Part 107 (the FAA regulation — formally 14 CFR Part 107, meaning Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 107 — that governs commercial drone flight) draws a bright line: the moment a drone flight is for work — real-estate photos, roof inspections, footage you hope to sell — a certificated person called a remote pilot in command must be in charge. A remote pilot in command is the person directly responsible for, and the final authority over, the operation. The eligibility rules in § 107.61 call for no flight test at all. You must be at least 16 years old; be able to read, speak, write, and understand English; not know or have reason to know of any physical or mental condition that would interfere with safe operation; and demonstrate aeronautical knowledge — either by passing an initial aeronautical knowledge test or, for qualifying Part 61 pilots, completing training instead. The logic behind testing knowledge rather than stick skills is that nearly everything that makes a drone operation dangerous — busy airspace, deteriorating weather, people below — is a matter of judgment, not thumb dexterity.

The knowledge test covers thirteen areas, from airspace classification and weather to aircraft loading, emergency procedures, and aeronautical decision-making. If you already hold a pilot certificate for manned aircraft (issued under Part 61, the FAA regulation governing pilots of manned aircraft) — other than a student pilot certificate, since a student hasn't yet completed full pilot training — and you are current on your flight review, you may skip the test. Instead, you complete training built for existing pilots. The logic: you've already proven the aviation fundamentals and only need what is specific to small unmanned aircraft. Part 107 also lets a person without a certificate fly under the direct supervision of a remote pilot in command who has the ability to immediately take direct control of the small unmanned aircraft's flight (§ 107.12(a)(2)) — a capability requirement, not a prescribed method. The regulation requires that the supervising remote PIC (pilot in command) be able to step in and fly the aircraft directly at any moment; it doesn't dictate how that hand-off must work, only that it must be immediate. This is how a trainee can practice legally.

Passing the knowledge test or completing training doesn't grant privileges forever, and what keeps them alive depends on how you qualified in the first place. Every remote pilot must renew within the previous 24 calendar months. A person who demonstrated knowledge by passing the initial test stays current by completing recurrent training that the FAA accepts, covering the same thirteen knowledge areas as the initial test. A Part 61 certificate holder who used the alternate pathway instead stays current by completing training covering a narrower set of eight areas built for pilots who've already proven the manned-aviation fundamentals. The recurring recency check exists for good reason: since Part 107 first appeared, several areas have added or changed requirements, and periodic retraining helps ensure pilots aren't flying on outdated rules. Night operations, for instance, now require — under § 107.29 (a numbered rule section within Part 107) — that pilots have completed their initial knowledge test or training after April 6, 2021 and that they be equipped with anti-collision lighting. These conditions replaced the earlier night-waiver regime, which terminated in 2021. Flight over people (operating a small unmanned aircraft over human beings, per § 107.39 and the regulations on flight over people) added its own requirements, and so did Remote ID (technology that broadcasts the unmanned aircraft's identity, position, altitude, and velocity so nearby receivers can identify and locate it in flight) — it became required after September 16, 2023 for most operations of drones that are registered or required to be registered (§ 89.105).