[Poll] What is your Part 107 status?

floyd · Feb 10, 2018

I'm still wondering if I should invest the time and money to get my Part 107. So I'm curious to know who has their's.

Aleng P · Feb 10, 2018

Just bought a book to study. Anyone taken it yet and any recommendations?

FLYBOYJ · Feb 10, 2018

I'm a commercial pilot (CFII) so it was pretty simple for me to get involved with sUAVs. I've done part time work and spent quite a bit on several different drones. As far as what I've made vs what I've invested, I'm about 50% in the red, expect to break even this summer. With that said, my expenses gave me a pretty good tax write-off.

I guess it depends what you want and what you expect out of this field. To me it's a part time gig that brings in "beer money." To others, they are looking to make this a professional full-time freelance gig and it seems that there are many out there who are very frustrated or disillusioned. I'm just rolling with the whole thing and enjoying flying drones while hopefully making a few bucks.

floyd · Feb 10, 2018

FLYBOYJ said:
I'm a commercial pilot (CFII) so it was pretty simple for me to get involved with sUAVs. I've done part time work and spent quite a bit on several different drones. As far as what I've made vs what I've invested, I'm about 50% in the red, expect to break even this summer. With that said, my expenses gave me a pretty good tax write-off.

I guess it depends what you want and what you expect out of this field. To me it's a part time gig that brings in "beer money." To others, they are looking to make this a professional full-time freelance gig and it seems that there are many out there who are very frustrated or disillusioned. I'm just rolling with the whole thing and enjoying flying drones while hopefully making a few bucks.

What type of part-time work are you doing to make the money? Real estate? Weddings? Advertising? Selling personal photos? Other?

Did you create an LLC?

53-63-6f-74-74 · Feb 10, 2018

floyd said:
I'm still wondering if I should invest the time and money to get my Part 107. So I'm curious to know who has their's.

It's worth getting, if only for the education. The test is NOT difficult, providing you take the time to study some basic concepts and memorize a few simple facts and regulations that will make you a better representative of the hobby. I've heard that most people are studying for about 15 hours which is hardly a lot of time to invest in getting an actual FAA license. I found the study material interesting as almost all of it pertains to manned aircraft as well. There is absolutely no need to purchase any study materials or online course. Everything you need is available for free. I first watched the Tony Northrup video and took a look at the 3dr practice exam to see where to concentrate my study, then worked through the FAA study guide (a couple of times) while taking notes. I then searched for questions that people found difficult or confusing, watched a handful of YouTube videos on airspace classification, VFR sectional charts, weather and metars/tafs, and read the actual Part 107 law a couple of times as well. The actual test can be completed in about 30 minutes, 40 if you review your answers.

FLYBOYJ · Feb 10, 2018

floyd said:
What type of part-time work are you doing to make the money? Real estate? Weddings? Advertising? Selling personal photos? Other?

Did you create an LLC?

Mainly Dronebase and I've done a few real estate gigs on my own. I have a registered business name, no LLC

Burkett1983 · Feb 10, 2018

I'm currently studying with the remotepilot101 course.

locoman · Feb 11, 2018

53-63-6f-74-74 said:
It's worth getting, if only for the education. The test is NOT difficult, providing you take the time to study some basic concepts and memorize a few simple facts and regulations that will make you a better representative of the hobby. I've heard that most people are studying for about 15 hours which is hardly a lot of time to invest in getting an actual FAA license. I found the study material interesting as almost all of it pertains to manned aircraft as well. There is absolutely no need to purchase any study materials or online course. Everything you need is available for free. I first watched the Tony Northrup video and took a look at the 3dr practice exam to see where to concentrate my study, then worked through the FAA study guide (a couple of times) while taking notes. I then searched for questions that people found difficult or confusing, watched a handful of YouTube videos on airspace classification, VFR sectional charts, weather and metars/tafs, and read the actual Part 107 law a couple of times as well. The actual test can be completed in about 30 minutes, 40 if you review your answers.

thanks for the info. I have been thinking about taking it, you have encouraged me to move on to the next step, start studying for it.

StockbyNumbers · Feb 11, 2018

floyd said:
What type of part-time work are you doing to make the money? Real estate? Weddings? Advertising? Selling personal photos? Other?

Did you create an LLC?

Paid off my P3 in less than a year selling stock footage, have since made about $1,000 on top of that from just a few shots.

Yes to LLC and Part 107. Was a bit intimidated about the test before I started studying. Spent about 10 hours with YouTube videos and passed with a 93%. Definitely glad I did it for the knowledge as well. Being able to apply for airspace authorization is a big plus too.

black_magic100 · Feb 11, 2018

StockbyNumbers said:
Paid off my P3 in less than a year selling stock footage, have since made about $1,000 on top of that from just a few shots.

Yes to LLC and Part 107. Was a bit intimidated about the test before I started studying. Spent about 10 hours with YouTube videos and passed with a 93%. Definitely glad I did it for the knowledge as well. Being able to apply for airspace authorization is a big plus too.

How much knowledge did you have before studying? Did you just YouTube part 107 test?

