Two Year Re-Testing?

[xspwhite]

I would imagin it would be one the courses at FAA safety dot gov.

 

[LUIS MARTINEZ]

It's 2 years from the date of issue. Issue date is line item X on your plastic certificate.

You are correct. Hoping the feds come up with a better plan than taking the same test and paying $150 again. Interesting fact: if you lose your little green/blue card and request a replacement, your new card will not have your original date on line X but the date the replacement was issued. My old commercial pilot cardboard license had original issue date 03-06-76 but when I requested one of those new snazzy plastic cards, the new license showed a current date of issue. Odd.

 

[BigAl07]

You are correct. Hoping the feds come up with a better plan than taking the same test and paying $150 again. Interesting fact: if you lose your little green/blue card and request a replacement, your new card will not have your original date on line X but the date the replacement was issued. My old commercial pilot cardboard license had original issue date 03-06-76 but when I requested one of those new snazzy plastic cards, the new license showed a current date of issue. Odd.

Yep same thing here. As opposed to "license issue date" they adopted the "license printed date" which makes absolutely no sense what so ever.... typical though LOL.

 

[Ron34238]

I know of home owner associations, who only allow commercial pilots with authorizations to do work on their property, asking to see license. However they would have no idea whether or not it’s expired, as there’s no expiration date indicated on license.

 

[Stephen Mann]

My 107 license does not have an expiration date, is that the same with yours?

Because it is not a license it is a certificate. Everything the FAA authorizes is through certification. There are pilot certificates, mechanic certificates, tower operator certificates, airworthiness certificates, etc. Certificates do not expire, but the exercise of the certificate has recurring requirements. A private or commercial pilot needs a Biennial Flight Review (BFR), a Flight Instructor needs to take a retraining seminar to maintain currency. An instrument pilot has to demonstrate recent IFR training or actual flight in IMC.

There is no such thing as a "Pilot's License".

 

[Cris Alexander]

I did a flight review just prior to getting my 107, so the next time I have to complete another flight review I'll know my 107 renewal is due.

I'm hoping the FEDs allow some type of one day seminar like they do for CFIs or IAs. It may be an.ther business avenue for 107 holders, especially those who hold pilots' certificates.

I know I'm late to the party joining this thread, but I was thinking that it would be weird for Part 61 pilots, who only had to take an online course and fill out the application for their Part 107 licenses, to have to test to meet the recurrency requirement. So I threw caution to the wind and opened the FARs to 107.65.

It says that a person may not operate a small unmanned aircraft system unless that person has completed one of the following, within the previous 24 calendar months:

(a) Passed an initial aeronautical knowledge test...

(b) Passed a recurrent aeronautical knowledge test... or

(c) If a person holds a pilot certificate... issued under Part 61 of this chapter and meets the flight review requirements specified in 61.56, passed either an initial or recurrent training course covering the areas of knowledge specified in 107.74(a) or (b) in a manner acceptable to the Administrator.

So... just another training course for us! (whew!)

 

[BigAl07]

I know I'm late to the party joining this thread, but I was thinking that it would be weird for Part 61 pilots, who only had to take an online course and fill out the application for their Part 107 licenses, to have to test to meet the recurrency requirement. So I threw caution to the wind and opened the FARs to 107.65.

It says that a person may not operate a small unmanned aircraft system unless that person has completed one of the following, within the previous 24 calendar months:

(a) Passed an initial aeronautical knowledge test...

(b) Passed a recurrent aeronautical knowledge test... or

(c) If a person holds a pilot certificate... issued under Part 61 of this chapter and meets the flight review requirements specified in 61.56, passed either an initial or recurrent training course covering the areas of knowledge specified in 107.74(a) or (b) in a manner acceptable to the Administrator.

So... just another training course for us! (whew!)

So long as you are "Current" with your BFR yes it should be "just" another online test. One more reason to "stay current"

 

[Cris Alexander]

So long as you are "Current" with your BFR yes it should be "just" another online test. One more reason to "stay current"

Not a test other than the one contained in the online safety course.

 

[LUIS MARTINEZ]

Things will settle eventually, hopefully something online and cheaper than $150, which is a total rip off. I have no problem taking the same exam every 2 years, but the fee just rubs me the wrong way.

 

[Stephen Mann]

So long as you are "Current" with your BFR yes it should be "just" another online test. One more reason to "stay current"

If you have a Part 61 Pilot Certificate and a Part 107 Pilot Certificate, then taking the Biennial Flight Review is sufficient for both certificates. No test.

