FAA Part 107 common mistakes
FAA Part 107 · Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
Answers operational-limit questions using recreational/hobby rules or manned-aircraft assumptions - e.g., picking '400 feet is an absolute ceiling,' 'no certificate needed if it's for fun,' or 'I need a Class 3 medical first.'
Many candidates come from the hobby world or hold a private pilot certificate, and mix §44809 recreational exceptions and Part 61 habits into Part 107 scenarios; the two rule sets look similar but are not interchangeable.
What to do instead
Drill the Part 107 operational limits as a memorized set (§107.51: 400 ft AGL, 100 mph, 3 statute miles visibility, 500 ft below / 2,000 ft horizontal from clouds) and separate them on a flashcard from the recreational exceptions. Memorize that a remote pilot certificate (no medical certificate) is what authorizes civil sUAS operations, and that currency is maintained by recurrent knowledge training every 24 calendar months.
Reads a sectional chart as 'Class G everywhere below 10,000' and misses that a Class E surface area or Class E starting at 700 ft AGL sits over the planned launch point, so the flight is actually in controlled airspace.
Class E is invisible on the ground and its floor changes by chart symbology (dashed magenta vignette, blue vignette, or shaded surface area); candidates scan for the bold Class B/C/D rings and stop there.
What to do instead
For every practice chart, answer three questions in order: what is the airspace at the surface, what is the airspace at 400 ft AGL, and where does Class G actually begin. Practice until you can identify a magenta dashed vignette (Class E at 700 ft AGL), a blue vignette (Class E at 1,200 ft AGL), and a dashed magenta circle around a non-towered airport (Class E surface area).
Uses 'authorization' and 'waiver' as synonyms, or assumes a LAANC approval covers a TFR, a night operation under old rules, or flight beyond visual line of sight.
LAANC returns a fast automated airspace authorization, which creates a false impression that it is a blanket permission for everything in that location.
What to do instead
Build a one-page matrix: airspace authorization (Class B/C/D/E surface, via LAANC or DroneZone) vs. waiver under §107.200 (operational rules such as night without lighting, BVLOS, over people) vs. TFR (always separate, never covered by either). When a question mentions a TFR, eliminate any answer that says the flight is fine because LAANC was approved.
Decodes a METAR by skimming - reads 'BKN008' as general cloudiness without converting it to a ceiling in feet AGL, ignores the temperature/dewpoint spread, and never checks the TAF validity window or station identifier.
Candidates treat the raw text as a reading-comprehension task instead of a data-extraction task, and they study weather generically rather than practicing decoding of raw reports with a clock in hand.
What to do instead
Practice a fixed decoding routine on real METARs: wind direction/speed/gusts, visibility in statute miles, ceiling (lowest BKN/OVC layer, in hundreds of feet AGL), temp/dewpoint spread, altimeter, and any phenomena. Then check the TAF for the same station and confirm the time window covers your flight. Know the standard preflight sources (aviationweather.gov, 1-800-WX-BRIEF) and that you must obtain weather information before each flight.
Plans performance using a sea-level, standard-day assumption - checks endurance with a full payload and high temperature, then treats the published max flight time as achievable on a hot, high-density-altitude day.
Small UAS are electric and light, so the fixed-wing 'density altitude chart' habit doesn't get applied; the numbers on the box feel like guarantees rather than best-case figures.
What to do instead
For any question with hot temperature, high elevation, high humidity, or a heavy payload, immediately assume reduced climb rate, reduced thrust/lift margin, and shorter endurance. Use manufacturer data at the actual takeoff weight and conditions, and plan a reserve (commonly cited as roughly 20% battery remaining) rather than flying to the published maximum.
On an emergency scenario, defaults to 'land immediately in place' for every failure, or assumes a lost-link aircraft will always hover and wait.
The emergency domain is taught as a list of failures rather than as a decision framework, so candidates grab a single familiar action and apply it to lost GPS, lost link, a fly-away, and a battery fire alike.
What to do instead
Learn the default behavior programmed for the specific aircraft (hover, land, or return-to-home on lost link) and know how to select it before flight; know that a fly-away or lost aircraft must be reported and that the priority order is people, then other aircraft/property, then the aircraft. For battery fire, know to disconnect/isolate and use the appropriate extinguishing method rather than touching a swelling pack.
Chooses the answer that gets the job done - 'continue the mission and monitor the situation' - instead of the answer that removes risk, and fails to label the hazardous attitude the scenario is demonstrating.
Exam scenarios are written to tempt a practical, revenue-minded response; candidates with commercial instincts pick the productive option over the conservative one.
What to do instead
Adopt a rule: when two answers are both legal, the more conservative one is correct. Before answering, name the hazardous attitude in the stem (anti-authority, impulsivity, invulnerability, macho, resignation) and run IMSAFE and PAVE mentally. Practice by writing out what you would actually do, then comparing to the safest option.
Mixes up radio phraseology and airport procedures - uses 'Mayday' for a non-distress problem, transmits on the wrong frequency at a non-towered field, or assumes sUAS must enter the traffic pattern.
Candidates who are not manned pilots have no mental model of CTAF/UNICOM, self-announce calls, or the distinction between distress and urgency, so they answer by intuition.
What to do instead
Learn the small set that is tested: CTAF/UNICOM for self-announce at non-towered fields, 'Mayday' only for distress, 'Pan-Pan' for urgency, and that sUAS must yield the right of way to all manned aircraft. Remember that no radio call is required in Class G, but see-and-avoid and the requirement not to interfere with airport operations always apply.
Skips items on the preflight inspection because 'it worked last time,' and cannot state what must be checked before flight or how maintenance and battery condition are tracked.
Preflight is treated as a formality on a small electric aircraft, and the documentation side (battery cycles, firmware, log entries) is not taught as examinable content.
What to do instead
Memorize §107.49 as a checklist: airframe and props (cracks, nicks, security), control surfaces and motors, battery charge and physical condition, communication links between controller and aircraft, and the operating environment. Add the maintenance habits: track battery cycles and storage voltage, verify firmware, and record discrepancies rather than clearing them verbally.
Thinks a night operation still requires a waiver, or knows night is allowed but cannot state the anti-collision lighting performance standard and visibility requirement.
The rule changed and the old civil-twilight/waiver framing persists in study material and in candidates' memory, so both the outdated and updated rules get blended.
What to do instead
Lock in the current rule: night operations are permitted under Part 107 without a waiver when the aircraft has anti-collision lighting that is visible for at least 3 statute miles, with the pilot able to maintain visual line of sight with the lighting; a waiver is still available if the lighting requirement cannot be met. Pair that with night physiology (dark adaptation, off-center viewing, illusions) and preflight checks for lighting and obstacle visibility.