Part 107—How intense is the test?

[sar104]

The Part 107 exam is directly taken from the Private Pilot written exam. The FAA simply repackaged some of the material and questions. Everyone has different opinions but I believe there are many parts that do not apply to UAS pilots. Examples include crew resource management, weight and balance, the effect of bank angle on stall speed. While those are all very important when flying a fixed wing aircraft, they have little to no relevance in flying a quad-copter. I specifically said quad-copter because stall speed obviously does have some relevance in flying RC fixed wing aircraft.

Since they had the opportunity to write a relevant and targeted exam, they really could have (and should have) done a much better job. I fully agree that if you want to fly commercially in the NAS then you should definitely know how to read VFR sectional charts and know what the airspace is above your head. That seems to be the tough part for most new UAS pilots who say it is too difficult.

On the other hand the METAR standard is probably something that the average UAS pilot has no need to know. With today's technology, Internet connectivity, portable devices, and weather apps, it just isn't something that we use.

They did tweak the content when they created the slightly shorter recurrent test, but I haven't looked to see whether the initial test has changed.

 

[rangemaster728]

The recurrent test (at least mine) was about 75% chart-related. The rest were divided between TAF/METAR, regulatory and CRM/ADM.

The recurrent test seemed to focus more on things we actually use (or should use) on a daily basis on 107 jobs.

BTW...for those of you that wonder about CRM (Crew Resource Management) - these concepts are VERY valid when you have a job that requires spotters, etc.

Same for ADM (Aeronautical Decision Making).

Learn that stuff; not just for the test, as that knowledge has served me well over the years in both manned and remote flight.

Here’s a tip...while many of your questions will deal with charts (specifically Sectional charts), the test illustration book also includes the chart legend...use it.

 

[sar104]

The recurrent test (at least mine) was about 75% chart-related. The rest were divided between TAF/METAR, regulatory and CRM/ADM.

The recurrent test seemed to focus more on things we actually use (or should use) on a daily basis on 107 jobs.

BTW...for those of you that wonder about CRM (Crew Resource Management) - these concepts are VERY valid when you have a job that requires spotters, etc.

Same for ADM (Aeronautical Decision Making).

Learn that stuff; not just for the test, as that knowledge has served me well over the years in both manned and remote flight.

Yes - but topics were removed. I'm not sure why you had weather questions on the recurrent test - I didn't get any and weather was dropped:

 

[rangemaster728]

Yes - but topics were removed. I'm not sure why you had weather questions on the recurrent test - I didn't get any and weather was dropped:

View attachment 91081

Perhaps you’re right...I’ve slept at least once since then lol...

It MAY have been a question under operations where they quoted a METAR and inquired about flight visibility/ceilings.

On another subject - I suspected the test was chart-heavy so I took a plotter (which was allowed) but could not use it; the charts are reduced-scale so the plotter was useless.

I made one for quick distance measurement using the test center-supplied paper and a pencil off the sm/nm scale on the bottom of their chart.

 

[crlmjohnson]

just a little side note: trying to fly these little copters faster in strong winds, they will try to stall on you. in my experience...since I have been flying...I sometimes fly my MP2 in strongs winds and if you try to fly fast the display will display a high wind velocity and advise you to land...similar to almost having a stall. I just slow, and if possible turn the drone with the wind and keep flying. keep your eye on the battery and how far you are from the drone and home point.

 

[Deleted member 114292]

You may be right about METAR, but then the examples on the test are pretty easy. And in the end they are the official weather, meaning if the was ever a question on a flight about say visibility, the FAA would probably look to the nearest weather station.
It does inform you about the various kinds of weather to look for - all the abbreviations. If you would have to memorized all those I would have failed.
Point taken though, in practice no one ever really decodes them.
And they are re-working the test.

