Getting Your FAA Drone License

This post will describe what I did to get an FAA Remote Pilot Certificate.

Who needs a FAA Remote Pilot Certificate? Anyone who uses a drone for “commercial purposes.” This includes taking drone shots of your own home for a real estate listing, or monetizing social media content taken with your drone. The thing that pushed me into getting a license was that I was helping out an actual professional photographer, and I thought he might be interested in including some drone shots in what he provided to his client. It turned out that there was some street construction that kept him from photographing one who side of his subject, so he used photos from my drone to keep the client happy. Yay!

Arkansas River Vibes

What do you need to do to get a license? My quick and dirty synopsis of the process and my recommended study links are below. I already have FAA Commercial Single Engine Land and Rotorcraft license. If I was actually flying regularly and had a current Biennial Flight Review, I could have skipped some of the requirements. But since I’ve been out of the cockpit for so long, I had to go through the whole process.

None of the resources I’ve described cost anything but time. I spent most of two days hanging out in the camper in the rain getting smart on everything the FAA wanted in my short term memory for the $175 exam.

FAA Frequently Asked Questions

Your starting point is the FAA Drone Pilot Frequently Asked Questions page at https://www.faa.gov/uas/commercial_operators/become_a_drone_pilot.

• FAQ describes creating a profile in the FAA’s “Integrated Airman Certification and Rating Application” system so you can get an “FAA Tracking Number,” which is needed before you can sign up to take the test at an FAA testing site.


• FAQ describes how to apply for the certification after you complete the exam.  In my case, five minutes after I took the test, the FAA already had the exam results, and I was immediately able to create the application.  Immediately after applying, I checked the status and had been granted a temporary certificate.  It may be the case that it happened so fast because I already had a commercial pilot license


• FAQ lists the “Knowledge Areas” that will be covered on the test. The 60 questions on the exam are taken from a bank of questions.  My experience was that I had multiple questions from each of the knowledge area.   


Remote Pilot Resources for the Exam

Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR) Part 107

• Read.  It’ll make more sense once you’ve reviewed the rest of the material.


Remote Pilot - Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Study Guide

• Read. It’ll make more sense once you’ve reviewed the rest of the material.


Unmanned Aircraft General (UAG) Sample Questions

• Skim these before reviewing the YouTube videos to get a sense of the kind of questions you’ll see.  This is published by the FAA. The sample questions are representative of the test questions.  One of the YouTube videos below walks through many of the questions and guides you through answering them.  Another walks through answering the toughest question.


Airman Knowledge Testing Supplement for Sport Pilot, Recreational Pilot, Remote Pilot, and Private Pilot

• This booklet will be provided for you in the exam.  


• All the questions related to VFR sectionals and weather reports will be taken from the charts and weather reports in this book.   Make sure you can decipher each of the weather forecasts.

• Many of the things you need to know about interpreting the chart are in the Legend on page 1-1.  You don’t need to memorize the legend since you’ll have it at the exam.


Aeronautical Information Manual - AIM 

• Read these Chapters:


  • Chapter 3 Airspace


  • Chapter 4 Air Traffic Control (Sections 1-3)


  • Chapter 5 Air Traffic Procedures


  • Chapter 7 Safety of Flight (Sections 1,5,6)


  • Chapter 8 Medical Facts for Pilots 


  • Chapter 9 Aeronautical Charts and Related Publications


Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge

• Read these Chapters:


  • Chapter 2 Aeronautical Decision-Making


  • Chapter 11 Aircraft Performance


  • Chapter 14 Airport Operations


  • Chapter 15 Airspace


Aeronautical Chart Users' Guide

• Review only the sections related to the charts you’re going to see on the test:  VFR Sectionals (Page 11-40).


