Regulations — Part 107 practice questions

22 practice questions on regulations from the FAA remote pilot knowledge test, each with the correct answer and why it is correct.

1. 01

   What document is recommended to be familiar with in addition to 14 CFR part 107?

   • AC 107-1
   • AC 107-2Correct
   • AC 107-3
   • AC 61-23
   Why

   AC 107-2, the advisory circular that accompanies the rule. The regulation says what is required; the AC explains how the FAA expects it to be met, which is where much of the practical guidance on maintenance, CRM and emergency planning actually lives.

2. 02

   What part of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) primarily governs small UAS operations?

   • Part 61
   • Part 91
   • Part 107Correct
   • Part 135
   Why

   Part 107 of 14 CFR. The others govern different populations: part 61 covers pilot certification for manned flight, part 91 general operating rules, and part 135 commuter and on-demand operations. Part 107 is self-contained, though it borrows individual provisions such as the substance rules in 91.17.

3. 03

   Under part 107, how many small unmanned aircraft may one person operate at the same time?

   • OneCorrect
   • Two, if a visual observer is used
   • Three, if all are within visual line of sight
   • Any number, if they are flown from a single control station
   Why

   107.35 limits a person to one aircraft at a time, and the limit follows the role rather than the equipment: it applies to acting as remote pilot in command and to serving as visual observer alike. Adding an observer or a shared control station does not divide the attention the rule assumes one person has.

4. 04

   What does part 107 say about carrying hazardous materials on a small unmanned aircraft?

   • It is prohibitedCorrect
   • It is permitted if the total weight stays under 55 pounds
   • It is permitted with a certificate of waiver
   • It is permitted over sparsely populated areas only
   Why

   107.36 is one of the few flat prohibitions in the part: hazardous material as defined in 49 CFR 171.8 may not be carried, full stop. There is no weight allowance, no sparsely-populated-area exception, and it is not among the sections a certificate of waiver can reach.

5. 05

   In which class of airspace may a remote pilot operate under part 107 without prior ATC authorization?

   • Class GCorrect
   • Class D
   • Class C
   • The surface area of Class E designated for an airport
   Why

   107.41 requires prior ATC authorization for Class B, C and D, and for the surface area of Class E designated for an airport. Class G is the only class the rule leaves out, which is why it is the one you may enter without asking. The authorization is airspace permission only — the 400-foot ceiling and every other part 107 limit still applies inside it.

6. 06

   How long after consuming alcohol must a person wait before acting as a remote pilot in command?

   • 8 hoursCorrect
   • 12 hours
   • 24 hours
   • 4 hours
   Why

   107.27 carries the manned-flight standard of 8 hours between the last drink and the controls. The waiting period is only one of the rule's tests, though: being under the influence disqualifies regardless of how much time has passed, so the clock is a floor rather than a guarantee.

7. 07

   What is the minimum age to be eligible for a remote pilot certificate with a small UAS rating?

   • 16 years of ageCorrect
   • 14 years of age
   • 17 years of age
   • 18 years of age
   Why

   107.61 sets the floor at 16. It is the age for holding the certificate; a younger person may still manipulate the controls under the direct supervision of a certificated remote pilot in command, because that path relies on the supervisor's certificate rather than the operator's.

8. 08

   How often must a certificated remote pilot complete recurrent training to stay current?

   • Within the previous 24 calendar monthsCorrect
   • Within the previous 12 calendar months
   • Within the previous 36 calendar months
   • Only once, at initial certification
   Why

   107.65 requires initial or recurrent training within the previous 24 calendar months. The certificate itself does not expire — currency does, and operating without it is what the rule prohibits. Calendar months mean the period runs to the end of the month, not to the anniversary date.

9. 09

   What must an applicant demonstrate to obtain a certificate of waiver under 14 CFR 107.200?

