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Another FAA delay on Part 107 for March 2021

BigAl07

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Sorry folks, we just got notification this morning that on Wednesday (3/10), the FAA will publish a new delay on RID, OOP, and the new Recurrent and Initial Remote Pilot (107) procedures.

This is very unfortunate if you need to become 107 current before the end of March. We are trying to see if the FAA will institute the SFAR-118 (COVID relief extension) again. We'll let everyone know if they do.

More info on the actual dates: Another FAA 107 Delay. Not horrible, but incredibly frustrating. – Drone Service Providers Alliance
 
Sorry folks, we just got notification this morning that on Wednesday (3/10), the FAA will publish a new delay on RID, OOP, and the new Recurrent and Initial Remote Pilot (107) procedures.

This is very unfortunate if you need to become 107 current before the end of March. We are trying to see if the FAA will institute the SFAR-118 (COVID relief extension) again. We'll let everyone know if they do.

More info on the actual dates: Another FAA 107 Delay. Not horrible, but incredibly frustrating. – Drone Service Providers Alliance
Thanks Al. I was planning on taking the recurrent test online this month and now it looks like a delay. My recurrent is due by the end of March so I am interested to find out what the FAA tells you,
 
Thanks Al. I was planning on taking the recurrent test online this month and now it looks like a delay. My recurrent is due by the end of March so I am interested to find out what the FAA tells you,

I'll def report here (or @Vic Moss will) and update this thread. Hopefully they will offer some type of stop-gap to help.
 
I'm up, so I've scheduled my test for thursday. Now the cost is up to $160. But I can't wait around. Hopefully the nature of the questions hasn't changed much in 2 years and I don't have any trouble passing.
 
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I'm up, so I've scheduled my test for thursday. Now the cost is up to $160. But I can't wait around. Hopefully the nature of the questions hasn't changed much in 2 years and I don't have any trouble passing.
A few days boning up on the books and charts and you will find that though the questions change, not much else has so far.
 
Sorry folks, we just got notification this morning that on Wednesday (3/10), the FAA will publish a new delay on RID, OOP, and the new Recurrent and Initial Remote Pilot (107) procedures.

This is very unfortunate if you need to become 107 current before the end of March. We are trying to see if the FAA will institute the SFAR-118 (COVID relief extension) again. We'll let everyone know if they do.

More info on the actual dates: Another FAA 107 Delay. Not horrible, but incredibly frustrating. – Drone Service Providers Alliance
Thank You Sir,
Mine expires at the end of March. Keep us posted
 
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Thank You Sir,
Mine expires at the end of March. Keep us posted
April 21, 2021 is the new effective date of the final rule for drone operations over people. The updated knowledge test and online training will be available April 6, 2021. We published the date corrections today in the Federal Register at http://bit.ly/2ODkEZZ
 
Thanks Al. I was planning on taking the recurrent test online this month and now it looks like a delay. My recurrent is due by the end of March so I am interested to find out what the FAA tells you,
Same here.
I can either take the test in person and slap down $165. Or take it online and pay $0 and have night time approval. I really hope they have it by the end of March. Even if they don't, perhaps I will lapse for a couple of weeks. But if they keep delaying until May (or more) I need to just take the test now and stay current.

EDIT- thanks Al for the updated schedule roll out. I hope it sticks, fingers crossed.
 
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A few days boning up on the books and charts and you will find that though the questions change, not much else has so far.
Well good news I passed just fine <whew> so nothing to worry about in restrospect, but it still feels like a big deal ... I suppose with $160 on the line and playing you bet your job, all that contributes to the stress factor. Most of the questions were pretty standard stuff like you'd expect. Lots of flipping back and forth through the example chart book. There are always weird questions about stuff I've never seen before ... and this is my 3rd time passing the test, and before that I passed the full private pilot written test (back when that was a thing.) I think a couple of those I puzzled through and then I missed a couple. I wish they were more clear about what you missed. I blew one question on class D airspace, but I have no idea what I did. I live inside class D airspace.

