Crew resource management — Part 107 practice questions

10 practice questions on crew resource management from the FAA remote pilot knowledge test, each with the correct answer and why it is correct.

1. 01

   A visual observer is positioned far enough away that radio contact with the remote pilot is intermittent. What does part 107 require?

   • Effective communication must be maintained at all times, so the arrangement is not acceptableCorrect
   • Intermittent communication is acceptable if the observer can still see the aircraft
   • The observer may relay through a third person on the ground
   • Communication is required only during takeoff and landing
   Why

   107.33 requires effective communication at all times, so intermittent is a failure of the requirement rather than a degraded form of meeting it. An observer who cannot pass a warning at the moment it matters adds nothing, and relaying through a third person adds the delay the rule is written to prevent.

2. 02

   What is the purpose of a crew briefing before a small UAS operation?

   • To establish roles, the flight plan, identified hazards, communication, and emergency actionsCorrect
   • To satisfy a part 107 requirement that briefings be logged and retained for 24 months
   • To agree the price and scope of the work with the client
   • To calibrate the aircraft's compass and update its firmware
   Why

   It sets the shared picture the operation runs on: who does what, the intended flight profile, the hazards found during the site assessment, how the crew will communicate, and what happens in an emergency. Part 107 imposes no logging requirement on it — the briefing earns its place operationally, not as paperwork.

3. 03

   Which of the following most directly degrades a remote pilot's situational awareness?

   • Fixating on the camera feed and neglecting to scan for other trafficCorrect
   • Delegating airspace scanning to a briefed visual observer
   • Using a written checklist during preflight inspection
   • Announcing the operation on the airport's common traffic advisory frequency
   Why

   Fixation is the classic failure: the camera feed is compelling, it is where the job appears to be, and attention spent there is attention not spent on the airspace. The other options describe the opposite — delegating scanning to a briefed observer, working to a checklist and announcing on the CTAF all widen awareness rather than narrowing it.

4. 04

   Why should a crew agree on standard phraseology during the briefing?

   • So instructions given at high-workload moments are not misinterpretedCorrect
   • Because part 107 prescribes the exact wording crews must use
   • So the crew can operate without maintaining continuous communication
   • To allow the visual observer to fly the aircraft when needed
   Why

   Agreed wording costs nothing to set up and pays off precisely when there is no time to ask what someone meant — a traffic call, an abort. Part 107 prescribes no phraseology for unmanned crews, which is exactly why the crew has to settle it themselves rather than assume a shared vocabulary.

5. 05

   Why are airspace review, weather checks, and the crew briefing completed before launch?

   • So they do not compete for attention with flying the aircraftCorrect
   • Because part 107 forbids the use of electronic devices during flight
   • Because they cannot legally be performed once the aircraft is airborne
   • So the flight can be conducted beyond visual line of sight
   Why

   Because attention is the scarce resource once the aircraft is up, and every task moved to the ground is attention returned to flying. Nothing in part 107 bars using a device in flight or performing these checks late — they are done early because doing them late means doing them badly.

6. 06

   What does crew resource management refer to in a small UAS operation?

   • The effective use of all available resources, including people, hardware, and informationCorrect
   • The assignment of a second remote pilot to every flight
   • The maintenance schedule agreed between the crew and the manufacturer
   • The division of profits among the members of a commercial flight crew
   Why

   CRM is the effective use of everything available to the operation — people, hardware and information — rather than a headcount requirement. A single remote pilot with a checklist, a weather briefing and a radio is practising it; two people who never established who was watching for traffic are not.

7. 07

   A single remote pilot must fly the aircraft, operate the camera, and watch for traffic near a busy road. What is the appropriate crew resource management response?

   • Add a visual observer or otherwise redistribute the tasks before flyingCorrect
   • Fly faster so the exposure to the high workload is shorter
   • Skip the traffic scan, since 107.37 places the duty to avoid on manned aircraft
   • Continue as planned, because part 107 permits single-pilot operations
   Why

   The response to a workload beyond one person is to change the workload, not to absorb it: add a visual observer, sequence the tasks so they stop overlapping, or drop what is not essential. Flying faster shortens the exposure while raising the demand, and 107.37's yield requirement runs the other way — it obliges you to see traffic, not to be excused from looking.

8. 08

   What is the primary duty of a visual observer under 14 CFR 107.33?

   • To see the unmanned aircraft and scan the airspace for other traffic and hazardsCorrect
   • To operate the flight controls whenever the remote pilot in command is occupied
   • To keep the maintenance records for the small unmanned aircraft system
   • To obtain airspace authorization from Air Traffic Control
   Why

   The observer's job is to see: to keep the unmanned aircraft in sight and scan the airspace around it for traffic and hazards. It is deliberately not a flying role — handing the observer the controls leaves nobody performing the function the position exists for.

9. 09

   An uncertificated person wishes to fly the aircraft under part 107. What makes this permissible?

   • A certificated remote pilot in command directly supervises and can immediately take direct controlCorrect
   • The uncertificated person has passed a manufacturer's online training course
   • The flight is conducted entirely within Class G airspace below 400 feet AGL
   • The uncertificated person is at least 16 years of age
   Why

   The supervision has to be real in both senses 107.19 requires: direct, and backed by the ability to take control immediately. That normally means standing beside the operator with a buddy-box or the transmitter within reach. Airspace class, age and manufacturer training have no bearing — the legality rests on the supervising pilot's certificate and their capacity to intervene.

10. 10

    A visual observer tells the remote pilot in command that an aircraft is approaching, but the pilot does not see it. What is the appropriate response?

    • Act on the observer's report and take action to remain well clearCorrect
    • Continue the flight until the pilot sees the traffic personally
    • Ask the observer to confirm the aircraft's registration before acting
    • Disregard the report, since only the pilot's own observation counts
    Why

    The observer exists to see what the pilot cannot; treating their report as unconfirmed until the pilot sees it too discards the entire value of the position. Act first, verify afterwards. Registration is irrelevant — remaining well clear does not depend on knowing which aircraft you are avoiding.