   • That the operation can be conducted safely under the terms of the certificate of waiverCorrect
   • That no alternative method of accomplishing the operation exists
   • That the operation will be conducted only over sparsely populated areas
   • That the remote pilot holds a manned-aircraft pilot certificate
   Why

   107.200 asks one question: can the operation be conducted safely under the terms the waiver would impose. Necessity is irrelevant — the FAA does not ask whether another method exists — and holding a manned-aircraft certificate buys nothing here. Note also that only the sections listed in 107.205 are waivable at all.

10. 10

    Which device may be used and still satisfy the visual line of sight requirement of 14 CFR 107.31?

    • Corrective lensesCorrect
    • Binoculars
    • A first-person-view camera
    • A spotting scope
    Why

    107.31 requires the aircraft to be seen with vision unaided by any device other than corrective lenses. Glasses and contact lenses correct the eye to normal; binoculars and spotting scopes extend it, and first-person view replaces it entirely. Those may supplement the required unaided view, but they cannot be what satisfies it.

11. 11

    A small unmanned aircraft is destroyed on impact and also breaks a $200 window. No one is injured. What reporting is required?

    • No report is required, because the damage to other property is under $500Correct
    • A report is required, because the aircraft itself was destroyed
    • A report is required within 24 hours regardless of the damage amount
    • A report is required only if the property owner requests one
    Why

    107.9 measures the $500 threshold against property other than the small unmanned aircraft, so the destroyed aircraft does not count towards it no matter what it cost. With $200 of damage to the window and no serious injury or loss of consciousness, neither trigger in the rule is met and no report is due.

12. 12

    A remote pilot wants to inspect the top of a 900-foot tower. What does part 107 allow?

    • Flight up to 1,300 feet AGL, provided the aircraft stays within a 400-foot radius of the towerCorrect
    • Flight up to 400 feet AGL only, because the 400-foot ceiling has no exceptions
    • Flight up to 900 feet AGL anywhere within one statute mile of the tower
    • Flight to any altitude, because structure inspection is exempt from altitude limits
    Why

    The structure exception in 107.51 does not lift the ceiling, it moves it: you may fly up to 400 feet above the structure's uppermost limit, which for a 900-foot tower is 1,300 feet AGL. The permission is bought with proximity — stray beyond a 400-foot radius of the tower and the ordinary 400-foot AGL ceiling applies again.

13. 13

    When may a small unmanned aircraft be operated from a moving land vehicle under part 107?

    • Over a sparsely populated area, when not carrying another person's property for compensation or hireCorrect
    • Anywhere, provided a visual observer is on board the vehicle
    • Over any area, provided the vehicle stays below 25 miles per hour
    • Never, under any circumstances
    Why

    107.25 permits it only where both conditions in the rule hold: the flight is over a sparsely populated area, and the aircraft is not carrying another person's property for compensation or hire. Operating from a moving aircraft is barred outright — the exception covers land and water-borne vehicles only.

14. 14

    An FAA inspector asks a remote pilot in command to produce their remote pilot certificate at the operating site. What is required?

    • The certificate must be made available upon requestCorrect
    • The certificate may be mailed to the FAA within 10 calendar days
    • The certificate need only be produced if an accident has occurred
    • A photograph of the certificate is never acceptable and a hearing is required
    Why

    107.7 requires the certificate to be made available upon request, which means at the time of asking rather than by post afterwards. The duty is not limited to accidents, and it extends beyond the remote pilot in command to the owner and to whoever is manipulating the controls.

15. 15

    Within what period must a remote pilot in command report a qualifying accident to the FAA?

    • 10 calendar daysCorrect
    • 24 hours
    • 48 hours
    • 30 calendar days
    Why

    107.9 allows 10 calendar days, counted in calendar days rather than business days. It is a reporting deadline, not an immediate notification requirement — the shorter periods offered here belong to other parts of the regulations, not to part 107 accident reporting.

16. 16

    What are the minimum cloud clearance requirements for a small unmanned aircraft operated under part 107?

