Drone Part 107 Practice Links & Tips

Video Production Game Changer

If your business is video, a drone is a must-have in 2020. Gone are the days of the thousand-dollar helicopter “one shot to get the shot” days. Now for just a few hundred bucks, anyone can become an areal photography/video footage charger. However, if you want to play it safe as you should it’s time to get your Drone Pilots License, and the Part 107 UMA Exam stands between you and safe, legal flying.

Becoming a licensed drone pilot

The Part 107 exam to become a licensed drone pilot is no joke. I studied for quite some time and although I passed, it was a nerve-racking test. DO NOT underestimate it or you will waste your time and money.

Here’s a quick hit list of some information I gathered while preparing for my Part 107 UMA Exam. It’s mostly linked but pay attention as I’m sure my feedback will help you pass your test.

**Important To Note: You DO NOT need to purchase ANYTHING aside from your actual test. Don’t waste your hard-earned money on any course or exam. There is more than enough online for free than you will ever need.

Complete legend

This first resource is a massive PDF that will take a moment to load. I suggest downloading the whole thing. It’s ultimately 2018’s entire legend and from what I can see it’s very similar to the whole booklet they actually give you when you take the test. Yes, you have a booklet available while you’re on location taking the exam. Be sure to know how to read it and use it to your advantage.

https://www.faa.gov/training_testing/testing/supplements/media/sport_rec_private_akts.pdf

Sectional Charts

A great deal of the exam will cover sectional charts. Here’s a good resource for getting a good understanding of how they work.

Smaller Legend

https://www.dronepilotgroundschool.com/faa-airspace-authorization/
https://3dr.com/faa/study-guides/charts/

Practice tests

This first one is a full 65 question exam and you will have to finish the entire test before you can see your results.  I strongly advise you to pass this with flying colors before you go and take the real deal test.    
https://jrupprechtlaw.com/part-107-knowledge-test

This next one allows you to both select the number of questions and the area of focus for them. Great if you need to touch upon a certain aspect, such as sectional charts.
https://www.kingschools.com/free-faa-exam/drone-pilot/

Tips from Mayo

Firstly, do not underestimate the complexity and difficulty of this exam. It’s no joke. I studied probably 30 hours in total within a 7 day period leading up to the exam. However, if you can really understand the legend and know what pages to jump to for the answer you will have a solid footing for ‘winging’ it although I do not recommend this approach.

Next, take a lot of practice exams. Many of the questions are in fact, exactly identical to what you find on the actual exam.

Make screenshots of the answers you get wrong and go back and study those specifically.

Spend extra time on the sectional charts. Be sure to understand how to find things based on the exact latitude and longitude.

Leave your phone in your car when you go to take the exam. I was hesitant to set mine atop a bookshelf in the lobby while I had to go to a different room entirely to take the test but that is what’s required if you walk in with it.

-more to come.
I’ll try to update this post when I have more time with some additional resources and tips.

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My Unorganized Notes

This is a flat-out copy/paste of my notes. At some point, I’ll come in here and explain but much of it is somewhat obvious:

161753Z
16th day of x month
at 17:53 aka 5:53pm

14021G26KT – Wind
The first three digits indicate the direction the true wind is blowing from in tens of degrees ]

Dashed magenta line indicated E at the surface

Class D airspace = blue dashes

Military Training Route from 1,500 feet AGL. [It is extremely important to know this so you can expect low-flying military helicopters flying this route. Some of which may be at 400ft or below. Here is what the AIM says: “(a) MTRs with no segment above 1,500 feet AGL must be identified by four number characters; e.g., IR1206, VR1207. (b) MTRs that include one or more segments above 1,500 feet AGL must be identified by three number characters; e.g., IR206, VR207.” What does this mean? They can ALWAYS be flying in your airspace

Military Operations Directory. [No such thing.]

A temperature inversion means some warm air on top of some cold air. The cold air underneath on the ground, along with a high relative humidity, means you are expecting fog in the cooler area

Stall = exceeds its critical angle of attack

1.154 G’s.  33 pounds x 1.154 = 38.082 pounds

Sectional maps for wind direction

Chart Supplements U.S. = phone number

Safety Management System. [“SMS is the formal, top-down, organization-wide approach to managing safety risk and assuring the effectiveness of safety risk controls. It includes systematic procedures, practices, and policies for the management of safety risk

The 0° line of latitude passes through Greenwich, England.

CARE attention scan = have a positive attitude

yellow demarcation bar = runway with a displaced threshold that precedes the runway

pressure altitude be equal to true altitude = standard atmospheric conditions exist

Card Airport =  Public non-towered

marking in front of the aircraft = on a runway, about to clear

Automatic Terminal Information Service (ATIS) = non-control information in selected high activity terminal areas.

variations in altimeter settings between weather reporting points? = Unequal heating of the Earth’s surface.

Significant Weather Prognostic Charts best used by a pilot? = B. For determining areas to avoid (freezing levels and turbulence).

air traffic controller issues radar traffic information in relation to the 12-hour clock, = ground track.

Want some extra help with flying and buying a new drone? Check out: Hobby Help’s Drone Article here

Clearwater Test Location

This is where I took my exam. Cost $150.

On the page the below link takes you there are only two options listed. You will have to call the number and inform them you just want to book a time to take the test, you do not want their study materials or class.

T-Black Aviation
https://www.tblackaviation.com/drone.html