 

[emvision]

I took a 6 weekend prep course at my local CC. It was very helpful as opposed to the on-line courses because there was an instructor and you could ask questions on things that weren't clear. One thing he kept saying over and over again was that the test would try to "trick" you with oddly worded questions. Well, sure enough, he was right. I was getting mid 80's on the practice tests, but the final exam I got a 72 WHAT! (70 is passing). The was a question about the amount of time you have to wait to fly after consuming alcohol (8 hours), but the way the question was worded, that was not the correct answer. So yes, as others have said, get good with weather, and the maps.

 

[PhantomFandom]

I took a 6 weekend prep course at my local CC. It was very helpful as opposed to the on-line courses because there was an instructor and you could ask questions on things that weren't clear. One thing he kept saying over and over again was that the test would try to "trick" you with oddly worded questions. Well, sure enough, he was right. I was getting mid 80's on the practice tests, but the final exam I got a 72 WHAT! (70 is passing). The was a question about the amount of time you have to wait to fly after consuming alcohol (8 hours), but the way the question was worded, that was not the correct answer. So yes, as others have said, get good with weather, and the maps.

I would need to respectfully disagree with the part about the FAA trying to trick you. I have taken many exams over the years, in many different disciplines. Some of them truly do try to trick you to choose the wrong answer. However I did not find that with any FAA exams. I will say that some questions (a small minority) are poorly worded, but I did not see any that were deliberately misleading. In fact most of the questions have at least one answer which is blatantly and obviously wrong, so they are making it easier to pass.

As with any exam, it is just imperative that you read every question very carefully to make sure that you know exactly what is being asked. The addition or subtraction of a simple word like "not" changes the entire meaning of the question.

 

[rangemaster728]

Just remember in taking the test - you can “mark” questions as you take the test...and before you submit it you can go back and easily re-visit those particular questions.

Sometimes a question you answer later in the test may jog your memory and lead you to a different (hopefully correct) answer on a previous question.

 

[Rcarman]

Charts and navigation and radio frequencies makes up a lot of the questions

 

[Captain Zipper]

On another subject - I suspected the test was chart-heavy so I took a plotter (which was allowed) but could not use it; the charts are reduced-scale so the plotter was useless.

I made one for quick distance measurement using the test center-supplied paper and a pencil off the sm/nm scale on the bottom of their chart.

LOL I did the same with pencil and paper.

 

[strdr]

When I took the test there were a few, what I would call, trick questions i.e. questions that seem to have more than one viable answer. An example that I remember was: What type of airspace does Class D turn into when the tower is closed. This confused the heck out of me when I took the test because I had not seen that information anywhere in the materials I studied. I studied pretty well imho. The questions were more inline with PPL testing. I understand many of the questions are pulled from that test.
Btw, Class D, at some airports, turns into Class E airspace when the tower is closed; at others it turns into class G. You have to check NOTAMS for the info or the Airport facility Directory.

 

[hiflyer201]

at least you don't have to memorize the AIM...have you ever seen it?...it's telephone books sized and it only tells a pilot what he CAN'T do...you have to figure out for yourself what you can..lol

 

[Mavic Mac]

a few post above, members talk about taking a practice test? where can i find this? to have an idea?

HERE is the link to the FAA practice questions

 

[D-Rosin]

HERE is the link to the FAA practice questions

WTF 130 question? to fly a drone , im done i do not have the patience to take a test like this.. so i guess ill be putting my drone up for sale MPP, never even flew it.... brand new.

 

[emvision]

I would need to respectfully disagree with the part about the FAA trying to trick you. I have taken many exams over the years, in many different disciplines. Some of them truly do try to trick you to choose the wrong answer. However I did not find that with any FAA exams. I will say that some questions (a small minority) are poorly worded, but I did not see any that were deliberately misleading. In fact most of the questions have at least one answer which is blatantly and obviously wrong, so they are making it easier to pass.

As with any exam, it is just imperative that you read every question very carefully to make sure that you know exactly what is being asked. The addition or subtraction of a simple word like "not" changes the entire meaning of the question.