I have always wondered this: if you are good to go after passing with 70%, does that mean you are only responsible for following 70% of the regs when you are out flying ... I mean especially now that the faa has documented evidence that I don't know specific things, but won't tell me what they specifically are. Don't bother replying, I know the answer to that one. :)
 
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...I wish they were more clear about what you missed...

...but won't tell me what they specifically are...

I guess it depends on the testing center and Proctor?

Mine very thoroughly went over the couple I missed and made sure I fully understood the questions, answers, and why mine was wrong. He was a CFI.
 
I guess it depends on the testing center and Proctor?

Mine very thoroughly went over the couple I missed and made sure I fully understood the questions, answers, and why mine was wrong. He was a CFI.

That's great. In my case I got a printout that listed a code for each question I missed. I went and looked one up and what it amounted to was "understands class D airspace". The other two were similarly vague. And I thought I did understand airspaces. I live inside class D (as do a lot of people.) Oh well, maybe I looked at one of the chart numbers cross eyed or something, DFW area is pretty crazy and of course several questions referred the dfw sectional. I'm just complaining ... mostly ignore me. :)
 
DFW is a piece of cake....but I've looked at it sooooooo many times and I have CoA's for everything non LAANC, so I know it pretty well. But, I hear ya, and even in the guide I wrote for Real Estate Agents, I use Mineral Wells because DFW is too complex. It took me a while to get DFW properly sorted.
 
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Well good news I passed just fine <whew> so nothing to worry about in restrospect, but it still feels like a big deal ... I suppose with $160 on the line and playing you bet your job, all that contributes to the stress factor. Most of the questions were pretty standard stuff like you'd expect. Lots of flipping back and forth through the example chart book. There are always weird questions about stuff I've never seen before ... and this is my 3rd time passing the test, and before that I passed the full private pilot written test (back when that was a thing.) I think a couple of those I puzzled through and then I missed a couple. I wish they were more clear about what you missed. I blew one question on class D airspace, but I have no idea what I did. I live inside class D airspace.
The anticipation is usually worse than the results. I've found that for me personally, if I am worried about it I usually do really well. If I every face a test and think I've got this in the bag, then I'm in trouble. The next recurrency is going to have a few changes and I am worried about that....
 
"...DFW area is pretty crazy ..."
Bah and humbug. Unless you are flying directly around DFW, you just ignore it. The only thing I worry about is the Class D airspace here. The Class B shelf doesn't come into play until 4k AGL over me. They love asking questions about Meecham, Addison and Dallas Executive (Red Bird). Every FAA test I've taken has had one question for each on every exam.
 
Bah and humbug. Unless you are flying directly around DFW, you just ignore it. The only thing I worry about is the Class D airspace here. The Class B shelf doesn't come into play until 4k AGL over me. They love asking questions about Meecham, Addison and Dallas Executive (Red Bird). Every FAA test I've taken has had one question for each on every exam.

I think I figured out one question I missed. I didn't know (or forgot) that class D reverts to E or G when the tower is closed. In my area the tower hours are:

ANOKA TOWER:132.4 [0700-2100 OCT-APR; 0700-2200 MAY-SEP]

So would that mean before 0700 I'm clear to fly anywhere in the class D area? Is the DJI app aware of this? After 2200 in the summer it is dark so that would be disallowed for being > 30 minutes past sunset. I have no reason to do any of this, but just curious if that is technically ok to fly in class D airspace outside of tower-open times? In my own logic, we have planes flying around in close proximity all hours so the risk factors when the tower is closed vs. tower open aren't that much different I don't think? Almost never would a plane fly < 400' over my house, but it's been close a few times.

Edit: from the chart suppliment for KANE:

AIRSPACE: CLASS D svc 1300–0300Z‡ Oct–Apr, 1300–0400Z‡ May–Sep; other times CLASS E.

