I've owned various drones for several years. I just recently upgraded to a DJI Air 3S and for various reasons, I decided to "go legit". I registered the drone with the FAA (I usually do that for my drones) and I finally took and passed the 107 exam. But I think the FAA is really making a mistake with how it works. Here's why...
US issues with DJI aside, small, inexpensive drones are everywhere... and growing. That means the number of inexperienced pilots are growing. "It's just a toy", right? We all know that's not true. But to a lot of people, these flying cameras are just innocent toys. (It's all fun and games until it hits someone or something.)
There was a lot in the 107 prep that I really liked. But to be honest, I've been flying drones long enough that I don't think there was much that was related to quadcopter that I felt was "new". What I did find "new" was all of the stuff related to fixed wing aircraft, airport taxiways and reading FAA weather reports. And I found it pretty useless - at least for what I do.
The only time I'm going to see taxiway markings is as a passenger looking through the window of a Delta jet. The only time I'm going to see a METAR or TAF report and be required to decipher what the forecast is at KMEM will be the next time I have to take a 107 renewal test. If I'm concerned about the weather, I've got an app for that (as well as a set of eyeballs) that can instantly tell me of it's worth flying my consumer drone given the weather outside my door.
My point is this: the FAA needs a "lesser" certification for the tons of "toy" drone buyers. It would be a great thing if people needed to learn the rules - and why they exist. But if I wasn't intent on finally getting a 107 cert, I would have been 10 minutes into research and practice test questions before I would have walked away. The stuff I had to study the most and had the most difficulty with in the test was all stuff that has zero bearing on me as a consumer-grade quadcopter pilot. And it would have driven me away.
I get it... now that I've passed my 107, I'm licensed to fly fixed-wing drones just as I am for my Air 3S. I could't care less; I'm not planning on ever flying a fixed wing drone. If I did, I would be happy to study and pass the cert for that. But please, don't bury the stuff I should study, understand and test for against the aircraft that I do intend to fly.
Yes, I get it... too much granularity in certifications makes it more complex to administer. I'm sorry... but this isn't about making it "easy" for the governing body. This should be about making it safe with the ever-increasing number of flying toy cameras wizzing over all of our heads.
I wish the FAA would consider a "107-lite" cert that is focused on the consumer quadcopter drone industry. Make it easier for people to want to get that cert. Don't bury them in minutia that only applies to fixed-wing pilots flying out of airports. Instead, teach the consumers the safety aspects of what they are actually going to do. And save costs (plus time and hassle) by putting the "107 lite" cert exam online.
Let me back this up with some stats. As of 10/1/24, there were ~415 thousand FAA 107 certified pilots in the US. At that same time, there were ~791 thousand registered drones. [https://www.faa.gov/node/54496]. But that's REGISTERED drones according to the FAA. Numbers vary but this report says there are roughly 3 million drones in the US (this number is lower estimate than most). [As Drones Take Flight, So Do Concerns About Safety]. 3 MILLION. If we assume 1 drone per person, that's as few as 14% of drone owners have bothered to do the 107 cert. I know the number isn't 100%, but if I hop in my car right now and drive down the highway, I'm sure 99 point-something percent of people on the road are licensed. But if I fly my drone, I'm in the minority at about 14%... while 86% are not certified/licensed. Yikes!
The FAA really needs to take steps to increase that number of certified drone pilots - for EVERYONE's sake.
I did add a note to the end of my exam when given the opportunity stating what I said here. But I thought I would put it to the community, too.
[P.S. As I write this, the weather at KMEM is 9 knot winds from the NE (50-degrees) with 8 mile visibility. There you have it - the only time in the real world that my new knowledge of METAR's will be put to use!!!]
US issues with DJI aside, small, inexpensive drones are everywhere... and growing. That means the number of inexperienced pilots are growing. "It's just a toy", right? We all know that's not true. But to a lot of people, these flying cameras are just innocent toys. (It's all fun and games until it hits someone or something.)
There was a lot in the 107 prep that I really liked. But to be honest, I've been flying drones long enough that I don't think there was much that was related to quadcopter that I felt was "new". What I did find "new" was all of the stuff related to fixed wing aircraft, airport taxiways and reading FAA weather reports. And I found it pretty useless - at least for what I do.
The only time I'm going to see taxiway markings is as a passenger looking through the window of a Delta jet. The only time I'm going to see a METAR or TAF report and be required to decipher what the forecast is at KMEM will be the next time I have to take a 107 renewal test. If I'm concerned about the weather, I've got an app for that (as well as a set of eyeballs) that can instantly tell me of it's worth flying my consumer drone given the weather outside my door.
My point is this: the FAA needs a "lesser" certification for the tons of "toy" drone buyers. It would be a great thing if people needed to learn the rules - and why they exist. But if I wasn't intent on finally getting a 107 cert, I would have been 10 minutes into research and practice test questions before I would have walked away. The stuff I had to study the most and had the most difficulty with in the test was all stuff that has zero bearing on me as a consumer-grade quadcopter pilot. And it would have driven me away.
I get it... now that I've passed my 107, I'm licensed to fly fixed-wing drones just as I am for my Air 3S. I could't care less; I'm not planning on ever flying a fixed wing drone. If I did, I would be happy to study and pass the cert for that. But please, don't bury the stuff I should study, understand and test for against the aircraft that I do intend to fly.
Yes, I get it... too much granularity in certifications makes it more complex to administer. I'm sorry... but this isn't about making it "easy" for the governing body. This should be about making it safe with the ever-increasing number of flying toy cameras wizzing over all of our heads.
I wish the FAA would consider a "107-lite" cert that is focused on the consumer quadcopter drone industry. Make it easier for people to want to get that cert. Don't bury them in minutia that only applies to fixed-wing pilots flying out of airports. Instead, teach the consumers the safety aspects of what they are actually going to do. And save costs (plus time and hassle) by putting the "107 lite" cert exam online.
Let me back this up with some stats. As of 10/1/24, there were ~415 thousand FAA 107 certified pilots in the US. At that same time, there were ~791 thousand registered drones. [https://www.faa.gov/node/54496]. But that's REGISTERED drones according to the FAA. Numbers vary but this report says there are roughly 3 million drones in the US (this number is lower estimate than most). [As Drones Take Flight, So Do Concerns About Safety]. 3 MILLION. If we assume 1 drone per person, that's as few as 14% of drone owners have bothered to do the 107 cert. I know the number isn't 100%, but if I hop in my car right now and drive down the highway, I'm sure 99 point-something percent of people on the road are licensed. But if I fly my drone, I'm in the minority at about 14%... while 86% are not certified/licensed. Yikes!
The FAA really needs to take steps to increase that number of certified drone pilots - for EVERYONE's sake.
I did add a note to the end of my exam when given the opportunity stating what I said here. But I thought I would put it to the community, too.
[P.S. As I write this, the weather at KMEM is 9 knot winds from the NE (50-degrees) with 8 mile visibility. There you have it - the only time in the real world that my new knowledge of METAR's will be put to use!!!]