Operations Over People General Overview | Federal Aviation Administration

• These rules changed in 2021.  There will be questions about this on the test


FAA Advisory Circular 107-2A

• Skim


Five Most Helpful YouTube Videos (watch them)

• FREE DRONE PILOT FAA Part 107 Study Guide. Get Ready to Ace the test 🐝

• FAA Part 107 Exam Study Guide - 2024 Update (from a flight instructor) 

• Pass the FAA Part 107 | Test Walkthrough | Q & A with explanations

• Unveiling the Most Missed Questions on Part 107 Exam in 2024

• Hardest Question on the Part 107 Exam and How to Get it Right (YDQA Ep4)

  • See also handout: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/o1iakn79ekyr230gjlwnc/How-To-Ace-Final-20180122.pdf?rlkey=gqc0gy1vnbheidrzz5h8kwpqe&dl=1

Using Drone Commercially

How to Register Your Drone | Federal Aviation Administration

Apps / Websites to Keep You Out of Trouble

• AirHub Portal


  • You need to have a FAA Authorized B4UFLY app that can provide Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC)


    • Shows you airspace you can fly in and ceiling for flight

    • Provides link to get LAANC approval (automatic or manual)

    • Shows hazards


    • Provides link to check NOTAMs 


  • I’ve been trying out AirHub Portal, AutoPylot, and Air Control


  • AirHub Portal allows me to overly VFR Sectional for increased situational awareness.


• 800WxBrief.com


  • Set up an account


  • It’s the best way to get up to dates weather and NOTAMs.  Can set up notifications to receive text if any NOTAMs / TFRs affect are you’re planning to operate.


• FAA Safety (requires login)


  • Optional online course to help pass Remote Pilot Exam


  • Online exams for required 24 month recertification


• FAA Drone Zone (requires login)


  • Get authorization for airspace LAANC cannot authorize


  • Request waivers to Part 107 rules


  • Report accidents (serious injury or > $500 damage other than drone)


• Federal Aviation Administration: NOTAM Search

• FAA Aeronautical Information Manual


• TSA / FAA Waiver (requires login)

  • Submit waiver to fly in DC FRZ.  Good luck with that.


• VFR Map


  • VFR sectional in a web browser


• SkyVector


  • VFR sectionals in a web browser


  • TFRs


  • NOTAMs


• Drone Scanner (iOS app)


  • Listens for Remote ID broadcast


  • Verify your Remote ID status and see who else is broadcasting near you


Notes I Took During Preparation and Reviewed Prior to Exam

• Class E common altitude

  • base generally 1200 AGL

  • if not depicted, starts at 14,500 MSL

• Class C generally surface to 4000, outer ring 1200 to 4000

• Class D generally 2500’

  • reverts to Class G when tower closed

• Low Altitude Airways generally start at 1200 AGL and are Class E

• Chart Supplement used to be called airport facility directory

• Standard Day: 15C 59F 29.92

• LiPo batteries can catch fire

• report serious accidents, injuries, over $500 to FAA

• unstable air creates currents and turbulence.  Good visibility, cumulus clouds, showery precipitation

• stable air creates smooth air, stratus clouds, poor vis.  could have light, continuous precipitation

• VFR sectional: all readings are true, all numbers are MSL unless in (AGL)