    • 500 feet below and 2,000 feet horizontallyCorrect
    • 1,000 feet below and 2,000 feet horizontally
    • 500 feet below and 1,000 feet horizontally
    • Clear of clouds in all directions
    Why

    107.51 sets two different distances for two different directions: 500 feet below the cloud and 2,000 feet horizontally from it. The asymmetry is the point — the horizontal figure is four times the vertical one, because an aircraft emerging from the side of a cloud arrives with far less warning than one descending through its base.

17. 17

    A manned aircraft approaches the area where a small unmanned aircraft is operating. Who has the right of way?

    • The manned aircraft, and the small unmanned aircraft must yieldCorrect
    • Whichever aircraft is at the lower altitude
    • The small unmanned aircraft, because it is less manoeuvrable
    • Whichever aircraft is on the right
    Why

    107.37 makes right of way one-directional: the small unmanned aircraft yields to all aircraft, airborne vehicles, and launch and reentry vehicles. Altitude, position and manoeuvrability do not enter into it. The separate requirement not to operate so close as to create a collision hazard applies whether or not anyone has yielded.

18. 18

    Who is directly responsible for and the final authority as to the operation of a small unmanned aircraft system?

    • The remote pilot in commandCorrect
    • The visual observer
    • The person manipulating the flight controls
    • The owner of the aircraft
    Why

    107.19 places both the responsibility and the final authority with the remote pilot in command. The role is distinct from the person manipulating the controls, who may be someone else flying under that pilot's direct supervision, and from the owner, who may never touch the aircraft. Responsibility follows the certificate, not the hardware.

19. 19

    How is the 55-pound limit for a small unmanned aircraft measured?

    • Less than 55 pounds at takeoff, including everything on board or attachedCorrect
    • Less than 55 pounds of airframe weight, excluding batteries and payload
    • Less than 55 pounds of payload, in addition to the airframe
    • Less than 55 pounds at landing, after any payload has been released
    Why

    The definition weighs the aircraft as it leaves the ground: less than 55 pounds at takeoff, including everything on board or otherwise attached. Batteries, camera and payload are all part of that figure. Weighing the airframe alone, or treating 55 pounds as a payload allowance on top of it, would put aircraft outside part 107 inside it.

20. 20

    Under 14 CFR part 107, what is the maximum groundspeed permitted for a small unmanned aircraft?

    • 87 knots (100 miles per hour)Correct
    • 100 knots (115 miles per hour)
    • 45 knots (52 miles per hour)
    • There is no groundspeed limit below 400 feet AGL
    Why

    107.51 caps groundspeed at 87 knots, which the rule then restates as 100 miles per hour. The two figures describe the same limit in different units, so an answer pairing 100 with knots inflates it by roughly 15 percent. The cap applies regardless of altitude — there is no band low enough to fly out from under it.

21. 21

    After deviating from a rule of part 107 to meet an in-flight emergency, what must the remote pilot in command do?

    • Send a written report of the deviation upon request of the AdministratorCorrect
    • File a written report within 10 calendar days in every case
    • Notify Air Traffic Control within 24 hours
    • Nothing further; an emergency deviation requires no follow-up
    Why

    107.21 pairs the deviation authority with a conditional obligation: a written report is owed upon request of the Administrator, not automatically. That is the distinction the wrong answers blur — nothing is filed as a matter of course, and nothing is owed to ATC, but the pilot must be able to account for the deviation if asked.

22. 22

    Where is the 3 statute mile minimum flight visibility measured from?

    • The location of the control stationCorrect
    • The small unmanned aircraft itself
    • The nearest official weather reporting station
    • The centre of the operating area
    Why

    107.51 ties the 3 statute mile minimum to the location of the control station, not to the aircraft and not to the nearest weather reporting station. The rule is written around what the remote pilot can actually see from where they are standing, which is also what the visual line of sight requirement depends on.