Lesson 1 introduces the key differences between recreational and commercial drone operations. Students will learn how FAA rules apply to each type of pilot, including when Part 107 certification is required and what responsibilities come with operating a drone for business or compensation.

Lesson 2 introduces 14 CFR Part 107, the primary regulatory framework governing most commercial small unmanned aircraft system operations in the United States. This lesson explains how Part 107 applies to drones weighing less than 55 pounds and establishes the operating rules, pilot responsibilities, certification requirements, and limitations that remote pilots must understand before conducting commercial flights.

The Recreational UAS Safety Test (TRUST) is a free online safety and knowledge test required for anyone flying a drone strictly for recreational purposes. The test introduces topics such as airspace rules, altitude limitations, visual line of sight, safe operating practices, and avoiding interference with crewed aircraft. TRUST is not a commercial drone license and does not replace the FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate required for most non-recreational operations.

1. State who must comply with Remote ID and since when (§§ 89.101, 89.105).

2. Name the three ways to comply and the conditions attached to each.

3. List what standard Remote ID and a broadcast module transmit.

4. Apply the operating rules: broadcast from takeoff to shutdown, check the equipment before flight, land if the broadcast stops.

5. Explain what an FAA-recognized identification area (FRIA) is and who can establish one.

Learn how latitude and longitude are used to identify precise locations on FAA sectional charts. This section explains degrees, minutes, and seconds, how coordinates are plotted, and how pilots use geographic coordinates to locate airports, airspace, obstacles, and operating areas for safe flight planning.

Learn how to read FAA sectional charts and apply them to real-world drone operations. This section covers airspace boundaries, airport symbols, floors and ceilings, chart colors, and other key features used to determine where you can safely and legally operate. You’ll also learn a systematic approach for solving sectional chart questions on the FAA Part 107 exam.

Understanding airspace is one of the most important skills for a Remote Pilot in Command. Before every flight, a drone pilot must be able to determine what class of airspace exists at the operating location, whether FAA authorization is required, and whether any restrictions or hazards could affect the mission.

In this lesson, students will learn how Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs) and Notices to Air Missions (NOTAMs) affect drone operations. The lesson explains how to locate, interpret, and evaluate current flight restrictions before every mission. Students will also explore common reasons TFRs are issued—including emergency response, major events, VIP movements, and disaster areas—and understand the remote pilot’s responsibility for maintaining airspace awareness and regulatory compliance.

A remote pilot is never allowed to transmit on a Common Traffic Advisory Frequency, a UNICOM, or a control tower frequency — but monitoring one is one of the most powerful tools you have for finding crewed aircraft before you can see them. This lesson covers CTAF, UNICOM, and MULTICOM procedures, the phonetic alphabet, radio phraseology, and how to read radio information from a sectional chart — everything the ACS expects you to know for Operations Task A.

At a non-towered airport, the CTAF is where every radio call you need to hear actually happens. This lesson covers what a CTAF is, which frequency types it can be, and — most importantly — how to find the right one for a specific airport before you ever start monitoring.

This is the lesson that ties the whole chapter together: how pilots at a non-towered airport self-announce their position and intentions, how to decode those calls, and how to turn a radio transmission into a mental picture of where that aircraft actually is relative to your operation.

UNICOM is the most common voice you'll hear at a non-towered airport — but it isn't air traffic control. This lesson explains what a UNICOM station actually is, who operates it, what it can and can't do, and how to recognize its calls when you're monitoring the CTAF.

At busier, typically towered airports, pilots don't have to ask for the weather and active runway — it's already playing on a continuous loop. This lesson covers what ATIS is, what it contains, and how it's identified, so you recognize it the moment you hear it.

Every radio call you hear starts or ends with an aircraft identifying itself. This closing lesson covers how U.S. aircraft registration numbers are built, how they're spoken using the ICAO phonetic alphabet, and how to recognize a call sign so you can track a specific aircraft across multiple transmissions.

Learning Objectives

• Define ADM

• Explain the difference between a hazard & a risk.

• Describe the accident chain & identify where a remote pilot can break it.

• Explain why the term 'human factors related' is more accurate than 'pilot error.'

• Identify 6 to good decision-making and the 5 traits research associates with accident-prone pilots.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson you will be able to:

• Apply the IMSAFE checklist

• State the alcohol and drug limits that apply to 14 CFR 107.27, 91.17, and 91.19.

• Explain the medical-condition standard in 14 CFR 107.17

• Describe the effects of fatigue, stress, dehydration, heatstroke, and hyperventilation on remote pilot performance.

