitude. Grid '0' = manual approval required

    Free; use Aloft, Airmap, Skyward, etc.

Sectional chart — colors that win exam points

  1. 33
    Class B: solid BLUE lines. Class C: solid MAGENTA. Class D: dashed BLUE (ceiling in [brackets] = MSL hundreds)
  2. 34
    Class E to surface: dashed MAGENTA line around airport (requires authorization)

    Found at non-towered airports with instrument approaches

  3. 35
    Class E starting 700 AGL: faded/shaded MAGENTA. Class E starting 1,200 AGL: faded/shaded BLUE

    Below the floor of either = Class G (no authorization needed)

  4. 36
    Mode C veil: thin solid MAGENTA circle 30 NM around primary Class B airport

    Manned aircraft in the veil need a Mode C transponder

  5. 37
    MEF (Maximum Elevation Figure): the largest digit = thousands of feet MSL, smaller digit = hundreds

    Example: '15' = 1,500 ft MSL — clears all obstacles in that quadrant

Right of way (§107.37)

  1. 38
    sUAS YIELDS to ALL other aircraft — manned or unmanned — at all times

    Even if they're illegally in your area

  2. 39
    Manned ROW order (least to most maneuverable): Balloon > Glider > Airship > Airplane/Rotorcraft

    Aircraft in distress always has ROW

Weather — quick decoder

  1. 40
    METAR sky: FEW ≤ 2 oktas · SCT 3-4 · BKN 5-7 · OVC 8. Cloud height = hundreds of feet AGL (BKN040 = 4,000 AGL)

    Ceiling = lowest BKN or OVC

  2. 41
    METAR temp: M = minus (M05/M10 = -5°C / -10°C). Altimeter: A2992 = 29.92 inHg. Visibility: P6SM = > 6 statute miles
  3. 42
    AIRMETs: Sierra = mountain obscuration/IFR · Tango = turbulence · Zulu = icing

    Active 6-hour windows

  4. 43
    Convective SIGMET = tornadoes OR hail ≥ ¾" OR winds ≥ 50 kt OR line/embedded TS

    Don't fly if a Convective SIGMET covers your area

  5. 44
    Microburst: downdraft up to 6,000 fpm, outflow up to 45 kt, total duration 5–15 min

    Devastating to small UAS — avoid all storm cells

  6. 45
    Density altitude: hot + high + humid = HIGH DA = degraded performance

    Thinner air, less thrust, less lift

Performance & loading

  1. 46
    Forward CG: more stable, slower, higher stall, harder flare. Aft CG: less stable, faster, lower stall, harder recovery

    Generally forward CG is safer

  2. 47
    Load factor in turn = 1 / cos(bank). 30°=1.15G · 45°=1.41G · 60°=2G · 75°=3.86G

    Stall speed in turn = Vs × √(load factor) — at 60° bank, stall speed jumps 41%

  3. 48
    LiPo in thermal runaway: COOL with copious WATER (Class D agents are for lithium METAL, different chemistry)

    Common confusion — water IS the right choice for Li-ion/LiPo

Decision-making models (memorize the acronyms)

  1. 49
    Hazardous attitudes (5): Anti-authority, Impulsivity, Invulnerability, Macho, Resignation — each has its own antidote

    Match exact wording — "Follow the rules", "Not so fast", "It could happen to me", "Taking chances is foolish", "I'm not helpless"

  2. 50
    PAVE: Pilot, Aircraft, enVironment, External pressures

    Pre-flight risk model

  3. 51
    IMSAFE: Illness, Medication, Stress, Alcohol, Fatigue, Eating/Emotion

    Personal pre-flight checklist

  4. 52
    DECIDE: Detect, Estimate, Choose, Identify, Do, Evaluate

    Six-step problem-solving

  5. 53
    3P: Perceive, Process, Perform

    Continuous loop, not one-time

Airport & radio

  1. 54
    Standard traffic pattern: LEFT turns. Entry on 45° to downwind at pattern altitude

    Right traffic shown as 'RP' near runway in A/FD

  2. 55
    Runway number = magnetic heading / 10. Runway 27 ≈ 270°. Opposite end = 27 ↔ 09
  3. 56
    CTAF default at non-towered fields: 122.9 (MULTICOM) unless assigned otherwise

    Always check chart supplement for the actual frequency

  4. 57
    Beacon during DAYTIME at Class B/C/D/E surface = IFR conditions (ceiling < 1,000 ft and/or vis < 3 SM)

    Common test trap — beacon at NIGHT is normal

  5. 58
    VASI: 'Red over white, you're alright' (on glidepath). 'Red over red, you're dead' (too low). 'White over white, out of sight' (too high)

    PAPI uses 4 lights in a row, same colors

TFRs

  1. 59
    Stadium TFR (FDC 4/3621): 30,000+ open-air seats · 3 NM lateral / 3,000 AGL · 1 hr before to 1 hr after

    MLB, NFL, NCAA D1 football, NASCAR/Indy/Champ Car

  2. 60
    Presidential TFR: 10 NM inner (no GA), 30 NM outer, surface to 17,999 MSL

    Felony-level enforcement

  3. 61
    Wildfire TFR (§91.137): NEVER fly. Even small drones ground all firefighting aircraft

    Fines have exceeded $20,000 for single incursions

Night vision (physiology)

  1. 62
    Dark adaptation: 30 min. One bright light resets you back to zero

    Use red flashlight for chart reading at night

  2. 63
    Rods = low-light/peripheral. Cones = color/central. Use OFF-CENTER viewing at night

    Center vision (cones) is useless in low light

Common test traps

  1. 64
    0.55 lb = 250 g — same threshold, just different units. FAA uses both

    Part 48 registration threshold

  2. 65
    Property damage > $500 EXCLUDES the cost of your own sUAS

    If only the drone is damaged, no report needed

  3. 66
    MTRs: 4-digit identifier = entirely at or below 1,500 AGL. 3-digit = at least one segment ABOVE 1,500 AGL

    AIM 3-5-2 — easy to flip the rule

  4. 67
    Civil twilight ≠ night. Two separate periods. Both need anti-collision lighting, but only true night needs the special training