RSM DRONE OPS
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ROD & STAFF MEDIA · COMMERCIAL DRONE OPERATIONS

CLEARED FOR
COMMERCIAL.

The complete path to your FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate — every requirement in order, a two-week study sprint, and a practice exam built to get you a first-try pass. Any flight that supports the business is commercial. TRUST doesn't cover it. This does.

ACTION ONE Create your FTN at IACRA ↗ Run a practice test

UAG EXAM · 60 QUESTIONS · 70% TO PASS · $175 · PSI TESTING CENTER

MISSION 0% 0 of 15 complete
DJI Avata 2 FPV drone

AIRFRAME 01

DJI Avata 2

FPV · GOGGLES 3 + FPV RC 3 · >250 g · BUILT-IN REMOTE ID

REGISTERED RID BROADCAST

Goggles on = spotter required, standing next to you. Registration required at any weight.

DJI Mini 4K drone

AIRFRAME 02

DJI Mini 4K

4K UHD · <249 g · 3-AXIS GIMBAL · 31 MIN

REGISTERED RID BROADCAST

Under 250 g — but the sub-250 exemption is recreational-only. Under Part 107 it gets registered too.

SEC 01 / THE FLIGHT PLAN

Six waypoints to fully legal.

In order. Each one unlocks the next. Source of truth is faa.gov/uas — rules change, verify before acting.

  1. WP-01

    Paperwork ignition

    Create your FTN at IACRA, then schedule the UAG exam with PSI for ~two weeks out. A booked exam date is the forcing function for everything else.

  2. WP-02

    14-day study sprint

    Weight your reps toward airspace + sectional charts — that's where people fail. Then regulations, weather, loading, operations. The day-by-day schedule is below.

  3. WP-03

    Pass, then apply

    Score 70%+ at the PSI center, then apply for the Remote Pilot Certificate in IACRA with your FTN + exam ID. TSA vetting runs automatically — temporary certificate lands by email in days.

  4. WP-04

    Register the fleet

    Both drones at FAADroneZone under Part 107 — $5 each, 3 years. Enter Remote ID serials, label each airframe with its registration number, and verify Remote ID is broadcasting in-app.

  5. WP-05

    Train up the hands

    Sim before every step-up → Normal mode in an open field → Sport with wider margins → Manual only after Sport is boring. Prop guards on, spotter present, land at 25–30% battery. No exceptions.

  6. WP-06

    Fly the standing orders

    Every flight, forever: airspace check, LAANC if controlled, Remote ID confirmed, spotter when goggles are on, never over people, permissions in writing. The routine is at the bottom of this page.

SEC 02 / MISSION CHECKLIST

Tick it off. It saves.

Progress is stored in this browser — the topbar and the mission dial track you automatically.

SEC 03 / 14-DAY STUDY SPRINT

Two weeks to test-ready.

0/14 days flown · Tap a day when it's done. Day 7: schedule the exam. Day 14: take it.

FREE RESOURCES

SEC 04 / STUDY GUIDE

Everything the exam actually tests.

Condensed from the FAA study guide and ACS. Most people fail on airspace and sectional charts — spend your reps there.

MEMORY ITEMS — these exact numbers get tested

400 ft AGLMax altitude — or within 400 ft of a structure, up to 400 ft above its top
100 mph / 87 ktMax groundspeed
3 SMMinimum visibility from the control station
500↓ / 2,000→Cloud clearance: 500 ft below, 2,000 ft horizontal
<55 lbsMax takeoff weight, payload included
16 yrsMinimum age for the certificate
8 hr / 0.04Bottle-to-throttle / max blood alcohol
10 daysAccident report window (serious injury, loss of consciousness, or ≥$500 non-drone damage)
24 cal moRecurrent training interval — free, online
30 daysTo notify FAA of an address change
$5 / 3 yrRegistration per aircraft under Part 107 — every drone, any weight
1 yrIneligibility after a drug/alcohol conviction

The shape of Part 107

Part 107 is built around one person: the remote pilot in command. You are directly responsible for and the final authority as to the operation — the aircraft's condition (§107.15), the preflight assessment (§107.49), the crew, and the failure case if the link drops (§107.19). In an emergency you may deviate from any rule to the extent required (§107.21), and report it if the FAA asks.