• Identify factors affecting vision and the physiological considerations of night operations.

By the end of this lesson you will be able to:

• Name the five hazardous attitudes

• Apply the three-step process for neutralizing a hazardous thought.

• Recognize hazardous attitudes in realistic remote pilot scenarios.

• Identify the operational pitfalls

• Explain why recognition is the necessary first step in behavior modification.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson you will be able to:

• State the FAA's six-step risk management process and four principles of risk management.

• Apply the PAVE checklist to identify hazards in all four categories.

• Use a likelihood-and-severity risk matrix to assign a risk level.

• Relate PAVE to the preflight requirements of 14 CFR 107.49.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson you will be able to:

• Describe the three steps of the 3P model.

• Apply the CARE checklist to evaluate the risk

• Apply the TEAM checklist to implement a risk control.

• Distinguish strategic, deliberate, and time-critical risk management.

• Explain why 3P is a continuous loop.

• Run a complete 3P cycle on a realistic sUAS scenario.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson you will be able to:

• Name the 5 P's

• Apply the six steps of the DECIDE model to a developing problem.

• Explain the difference between analytical and automatic (naturalistic) decision-making and when each is appropriate.

• Explain why 'failure to make a decision is a decision.'

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson you will be able to:

• Define situational awareness and name the 5 fundamental risk elements it encompasses.

• Identify the obstacles to situational awareness.

• Apply workload management techniques.

• Recognize the progressive symptoms of work overload and task saturation.

• Describe automation management hazards.

• Apply these principles to maintaining VLOS under 14 CFR 107.31.

•   State the remote pilot in command's weather responsibilities under 14 CFR 107.49.

•   Recall the three Part 107 weather minimums from 14 CFR 107.51 without hesitation.

•   Define ceiling and identify which sky-cover codes create one.

•   Apply the 500-foot and 2,000-foot cloud clearance requirements to a reported cloud layer.

Explain why a legal minimum is not the same thing as a safe operating limit.

•   Describe the composition of the atmosphere and identify the layer in which weather occurs.

•   Recall the standard atmosphere values for sea level temperature and pressure and the standard lapse rates.

•   Explain radiation, conduction, and convection as heat transfer mechanisms.

•   Interpret isobar spacing on a surface analysis chart to predict wind strength.

•   Distinguish between relative humidity and dew point and estimate a convective cloud base.

•   Define pressure altitude and density altitude and explain the relationship between them.

•   List the four conditions that increase density altitude and rank them by practical significance.

•   Explain the specific effects of high density altitude on small unmanned aircraft performance.

•   Describe how heat and cold affect battery performance independently of density altitude.

Select appropriate operational responses to a high density altitude site.

WHAT YOU WILL BE ABLE TO DO

•   State the aviation convention for reporting wind direction.

•   Identify the three forces that determine surface wind: pressure gradient, Coriolis, and friction.

•   Distinguish among crosswind, gust, tailwind, variable wind, sudden wind shift, and wind shear.

•   Describe microbursts and gust fronts and explain why they are critical for low-altitude operations.

Apply practical techniques for operating safely near obstructions and terrain.

WHAT YOU WILL BE ABLE TO DO

•   Define atmospheric stability and predict cloud type, turbulence, and visibility from it.

•   Identify the four mechanisms that lift air.

•   Describe how air masses acquire their characteristics from source regions.

•   Compare the weather associated with cold, warm, stationary, and occluded fronts.

Recognize the surface signs of an approaching frontal passage.

WHAT YOU WILL BE ABLE TO DO

•   Identify the four cloud families and what each reveals about the atmosphere.

•   Recall all seven METAR sky cover codes and the coverage fraction each represents.

•   Distinguish the six types of fog by formation mechanism.

•   Compare fog, mist, haze, and smoke by their reported visibility ranges.

Explain how icing forms, the three ice types, and why it is critical for small unmanned aircraft.

By the end of this lesson you will be able to:

• Define weight, load, payload, empty weight, useful load, and maximum takeoff weight (MTOW).

• State the weight limit in 14 CFR 107.3 .

• Explain the relationship between the MTOW and the regulatory 55-pound limit.

• Build a complete weight budget for a loaded aircraft and compare it to both limits.

• Identify the preflight regulatory duties that relate to a payload.

Learning objectives

By the end of this lesson you will be able to:

• Define center of gravity, datum, arm, station, and moment.

• Locate the center of gravity of a loaded aircraft using the weight-and-moment method.

