Looking forward to advice from experienced pilots

silkchute · Jan 18, 2018

I am new to the drone world and am trying to figure all of the FAA regulations about pilot vs hobbyist. I have only flown my p3s a few times (before the FAA reinstated the registration rules) and was content to be a hobbyist. Now it appears that the way to go is for the pilot under 107. It will be a while for me to do too much to qualify for the license since I need to devote time to work at the moment and the weather has been miserable in central Indiana so I can't fly anyway.

Any advice on the best preparation for the pilot test would be most appreciated-- studying the FAA literature vs some commercial preparation services manuals. Should I go ahead and register my drone as a hobbyist (seems that might be best until I decide if I am going for the pilot certification just so I can legally fly) or should I wait until I pass the pilot test and register the rc planes and drones then? (I have several rc planes which I am certain would have to be individually registered to fly if I became a pilot rather than all included under a hobbyist registration, so I have a few decisions to make as far as total investment is concerned). Is there any guidance on what the effect on the first registration as a hobbyist has on the subsequent passing of the pilot test and the requirement to register aircraft individually?

Thanks and safe flying to all!

LuvMyTJ · Jan 18, 2018

Hello,
It is a pleasure to welcome you to the CommercialDronePilots forum.
I hope that you will be able to use the forum for the exchange of innovative ideas and as a resource for current developments in the commercial drone field.
Enjoy!

Stratoscape Pilot · Jan 18, 2018

Hey Silkchute,

How you handle the FAA prep is a very individual decision. My advise typically is that if you're super self-disciplined and already have a basis for aviation, I would just read the materials that the FAA provides for studying. I'll see if I can find that link. It's a bit dry, but it gives you what you need. But I've also talked with some folks that prefer to pay the high fees to attend an in-person prep course. For me, I think those classes are a waste of money and most of us don't want to make that type of investment. But everyone is different. Online courses are a good middle ground but shop around and ask around in these forums. Overall, it's a cost vs time issue.

Regarding the registration, I'm not sure it matters but I could be wrong. We registered the drones as a company rather than individual but you could easily register it as an individual and still use it for a company. The key thing is that it's registered and that you have the registration with you when you fly.

Good luck!

JimInMaryland · Jan 18, 2018

silkchute said:
I am new to the drone world and am trying to figure all of the FAA regulations about pilot vs hobbyist. I have only flown my p3s a few times (before the FAA reinstated the registration rules) and was content to be a hobbyist. Now it appears that the way to go is for the pilot under 107. It will be a while for me to do too much to qualify for the license since I need to devote time to work at the moment and the weather has been miserable in central Indiana so I can't fly anyway.

Any advice on the best preparation for the pilot test would be most appreciated-- studying the FAA literature vs some commercial preparation services manuals. Should I go ahead and register my drone as a hobbyist (seems that might be best until I decide if I am going for the pilot certification just so I can legally fly) or should I wait until I pass the pilot test and register the rc planes and drones then? (I have several rc planes which I am certain would have to be individually registered to fly if I became a pilot rather than all included under a hobbyist registration, so I have a few decisions to make as far as total investment is concerned). Is there any guidance on what the effect on the first registration as a hobbyist has on the subsequent passing of the pilot test and the requirement to register aircraft individually?

Thanks and safe flying to all!

www.remotepilot101.com worked well for me. I am private pilot/no medical/not current for a quite a few years since starting a family. Good luck!

dirkclod · Jan 18, 2018

Welcome to our newest forum .
Take a little time and look around all our subforums to find what suits you and besure to read our Guidelines and ask if you have any questions in a message to any of the staff .
Enjoy all the knowledge members have to offer .

Also be sure and visit this thread CDP Giveaway - Phantom 4 Pro...

BigAl07 · Jan 19, 2018

Hello and welcome to the Commercial Drone Pilots forum. We are glad to have you on board. I'm confident you'll find lots of helpful and enlightening information throughout this forum.

If you haven't already done so, consider adding your LOCATION to your forum profile to help us know where you are when you post suggestions or ask for assistance. It helps a lot more than you might think especially because this is an international forum with members from all parts of the world. Here's a direct link to yours:

https://commercialdronepilots.com/account/personal-details

In terms of "Part 107 Study Process" I highly recommend Gold Seal UAV Ground School. Not only are they a sponsor here on this forum (helps keep this site FREE for the rest of us) they are also the ONLY FAA Accredited UAS Flight School in the country right now. That says a LOT about them. Best of all here is their slogan/motto:

"Pass Your Part 107 Exam

Or We'll Pay For It"

We use and recommend Gold Seal to all of our clients and have never had the first one say anything negative about them.

Allen