FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Test Prep: The Complete Drone Certification Study System — California Professional Training, 0 hours

Part 1 — Regulations and Certification: The Rules That Make You a Remote Pilot FAA Part 107 Test Prep · 101PD original study text · ALWAYS FREE · Not affiliated with the FAA · Rules paraphrased from 14 CFR Part 107 — verify current text at faa.gov · Draft v1 pending owner review §1.1 What Part 107 is, and who needs it Part 107 is the FAA's rulebook for COMMERCIAL small unmanned aircraft (sUAS) operations — drones under 55 POUNDS flown for any non-recreational purpose. The dividing line the test loves: PURPOSE, not payment paperwork. Shooting a listing's aerial photos for a real estate agent, inspecting a roof for a contractor, monetized YouTube footage, even volunteering drone photos to a business — all COMMERCIAL, all Part 107. Purely recreational flying runs under the separate recreational rules (TRUST test territory) — but the moment flight serves a business purpose, the remote pilot certificate governs. THE CERTIFICATE: minimum age 16, English proficiency, physical/mental fitness to operate safely, pass the initial knowledge test at an approved testing center, clear TSA vetting. It never "expires" like a license but requires RECURRENT TRAINING every 24 CALENDAR MONTHS — now satisfied by the FAA's FREE online recurrent course (the modern answer; the old paid recurrent test is history — verify current). Carry the certificate when flying; present it to the FAA, NTSB, TSA, or law enforcement on request. §1.2 The operating rules grid: the numbers to memorize The test's core grid — drill until automatic. ALTITUDE: maximum 400 FEET above ground level (AGL) — EXCEPT within a 400-foot radius of a STRUCTURE, where you may fly up to 400 feet above the structure's top (the tower-inspection rule). SPEED: maximum 100 MPH (87 knots) groundspeed. VISIBILITY: minimum 3 STATUTE MILES from the control station. CLOUD CLEARANCE: at least 500 FEET BELOW and 2,000 FEET HORIZONTAL from clouds. VISUAL LINE OF SIGHT (VLOS): the remote pilot (or visual observer teamed with them) must be able to see the aircraft UNAIDED (glasses/contacts fine; binoculars only for momentary assistance, never as the primary means). ONE AT A TIME: one remote pilot commands one sUAS at once (waiverable). NIGHT OPS: permitted WITHOUT waiver since the 2021 rule IF the pilot has current night training/recurrent content AND the aircraft carries anti-collision lighting visible for 3 STATUTE MILES (civil twilight ops need the same lighting). FROM VEHICLES: operating from a moving vehicle only in sparsely populated areas (and never from a moving aircraft). CARELESS/RECKLESS: the catch-all prohibition; dropping objects that endanger is likewise barred. §1.3 People, property, and the category rules Over people: the modern framework replaces the old flat ban with CATEGORIES (1-4) based on injury risk — small/shielded aircraft through certified configurations — plus the standing allowances: flight over people DIRECTLY PARTICIPATING in the operation, or under a COVERED STRUCTURE/stationary covered vehicle. The test-safe summary: flight over open-air assemblies and unprotected people requires meeting the category rules (and Remote ID); when in doubt, don't overfly people. Over moving vehicles: restricted along