Line of sight & FPV — your world with the Avata 2

VLOS means unaided human eyes — corrective lenses only, no binoculars, no goggle feed (§107.31). When you fly FPV, a visual observer standing next to you fulfills see-and-avoid, and you two must stay in communication at all times (§107.33). This is a hard requirement, not a best practice.

Over people, at night, from vehicles

No flight over people unless they're participating, sheltered, or your aircraft meets Category 1–4 rules (§107.39) — at races, shoot from beside the course. Night flight is legal without a waiver since 2021: anti-collision lighting visible 3 SM plus current training. Moving-vehicle ops only over sparsely populated areas (§107.25).

Paper & process

Waivers go through FAADroneZone. Certificates get presented to FAA/NTSB/TSA/law enforcement on request (§107.7). And remember the trap answer: TRUST covers recreational flying only — the moment a flight supports the business, it's Part 107.

MEMORY ITEMS

CLASS GUncontrolled — fly without ATC authorization
B · C · D · E-sfcControlled to the surface — prior authorization required (§107.41)
LAANCNear-real-time authorization via approved apps (Aloft, AirHub…)
P / R / MOAProhibited: never · Restricted: agency permission · MOA: legal, extreme caution
TFRPublished as NOTAMs — check before every flight
LEFTStandard traffic pattern turns at airports

The six classes, drone edition

Class A (18,000 ft MSL and up) will never concern you. Class B wraps the busiest airports in stacked shelves — "upside-down wedding cake." Class C surrounds mid-size towered airports, Class D the smaller towered fields. Class E is controlled airspace that starts at either the surface (near some airports), 700 ft AGL (magenta vignette), or 1,200 ft AGL. Everything else is Class G — uncontrolled, no authorization needed, where most of your flying happens.

The exam's favorite trick: Class E that begins at 700 or 1,200 ft AGL doesn't restrict you at 400 ft — below its floor you're in G. But Class E designated to the surface around an airport requires authorization just like B, C, and D.

Getting in: LAANC

For controlled airspace, request through a LAANC app. Each airport has a UAS Facility Map — a grid of pre-approved ceilings (0, 50, 100, 200, 400 ft). Request at or below the grid number and authorization is near-instant. Above it, you need further coordination. Zero-grids near runways mean no.

Special use airspace

Prohibited areas (P-40, White House): never. Restricted areas (artillery, gunnery): permission from the controlling agency when active. MOAs: legal but military jets may be fast and low — extreme caution. TFRs pop up for stadiums, wildfires, and VIPs — they're in the NOTAM system and your airspace app, and busting one is the fastest way to lose a certificate.

MEMORY ITEMS — chart color code

SOLID BLUEClass B
SOLID MAGENTAClass C
DASHED BLUEClass D — ceiling in a segmented box, hundreds of ft MSL
DASHED MAGENTAClass E at the surface — needs authorization
MAGENTA FADEClass E floor at 700 ft AGL — below it you're in G
BLUE AIRPORTTowered · MAGENTA AIRPORT Non-towered

Reading the chart like the exam wants

The knowledge test hands you a sectional excerpt and asks what's legal where. Drill three skills: identifying airspace from line style and color, reading airport data blocks, and decoding MEFs.

MEF — Maximum Elevation Figure

The big-small number pair in each quadrant (a large 1 with a small 2) is the highest known terrain or obstacle in that quadrant: 1,200 ft MSL. The trap: it's MSL, not AGL. Your 400-ft limit is AGL — different reference.

Airport data blocks

NAME (ID) — CT 118.3 ★ — ATIS 124.0 — 26 L 72 122.95 decodes as: control tower on 118.3 (★ = part-time), field elevation 26 ft MSL, lighted runway, longest runway 7,200 ft, UNICOM 122.95. A C in a circle is the CTAF. Obstacles: 1049 (394) = top at 1,049 MSL, 394 AGL.

Lat / long

Expect one "find the point at 30°15'N, 95°30'W" question. Latitude lines run horizontally (measure N–S), longitude vertically (measure E–W); each small tick is one minute, 60 minutes to a degree. Slow down and count ticks — free points.