• Aeronautical Decision-Making

  • Hazards

  • Risk

• Risk Mgt Process

  • Identify Hazards

    • Five Hazardous Attitudes and Antidote

      • Anti-authority

        • don’t tell me

        • follow the rules

      • Impulsivity

        • do it quickly

        • not so fast … think

      • Invulnerability

        • it won’t happen to me

        • it can 

      • Macho

        • i can do it

        • taking chances foolish

      • Resignation

        • what’s the use

        • i’m not helpless

  • Assess Risks

  • Analyze Controls

  • Make Control Decisions

  • Use Controls

  • Monitor Results

• DECIDE

  • Detect

  • Estimate

  • Choose a course of action

  • Identify Solutions

  • Do the actions

  • Evaluate effects of the actions

• Personal Minimums (PAVE) Checklist for Risk Management

  • PIC

  • Aircraft

  • Environment

  • External Pressures

• IMSAFE

  • Illness

  • Medication

  • Stress

  • Alcohol

  • Fatigue

  • Eating

• CARE checklist to Review Hazards and Evaluate Risk

  • Consequences

  • Alternatives

  • Reality

  • External Factors

• TEAM checklist to choose and implement risk controls

  • Transfer

  • Eliminate

  • Accept

  • Mitigate

• Category 

  • 1 < .55lbs, open air w remote ID

  • 2 .55-55 11 ft lbs, open air w remote ID

  • 3 .55 - 55 25 ft lbs, no open air 

  • 4 up to 55, airworthiness, mx records

  • see also screen cap

• Over moving vehicles

  • C1, C2, C3

    • closed or restricted site, everyone on notice or

    • no sustained flight

  • C4

    • operated w/i manual

• 1800wxbrief.com

• 13 y/o to register drone

• 16 y/o to get remote pilot license

• recurrent test 2 yrs

• inform w/i 30 days of address change for license

• inform w/i 14 days if registration info changes

• skyvector.com good source of charts

• report qualifying accident w/i 10 days through FAA Drone Zone account

• 87 kts / 100 MPH

• 3 SM visibility required to operate

• cloud clearance: 500’ below, 2000’ horizontal

Conclusion

If you have a any questions about the process, drop a comment below and I’ll answer it.

If you need any photos or videos from a drone, drop me a line. If I’m nearby, I’ll provide my standard “friends and family” rate of one meal per job. Happy flying!

Considering Agile?

Yesterday I stumbled across a study by Carnegie Mellon University’s Software Engineering Institute that used one of my projects as an example. 

I had done phone interviews with the authors, but didn’t realize any of my ideas were included in the final version until I saw it when I was searching for something else.

The paper is called “Update 2016: Considerations for Using Agile in DoD Acquisition.” 

You can find it either on the CMU SEI site or on the official DoD holding at the Defense Technical Information Center.

From the abstract:

…Continuing with the 2010 report's theme, this report updates the exploration of the questions: Can Agile be used in the DoD environment? If so, how? It includes lessons learned from DoD programs that have employed Agile and information gleaned from myriad articles and books on Agile…. The intended audience is policy makers, program office staff, and software development contractors who are contemplating proposing the use of Agile methods. We hope this report stimulates new discussion about adopting Agile in the DoD world and equips practitioners with the information they need to make informed decisions.

Although Agile is more widely embraced today than it was when the report was published in Dec 2016, the lessons still hold.  I would argue that many of the lessons would apply if "Agile" were replaced with the name of many sound ideas for delivering value that are commonplace in the commercial environment but not widely used in DoD.  Many of the considerations are also useful outside of the DoD.

They called out the Coast Guard Logistics Information Management System (CG-LIMS) as an example Agile project. After sharing part of my August 2012 blog post, they concluded:

This is perhaps the most important lesson from CG-LIMS: Agile methods and practices can be implemented even within large government organizations that rely on the formal structures of a Waterfall process, given sufficient imagination, tailoring, and tenacity. That is, processes do not execute themselves. They require actual human beings to make decisions, use judgment, and take action. When confronted with a Waterfall-oriented process, the standard implementation and interpretation is not the only way to proceed. A dedicated leader who wants to use Agile can do so—and do so publicly—by following the Coast Guard’s compelling precedent.

Processes do not execute themselves. Not my words, but I sure like it. Human judgment—and action—from leaders is a key to success.

Agile project leaders should not expect to receive universal support and buy-in regarding this approach. However, the absence of unanimous support does not constitute an insurmountable barrier. As Captain Taylor wrote on his blog in July 2012:

If it causes you some distress to know that Agile values and the principles of the Agile Manifesto are not embraced within the Acquisition community, know you’re not alone. It saddens me too. But please don’t let it slow you down. I was explaining to one of my fellow PM’s ... that I’ve long since given up on getting everyone’s buy in on our approach. We’ll need to keep moving with just enough approval and just enough support for what we’re doing. As we deliver, we’ll continue to make believers one at a time by showing results in the form of working software.

The whole document is worth reading. Even though it's almost two years now, I think anyone involved in a transformative effort in government IT (whether that means Agile adoption, DevSecOps, or cloud migration) will find something they can put to use.

I'll leave you with two quick thoughts that resonated with me:

I love the focus on Users, Users, Users! From the Executive Summary:

Lack of relevant end-user interaction is one of the failure modes that we have seen that significantly reduces the effectiveness of an Agile approach.

