Last Friday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released a “refresher” on its Part 107 rule for small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS or drones) in a “Fact Sheet” available here. The Fact Sheet outlines all the basics of Part 107 including:
- Operating Requirements – “You must keep your drone within sight;” “you can fly during daylight;” “minimum weather visibility is three miles from your control station.”
- Registration – “anyone flying under Part 107 has to register each drone they intend to operate.”
- Pilot Certification – “you need a remote pilot certificate with small UAS rating;” “you must be at least 16 years old;” “you must pass an initial aeronautical knowledge test at an FAA-approved knowledge testing center” or “if you already have a Part 61 pilot certificate, you must have completed a flight review in the previous 24 months and you must take a small UAS online training course.”
- UAS Certification – “you are responsible for ensuring a drone is safe before flying.”
- Other Requirements – “you must make your drone available to FAA for inspection or testing on request;” “you must report any operation that results in serious injury, loss of consciousness, or property damage of at least $500 to the FAA within 10 days.”
- Waivers and Airspace Authorizations – “the FAA can issue waivers to certain requirements of Part 107 if an operator demonstrates they can fly safely under the waiver;” “in November 2017, the FAA deployed the Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) for drone operators at several air traffic facilities” and the FAA “will now conduct a nationwide beta test beginning April 30 that will deploy LAANC incrementally at nearly 300 air traffic facilities covering approximately 500 airports.”
For more information on Part 107, visit the FAA’s website here.