So what I'm not 100% clear on -- when Class D reverts to Class E (all the way to the ground) does the area continue to be unflyable (without LAANC)? Or does it open up for drone flying in non-towered hours? I'm worried that I'm starting to overthink this and confuse myself. :)

Anyway, just trying to learn from my mistakes ....
 
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I think I figured out one question I missed. I didn't know (or forgot) that class D reverts to E or G when the tower is closed. In my area the tower hours are:

ANOKA TOWER:132.4 [0700-2100 OCT-APR; 0700-2200 MAY-SEP]

So would that mean before 0700 I'm clear to fly anywhere in the class D area? Is the DJI app aware of this? After 2200 in the summer it is dark so that would be disallowed for being > 30 minutes past sunset. I have no reason to do any of this, but just curious if that is technically ok to fly in class D airspace outside of tower-open times? In my own logic, we have planes flying around in close proximity all hours so the risk factors when the tower is closed vs. tower open aren't that much different I don't think? Almost never would a plane fly < 400' over my house, but it's been close a few times.

Edit: from the chart suppliment for KANE:



So what I'm not 100% clear on -- when Class D reverts to Class E (all the way to the ground) does the area continue to be unflyable (without LAANC)? Or does it open up for drone flying in non-towered hours? I'm worried that I'm starting to overthink this and confuse myself. :)

Anyway, just trying to learn from my mistakes ....
If it revert to Class G then you "could" fly without a LAANC approval provided you also met daylight regs. If it reverts to Class E to the surface then you would still need LAANC approval because it is still controlled airspace. That is my read. Don't mean I am right.
 
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April 21, 2021 is the new effective date of the final rule for drone operations over people. The updated knowledge test and online training will be available April 6, 2021. We published the date corrections today in the Federal Register at http://bit.ly/2ODkEZZ
I've been studying to take the test for the first time and was hoping to take it before the 27th of March. Does this mean I should wait and do it in April?
 
My read on Anoka:

From October thru April, 0700 to 2100 it's Surface Class D.
From May thru September, 0700 to 2200 it's Surface Class D.

When the tower is open, it's Surface D. When the tower is closed, it reverts to the E700 surrounding the greater Minneapolis area. Since we're limited to 400', no issues flying there as the surface to the E700 shelf are Class G. I'm not seeing any Surface E (maroon dash) airspaces in the Minneapolis TAC. This is, of course, if you have a 107.29 currently or have taken the test/renewal with the new material and it is in effect. I don't know the sunrise/sunset times for the area so I'm assuming those hours for tower operation are the effective daylight hours and night permissions come into play outside these hours.
 
My read on Anoka:

From October thru April, 0700 to 2100 it's Surface Class D.
From May thru September, 0700 to 2200 it's Surface Class D.

When the tower is open, it's Surface D. When the tower is closed, it reverts to the E700 surrounding the greater Minneapolis area. Since we're limited to 400', no issues flying there as the surface to the E700 shelf are Class G. I'm not seeing any Surface E (maroon dash) airspaces in the Minneapolis TAC. This is, of course, if you have a 107.29 currently or have taken the test/renewal with the new material and it is in effect. I don't know the sunrise/sunset times for the area so I'm assuming those hours for tower operation are the effective daylight hours and night permissions come into play outside these hours.

I'm only being super pedantic because the FAA tests are stupid picky and they merrily ding you on any little thing they can catch you on.

As I'm glossing through the AIM: Aeronautical Information Manual - AIM The part where it talks about class D reverting to class E when tower is closed, they always say surface class E ... unless it reverts to class G which is like normal class G (surface to 700' or 1200'.) I found some FAA meeting notes where someone was asking the FAA to be specific that it's surface class E, not just class E to avoid dumb people like me not being sure, but apparently that recommended change was never pushed through?

So I'm super happy to be corrected or clarified or restated more simply/clearly, but by my read, I think ANE reverts to surface class E when the tower is closed. (That "surface" is implied when it goes over to class E)

Curt.
 

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