Brooks is still right: There is no silver bullet:

There is no “one size fits all” Agile process. Just like any set of practices, implementation of Agile must be tailored to fit the situation and context. For example, Agile teams responsible for developing high-risk core components of the software architecture might apply less-aggressive release schedules than Agile teams developing less critical pieces of the software system. Some Agile teams might pick a two-week iteration cycle where others might determine their optimum iteration cycle is three weeks. Agile is not a silver bullet but rather another “lead bullet” for the Program Management Office’s (PMO’s) and contractor’s arsenal.

Leaders are Readers

photo credit: binaryape

I wrote a post in 2012 to serve as a reading list for my replacement of an IT Acquisition Project in 2013. I followed that up with highlights from the team’s library that had served well as guideposts for the team.

It’s time for an update. Since those two posts, a few friends have published books that I’ve found myself recommending over and over, and I’ve read (or re-read) others that belong on a short list of books to recommend to any agile practitioner.

Also a confession: I’m lazy; I want to have a few places where I can point folks two who are putting agile principles to work in their lives in IT or non-IT projects.

Here’s my top fifteen list of books for agile practitioners that didn't make the previous posts here and here.

FIRE: How Fast, Inexpensive, Restrained, and Elegant Methods Ignite Innovation by Dan Ward, 2014. Dan’s work has influenced my thinking for many years. This book is an evolution of a framework he called FIST: Fast, Inexpensive, Simple, Tiny. When my team invited industry participation to crowdsource our acquisition strategy, we shamelessly stole his work (and acronym) by calling it the FIST Acquisition Strategy Team, or FAST. We took to heart his premise that “If the implementation is hard to explain, it’s a bad idea. If it’s easy to explain, it might be a good idea.” Anyone using agile values and principles in their work will learn something they can use.

The Simplicity Cycle: A Field Guide to Making Things Better Without Making Them Worse by Dan Ward, 2015. This book captures more great ideas that influenced my team when Dan and I were both on active duty. It describes a simple framework that can help agile teams and leaders at all levels communicate the relationship between simplicity and complexity.

Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time by Jeff Sutherland and J.J. Sutherland, 2014. No one better than Jeff Sutherland to explain Scrum. Full of reminders about the “Why” behind scrum. This is a great read for beginners or experienced practitioner. One tiny thing I loved was the way he phrases the three questions in the daily stand-up, which subtly puts focus on team :

1. What did you do yesterday to help the team finish the Sprint?

2. What will you do today to help the team finish the Sprint?

3. What obstacles are getting in the team’s way?

This is a great book for Scrum teams and for senior executives who want to understand how those teams could be working.

The Art of Business Value by Mark Schwartz, 2016. This book will make you think. If agile is all about “delivering value quickly,” we ought to have a good definition of what value is. There aren’t a lot of answers in the book, but there are plenty of great questions worth considering and hypotheses worth testing.

A Seat at the Table: IT Leadership in the Age of Agility by Mark Schwartz, 2017. This is a great read for IT leaders in an organization, and anyone who has a role in how the IT organization is resourced.

Coaching Agile Teams: A Companion for ScrumMasters, Agile Coaches, and Project Managers in Transition by Lyssa Adkins, 2010. This is a great resource for folks with experience with agile teams.

Agile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great (Pragmatic Programmers) by Esther Derby and Diana Laren, 2006. If you’re going to read one book on retrospectives, this could be it.

The Elements of Scrum by Chris Sims and Hillary Louise Johnson, 2011. One of the client’s I coached chose this book to have the team members read to gain a shared understanding of basic agile principles, practices, and ceremonies. It’s a good place to start.

Little Bets: How Breakthrough Ideas Emerge from Small Discoveries by Peter Sims, 2011.

The Phoenix Project: A Novel about IT, DevOps, and Helping Your Business Win by Gene Kim, Kevin Behr, and George Spafford, 2013

The Lean Startup: How Today’s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses by Eric Ries, 2011.

Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler, 2011

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable by Patrick Lencioni, 2002.

Team of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World by Stanley McChrystal, 2015

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey, 1989. This is one of those timeless books everyone should read. If you read it as I did when it came out, you probably internalized some of it and are putting it to use in your work and life. If you haven’t thumbed through it in ten or fifteen years, it’s worth another read.