StockbyNumbers · Feb 11, 2018

I came in with very very little knowledge. I found this video really helpful in particular:
Concise and geared directly to Part 107, but pretty comprehensive. I looked into some of the concepts that I didn’t understand a bit more outside of that video, especially more detail on sectional charts.

black_magic100 · Feb 11, 2018

StockbyNumbers said:
I came in with very very little knowledge. I found this video really helpful in particular:

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Concise and geared directly to Part 107, but pretty comprehensive. I looked into some of the concepts that I didn’t understand a bit more outside of that video, especially more detail on sectional charts.

I think I am going to use this along with the part 107 app for like $5 as I heard lots of good things from it.

StockbyNumbers · Feb 11, 2018

black_magic100 said:
I think I am going to use this along with the part 107 app for like $5 as I heard lots of good things from it.

Yes - good call. Didn’t mention that I used some of those as well and found them useful.

If I had to do it again I would start by watching the video straight through as it does a really good job of introducing all of the concepts.

black_magic100 · Feb 11, 2018

StockbyNumbers said:
Yes - good call. Didn’t mention that I used some of those as well and found them useful.

If I had to do it again I would start by watching the video straight through as it does a really good job of introducing all of the concepts.

I HATE studying (currently in college). I feel like there is never an end goal lol. How much do you recommend studying. IT seems like 15 hours is PLENTY as you only need a 70%.

What do you recommend I focus on? I don't expect to get the hard ones right tbh

StockbyNumbers · Feb 11, 2018

Probably not the answer you’re looking for, but again, the video I sent kind of condensed what is most needed from what isn’t.

(Just to note, I have no affiliation with this video whatsoever)

I would recommend really knowing it all though if you actually want to use it for commercial purposes. I think it will save you more time and headache in the future if you actually run into any issues or need to apply for waivers / authorizations.

I would also ask the same question as @FLYBOYJ - what is your eventual goal? Why do you want the part 107 for in the first place?

black_magic100 · Feb 11, 2018

StockbyNumbers said:
Probably not the answer you’re looking for, but again, the video I sent kind of condensed what is most needed from what isn’t.

(Just to note, I have no affiliation with this video whatsoever)

I would recommend really knowing it all though if you actually want to use it for commercial purposes. I think it will save you more time and headache in the future if you actually run into any issues or need to apply for waivers / authorizations.

I would also ask the same question as @FLYBOYJ - what is your eventual goal? Why do you want the part 107 for in the first place?

Well for started having a part 107 license would look **** good on a resume even if it has nothing to do with my major. XD

StockbyNumbers · Feb 17, 2018

If you’re planning on getting into film it can help. But, people care more about experience and being able to do this safely and legally. Knowing how to properly file waivers and authorizations, as well as flying legally and safely in general is crucial.

I would recommend it though as it isn’t that expensive and will allow you to use footage commercially if you want to do client work, shoot stock, etc.

RBeaton · Feb 20, 2018

Yes to Part 107 and LLC. I already have the LLC for wholesale/retail sales. Part of my thought with getting the Mavic in the first place was to create photo/video media to help promote the company, but then I found out about the Part 107 requirement for furthering a business. I now plan to sell aerial photos under the same company as well. The LLC isn't completely necessary, but there are some benefits that made it worthwhile in my particular case.

I am glad that I had to go through with it because I feel more confident that I am flying legally and not doing something wrong. (I also respect the hobby and don't want to be "that guy" that ends up in the paper for doing something stupid and leads to restrictive regulations that ruin it for everyone else.) It makes me cringe when I see guys doing something wrong and then plead ignorance. The study/test process is not bad at all. I would highly recommend studying and taking the test if no other reason than to understand and respect airspace and aviation as a whole.

shark4985 · Feb 21, 2018

Just passed the part 107 two weeks ago with a 93%! First off, the exam was much harder than expected. I had read others say you need to UNDERSTAND the concepts, not just know the rules. I underestimated that statement. Several questions were situation based, many of which were about tower inspections and altitude limits. For example, if you were hired to inspect a tower located on map here, and were flying at the maximum allowed altitude, what airspace authorization is required. You had to cross AGL/ MSL, know the airspace, how to read a chart, all for one questions. Another thing I noticed was that if you pay attention, some questions will help you answer other questions. Use all your resources. There was at least one question that I did not know, but was able to use the testing supplement to answer correctly. I did only self study with free materials and practice tests, but there were less than 5 questions that I had actually seen in all the practice tests. In addition to the FAA study guide, become very familiar with the testing supplement. I did not spend enough time studying the advisory circular. There is also a 3 page part 107 summary that I found just a day or two ago that got me at least one correct answer. I got several questions about required visibility and required distance from clouds that were not in the study guide. There were a few "trick" questions where they provided unnecessary extra information in the question which I did not expect on this test. Also, don't ignore all the weather acronyms in the study guide.

Here are my top two study/ practice sites:
https://3dr.com/faa/drone-practice-tests/
Helping Individuals and Businesses Navigate Drone Law

Good luck!!!

Lostgirl Hikes · Feb 24, 2018

I did the test January 17 and it’s already almost March should it take this long? I got my temp I would like the hard copy already
As far as I know my background check and the address is good if it gets rejected I’m going to be disappointed with the FAA I took the test 3 times on the second try I should of sent it in to be re-evaluated I looked at the group of answers that marked wrong and felt like I got them right.

The test is not hard for me it’s just nerves it takes me a few shots to get it right