I believe that the instructor's warning was more akin to what you said about questions being poorly worded. Clearly his use of the phrase "trick you" was more a term of art than a literal fact (how would he know if the FAA was trying to trick people). The point is however, that if you walk into the testing center thinking you've got it nailed, you may very well not be ready. But let's face it, the whole licensing requirement and test is a joke. Do I really need to know about the different types of ice that can form on a fuselage? Or how to read an aeronautical chart? Why can recreational pilots fly at night but Part 107 cannot - but if you are a Part 107, you can just claim you're a rec flyer to fly at night? I only got my license so when I get hassled by people or LE I can whip it out and be all official. At the end of the day, good airman knowledge and practice is basic common sense. Sure, you have to know how to fly the thing, but really, do you need to take a course to know that flying over a military base is a bad idea? It was my instructor's position that since drones are so new, the FAA is scrambling to come up with some way to herd these kittens - he thinks the whole licensing requirement is to create a barrier to entry until they can come up with some sensible and realistic guidelines.

 

[BigAl07]

It's common for the FAA to include some "often incorrect" answers. For instance:

2+3=5 but lets say 30% of the pop answers 4 and 25% answer 6 so they "might" have the answers as:

4
5 or
6

 

[sar104]

WTF 130 question? to fly a drone , im done i do not have the patience to take a test like this.. so i guess ill be putting my drone up for sale MPP, never even flew it.... brand new.

You don't have to take the test - it's only to fly non-recreational / commercial.

 

[PhantomFandom]

Do I really need to know about the different types of ice that can form on a fuselage?

Actually knowing about icing conditions is important to flying a UAS. People don't realize how quickly ice can form and the conditions under which it can form. There was a post just a few days ago from a new MM pilot who thought the MM was at fault but it turns out he was flying under conditions which were perfect for icing. He had no idea that was the case.

Or how to read an aeronautical chart?

Do you mean the VFR sectional charts? If so then yes I believe you do. If you will be occupying the same airspace as aircraft that carry people then you better know how to determine where you can fly and what is controlled airspace. Sure apps like AirMap give you the information in a more concise fashion, but the definitive source is the sectional chart for that area, along with any TFR direct from the FAA. If AirMap happens to be wrong, that would not be a valid excuse/reason for flying there when you should not be.

Why can recreational pilots fly at night but Part 107 cannot - but if you are a Part 107, you can just claim you're a rec flyer to fly at night?

Yes that one is baffling. However, yes as a commercial pilot you can choose to fly under either set of rules. That is as long as the flight meets all of the criteria for that type of flying. You can't say that you are flying under recreational rules, then fly at night with the full intent of selling those pictures.

I only got my license so when I get hassled by people or LE I can whip it out and be all official.

I'm not sure that is a good reason to get your Part 107. If you have no need to fly under commercial rules then that certificate doesn't make a difference in terms of being "all official". You are either flying legally or you aren't.

Sure, you have to know how to fly the thing, but really, do you need to take a course to know that flying over a military base is a bad idea?

You do realize that common sense is in very short supply in today's society? We hear examples every day of pilots who did things that were obviously a bad idea. The guy who flew his P3P in Vegas and ended up landing it at the airport definitely should not have been flying where he did. It was a very bad idea, and yet he did it. I can't say that it would have made any difference, but perhaps a little knowledge in terms of being able to read sectional charts might have kept him from making that bad decision.

It was my instructor's position that since drones are so new, the FAA is scrambling to come up with some way to herd these kittens - he thinks the whole licensing requirement is to create a barrier to entry until they can come up with some sensible and realistic guidelines.

Yes the test seems to have been designed in a hurry and could have been done much much much better. However it really isn't a barrier at all since there is currently no test required for recreational flying. There will be one, but for now anyone can buy a UAS and immediately be up in the air. So there is ZERO barrier right now.

 

[D-Rosin]

You don't have to take the test - it's only to fly non-recreational / commercial.

so if we just want to fly, we do not have to take the test?