MEMORY ITEMS

METARCurrent observation · TAF forecast, 5 SM radius, 24–30 hr
18012G20KTFrom 180° at 12 kt, gusting 20
BKN010Broken layer at 1,000 ft AGL — that's a ceiling
HIGH DAHot + humid + high = thin air = weak performance
T-STORMNeeds moisture + unstable air + lift · mature stage deadliest
STABLE AIRSmooth + stratus + poor visibility · unstable = bumpy + cumulus + clear

Decode drills win this domain

Weather questions are mostly reading comprehension on METARs and TAFs. Read the whole line left to right: station, time (Zulu), wind, visibility, weather, clouds, temp/dewpoint, altimeter. KTPA 121853Z 18012G20KT 3SM TSRA BKN010 OVC020 25/23 A2995 — Tampa, 12th at 18:53Z, wind 180@12G20, 3 miles in thunderstorm rain, broken 1,000, overcast 2,000. That's a hard no-go, and the exam wants you to say why.

Density altitude — the Florida question

Heat, humidity, and elevation all thin the air. Thin air = less prop bite, less lift, more battery burn. A 95° July afternoon in Ocala meaningfully cuts your climb rate and endurance versus a 65° morning. When temp and dewpoint converge, expect fog.

Thunderstorms

Three ingredients: moisture, instability, lifting action — the Florida sea breeze supplies lift on schedule every summer afternoon. Stages: cumulus (updrafts), mature (rain reaches the ground; updrafts + downdrafts, shear, microbursts — most hazardous), dissipating (downdrafts). Fly mornings; be landed before the buildups tower.

MEMORY ITEMS

60° BANK= 2 G load factor in level flight
WEIGHT ↑Endurance ↓, climb ↓, structural stress ↑
CG OFFReduced stability and control authority
COLD LiPoVoltage sag, less capacity — land earlier

Load factor

Banking loads the airframe: the steeper the turn, the more lift (and power) needed to hold altitude. 60° of bank doubles the effective weight. For FPV this is why hard cornering eats the battery and why aggressive maneuvers near the ground leave no margin.

Weight, balance, batteries

Everything strapped on counts against performance. An off-center payload (a mounted light, a bigger battery) shifts CG and degrades handling. LiPos deliver less under load when cold and sag hard near depletion — which is the engineering reason behind the standing rule: land at 25–30%, no exceptions. The reserve is your headwind-home and go-around margin.

MEMORY ITEMS

YIELDsUAS gives way to ALL manned aircraft, always
CTAFNon-towered pilots self-announce — monitor it
IMSAFEIllness · Medication · Stress · Alcohol · Fatigue · Emotion
5 ATTITUDESAnti-authority · Impulsivity · Invulnerability · Macho · Resignation
CRMUse every resource: VO, crew, checklists, tech — PIC keeps final authority

Sharing the sky

You always yield. A crop duster, a medevac helicopter, a Cub on floats — if it has a human in it, you descend and give way (§107.37). Near airports, know where traffic flows: standard patterns turn left, and at non-towered fields pilots call their positions on the CTAF.

The human factors questions

The exam loves hazardous attitudes with their antidotes: anti-authority → "follow the rules"; impulsivity → "think first"; invulnerability → "it could happen to me"; macho → "taking chances is foolish"; resignation → "I'm not helpless." Run IMSAFE on yourself before committing to a shoot — heat, dehydration, and deadline stress are real performance killers in Florida summer.

Crew resource management

CRM scaled to drones: brief your visual observer, agree on callouts ("traffic three o'clock, low"), keep comms open the whole flight, and actually listen when they call an abort. The PIC has final authority — CRM is how you avoid needing it.

SEC 05 / PRACTICE EXAM

Fly the test before you take it.

67-question bank modeled on the FAA UAG exam. Real exam: 60 questions, 120 minutes, 70% to pass. Go in at a steady 85%+.

MODE B

Domain drill

Ten questions from one domain. Hammer your weak areas after each full test.

BEST PRACTICE: —— BEST EXAM SIM: —— PASS LINE: 70% · TARGET: 85%

SEC 06 / STANDING ORDERS

The every-flight routine.

Print it on the inside of your skull. This is what keeps the certificate — and the gear.

01

Airspace check in B4UFLY / Aloft before every flight. Controlled airspace → request LAANC — instant in most grids.

02

Remote ID broadcasting — confirm in-app before spin-up.

03

Goggles on = spotter required, standing next to you, comms the whole flight.

04

Never over people or crowds. At races: shoot from the side of the course, never over runners.

05

Permissions in writing — race director for the event, property owner for the launch site.

06

Weather + wind check, then log the flight afterward.

07

Land at 25–30% battery — no exceptions. Prop guards stay on. New location = conservative first flight.