• Identify where CG limits for a given aircraft are published.

• Describe the effects of a CG that is too far forward, too far aft, or laterally unbalanced.

• Anticipate in-flight CG.

Learning objectives

By the end of this lesson you will be able to:

• Explain the lift–weight and thrust-to-weight relationships that govern sUAS performance.

• List the specific performance deficiencies produced by excess weight.

• Explain how weight changes during flight affect performance and balance.

• Consequences of operating an overloaded sUAS.

Learning objectives

By the end of this lesson you will be able to:

• Define load and load factor and state the load factor in straight-and-level flight.

• Use the FAA load factor chart to determine load factor for a given bank angle.

• Compute the weight an sUAS structure must support in a level banked turn.

• Explain how load factor affects stall speed and why an aircraft can stall at any airspeed.

• Identify maneuvering situations that increase load factor, including gusts and abrupt control inputs.

Learning objectives

By the end of this lesson you will be able to:

• Explain why air density determines aircraft performance.

• Define pressure altitude and density altitude and describe how each is determined.

• Predict the effect of elevation, temperature, and humidity on density altitude.

• Apply density altitude thinking to mountain and summer operations.

Learning objectives

By the end of this lesson you will be able to:

• Identify the combination of conditions that produce the most critical launch performance.

• Explain the effect of wind, gusts, and mechanical turbulence on sUAS performance and endurance.

• Describe the effect of terrain slope and surface condition on launch and recovery.

• Translate a site survey into concrete loading and performance decisions.

Learning objectives

By the end of this lesson you will be able to:

• Identify the best source of performance data for a given sUAS.

• List the categories of performance data a manufacturer may publish.

• Explain what to do when manufacturer performance data is incomplete or unavailable.

• Distinguish maximum endurance from maximum range and state the conditions for each.

• Build and use an aircraft performance card for preflight planning.

Learning Objectives

1. Explain why fitness for flight matters for a ground-based remote pilot.

2. Apply the IMSAFE checklist before a mission.

3. Describe how § 107.17 differs from the manned-aviation medical-certificate model.

4. Make and defend a go/no-go decision.

Learning Objectives

1. Identify the regulations governing drug and alcohol use for remote pilots.

2. State the 8-hour rule and 0.04 BAC limit.

3. Describe consequences under § 91.19.

4. Integrate this into IMSAFE.

Learning Objectives

1. Explain why OTC medications are an underrated impairment risk.

2. Apply the five-dosage-interval rule.

3. Identify common No-Go medication categories.

4. Describe the right approach when a prescription is required.

Learning Objectives

1. Distinguish acute stress from chronic stress.

2. Explain the arousal-performance relationship.

3. Distinguish acute from cumulative fatigue.

4. Apply practical management practices.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

1. Distinguish which regulation governs a night flight

2. State the anti-collision lighting requirements for night and civil-twilight operations.

3. Explain how added lighting affects center of gravity, drag, battery endurance, and weight category.

4. Describe the physiological basis of night vision.

5. Recognize common visual illusions at night

6. Identify environmental hazards unique to night operations.

Learning Objectives

1. Understand this lesson's role as a recap, not a duplicate.

2. Recall core rods/cones physiology and dark-adaptation timing.

3. Recall the main night illusions and countermeasures.

4. Apply IMSAFE and fatigue management to night missions.

Before you can memorize the four categories, you have to understand the rule they are an exception to. This lesson builds the legal skeleton of Subpart D — the default prohibition, the three escape routes, and the vocabulary the FAA uses to write every rule that follows.

Category 1 is the only category decided by a number on a scale. Category 2 is the first one decided by what the aircraft does to a person on impact — and the first that drags a Means of Compliance, a Declaration of Compliance, and a permanent label into your preflight.

Category 3 buys you a higher energy allowance and pays for it with the tightest operating restrictions in Subpart D. Category 4 abandons the kinetic-energy model entirely and borrows the certification and maintenance framework of crewed aviation.

Categories 2 and 3 are documentation categories. A Means of Compliance proves the aircraft can meet the standard; a Declaration of Compliance says this particular serial number does; a label tells you so in the field. This lesson covers all three, plus what happens when the FAA takes one away.

By the end of this lesson you will be able to:

• State the requirement of 14 CFR § 107.15

• Identify the remote pilot in command as the person responsible for determining that an sUAS is in a condition for safe operation.

• List the six preflight actions required by 14 CFR § 107.49. Explain what records must be produced on request under § 107.7 and what events must be reported under § 107.9.

