Drone Pilot Certification
To fly a drone that weighs more than 0.55lb, you must register it with the FAA. The FAA requires that the drone broadcast a Remote ID. You must include that when registering your drone, unless you register it as recreational.
To get approvals for non-standard flights, you must be a registered pilot. To register as a pilot, you must pass Test 107.
Test 107
NOTE I used pic@thedigitalmachine.com to sign up for my test!
Test is on Tuesday 2023/06/20 at 6pm
5711 Six Forks Rd Suite 208, Raleigh, NC 27609 844-704-1487
https://faa.psiexams.com/faa/login
https://uasdoc.faa.gov/listDocs
https://iacra.faa.gov/IACRA/default.aspx
https://www.faa.gov/training_testing/testing/testing_matrix
Test 107 resources
Test 107 Q&A
Latitude and Longitude
Measurement from 0-360 degrees, 0-60 minutes, 0-60 seconds.
Latitude: 0 degrees at equator to +90 degrees N at north polar cap and -90 degrees S at south polar cap. US is between
Longitude: 0 degrees at Greenwich, England to +180 degrees E / -180 degrees W.
AGL vs MSL
Mean Sea Level (MSL) is absolute height above standard sea level. Most common. Used to calculate atmospheric pressure, eg.
Above Ground Level (AGL) is the distance from ground to height.
https://www.dronepilotgroundschool.com/kb/what-is-the-difference-between-agl-and-msl/
What is a temperature inversion?
Stable air masses of cooler air trapped by warmer air above it.
Causes clear skies, calm wind, dew/fog, horizontal smoke patterns,
https://www.weather.gov/media/lzk/inversion101.pdf
What is high density altitude?
On a hot, muggy day, the air becomes "thinner" or less dense, and its density at a pilot's location is equivalent to a higher altitude in the standard atmosphere. Thus the term "high density altitude."
Reduced power, thrust, lift, less responsive aircraft.
https://www.weather.gov/zse/HighDensityAltitude
What is a moist unstable air mass?
An unstable air mass is characterized by warm moist air near the surface and cold dry air aloft.
https://glenallenweather.com/alink/20thunder/ingredientsthunderstorms.pdf
Background
https://hamradioprep.com/fpv-drones-using-a-ham-radio-license/ https://www.faa.gov/uas/commercial_operators/become_a_drone_pilot