• Distinguish the Part 107 standard from the airworthiness certification standard

Learning Objectives

• By the end of this lesson you will be able to:

• Define sUAS maintenance as AC 107-2A defines it, including system software.

• Distinguish scheduled maintenance from unscheduled maintenance.

• Identify the three time-in-service measures that commonly drive scheduled maintenance intervals.

• State what an operator should do when the manufacturer provides no scheduled maintenance instructions.

• Explain why a discovered discrepancy grounds the aircraft until it is corrected.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson you will be able to:

• State who may perform maintenance on an sUAS operated under Part 107.

• Explain when the manufacturer or manufacturer-specified personnel must be used.

• Identify the certificated maintenance providers the FAA encourages, and explain why their use is encouraged rather than required.

• Explain how a manufacturer's product support and notification process affects an aircraft eligible for operations over people.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson you will be able to:

• Explain the requirement to inspect the sUAS before each flight and identify the preferred source of the inspection procedure.

• Explain the role of 14 CFR part 43 appendix D as an optional guideline and state its limitation.

• Recall the principal preflight inspection items recommended by AC 107-2A ¶ 7.3.4.

• Identify the additional preflight consideration required for night and civil twilight operations.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson you will be able to:

• Recall the conditions that may indicate an sUAS is not in a condition for safe operation.

• Explain the two-step action the condition chart prescribes for every listed condition.

• Explain why hidden damage is the principal concern with composite structures.

• Apply § 107.15(b) to an in-flight indication of a developing failure.

• Describe how hazardous attitudes can corrupt a maintenance go/no-go decision.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson you will be able to:

• Describe the characteristics and potential hazards of lithium batteries used in sUAS operations.

• State the practices for safe inspection, handling, charging, usage and transportation of lithium batteries.

• Explain thermal runaway and why a lithium fire behaves differently from an ordinary fire.

• Explain how environmental conditions affect battery performance.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson you will be able to:

• Explain the benefits of sUAS maintenance and inspection recordkeeping.

• Identify the components and events that should be recorded.

• Distinguish recommended recordkeeping from the record retention actually required by § 107.165.

• Explain the role of a manufacturer's declaration of compliance for Category 2 and Category 3 operations.

• Integrate the chapter's material into a single preflight go/no-go standard.

By the end of this lesson you will be able to:

▪  Explain the purpose of Subpart E within a performance-based rule set.

▪  State what a Certificate of Waiver authorizes and what it does not authorize.

▪ Identify the applicant's burden of proof under § 107.200(b).

• Describe the Administrator's authority to add limitations under § 107.200(c).

• State the two obligations placed on a waiver holder by § 107.200(d).

• Decide when a waiver is the right tool and when the operation should simply be redesigned

By the end of this lesson you will be able to:

• List the ten regulations subject to waiver under § 107.205.

• Describe, in plain language, the operational relief each listed section provides.

• State the two circumstances in which a waiver will never be issued, regardless of justification.

• Identify core Part 107 requirements that are not waivable.

• Read § 107.205 at subsection precision — § 107.29(a)(2) and (b), and § 107.37(a).

By the end of this lesson you will be able to:

• State the airspace in which § 107.41 requires prior ATC authorization.

• Explain the difference between an airspace authorization and a certificate of waiver.

• Describe the purpose and use of UAS Facility Maps.

• Compare LAANC and manual authorization requests, including lead times.

• Identify when a § 107.41 waiver is the appropriate request.

• Distinguish § 107.41 from § 107.43, § 107.45, and § 107.47.

• Describe the safety finding the FAA must make before issuing a waiver.

• Identify the hazards a proposed deviation introduces.

• Apply layered mitigations across aircraft, pilot, procedure, and environment.

• Write mitigations that are specific, measurable, and verifiable.

• Use the PAVE checklist and the 3P model to structure a waiver safety case.

• Recognize the weaknesses that cause applications to be returned or disapproved.

By the end of this lesson you will be able to:

• Identify where Part 107 waiver applications are filed.

• List the operational, aircraft, personnel, and risk information an application must contain.

• State the FAA's recommended submission lead time and its stated review goal.

• Describe what happens when the FAA requests additional information.

• Identify the three possible outcomes of an application.

• Use the FAA's issued-waiver database as a planning resource.

Understanding emergency procedures is a crucial part of safe drone operations, and it is thoroughly covered on the Part 107 knowledge test. These procedures make sure a remote pilot can respond effectively to unexpected situations such as system failures, weather hazards and loss of control.