 

[Wilson Lake Drone]

I noticed a lot of pilots are saying Bi-Annual but if I'm not mistaken, and I am quite often, they mean Biennial. Bi-Annual means twice a year where Biennial is every two years.

 

[Outta Control]

Ok. I spoke to my FAA boss, on the teaching side of business, and he received solid confirmation from the FAA that the renewal process for FAR Part 107 will be based on a free online test that the FAA is finalizing as we speak. He doesn't know the details on the test's contents but he did say it will be at no cost.

We should expect the FAA will do an announcement with a months or so.

 

[Florida Drone Supply]

Ok. I spoke to my FAA boss, on the teaching side of business, and he received solid confirmation from the FAA that the renewal process for FAR Part 107 will be based on a free online test that the FAA is finalizing as we speak. He doesn't know the details on the test's contents but he did say it will be at no cost.

We should expect the FAA will do an announcement with a months or so.

That will be awesome and we look forward to a streamlined renewal process. Thanks for your info.

 

[Stephen Mann]

I am not aware of any FAA currency requirements that are as challenging as the initial exam.

Private pilots may take a biennial flight with an instructor or add a rating to their pilot certificate or complete a "phase" of the WINGS program.

A flight instructor maintains currency through one of many avenues, including taking a flight instructor refresher course (the most common), trained at least 5 students toward a practical test in the past year, obtaining new ratings on his or her certificate, or professionally employed as a check pilot, chief flight instructor, or flight instructor in Part 121 or 135.

I won't be surprised to see an online recertification for drone pilots, or at most a one-day seminar.

But, here's a prediction. The FAA does not require a pilot logbook. A pilot logbook is not required, but pilots do have to document their meeting of currency requirements and the standard logbook is the most commonly used. Further, you do not have to log every flight - just those that demonstrate currency requirements.

With that - the FAA could add flights completed or flight time as a currency requirement, so I would log every flight.

 

[Timothy Whalen]

Just returned from Sun'n Fun and asked the question to the FAA Drone "expert" manning the kiosk at the FAA hangar. For those of us with current Biennial Flight Review, it's going to be a similar test that we took on FAASafety.gov website, when this program was rolled out, just retain the graduation certificate once complete. No new hard card certificate is issued, the graduation certificate will act as your sign-off to continue operating under Part 107...

 

[rangemaster728]

Just spoke to the FAA UAS Help Desk...they anticipate making an announcement in June regarding the recertification test/procedure.

This announcement will be posted on the UAS website.

 

[R.Perry]

Ine UK we have to buy the new licence every twelve months. Thank goodness there is no retesting as the first test took a serious lump of cash from me.
Interesting about the PP medical certificate, I had known it was there but I had forgotten. Just wondering why we are not tested At least in vision, hearing, blood pressure and the like. We are supposed to fly VLOS, if we can’t see to well that could be very constraining for some. I guess if you PP folk don’t pass that then the retest is a moot point.

Some very good points here. We need the same standards for commercial drone pilots as we do for private. The retesting or of annual or bi annual should include a medical and a performance test. I do have an issue with age restrictions for commercial but that is the law, maybe that's because of my age.

That would add true professionalism to the drone commercial ticket, and hopefully the FAA could relax some of their restrictions on drone operations. Time will tell.

 

[embayweather]

Some very good points here. We need the same standards for commercial drone pilots as we do for private. The retesting or of annual or bi annual should include a medical and a performance test. I do have an issue with age restrictions for commercial but that is the law, maybe that's because of my age.

That would add true professionalism to the drone commercial ticket, and hopefully the FAA could relax some of their restrictions on drone operations. Time will tell.

To some extent I agree, but over here the CAA, I.e. the government, would look upon it as a cash cow, and man6 of us could not justify the expense. The same would apply to medicals, which for many government schemes are not carried out by medically qualified people.
Bottom line though something needs to be done to increase the professionalism of the commercial pilot wherever they be. Much could come from their own trade body, but there seems to be nothing available in the U.K. that is affordable. All these tests and rechecks, whilst valuable, cost money which has to be recouped from the client. That means raising prices, which means they need to know that they will get a professi9nal service from someone appropriately trained and insured, and..... that takes us back to where we started.

 

[R.Perry]

I know nothing about England laws, but here in the states the medical is done by a doctor certified by the FAA to perform medical evaluation of pilots. At some point I believe the FAA will include a flight performance evaluation for re-certification just as they do for aircraft and helo pilots. The foolishness of 107 is that there is no performance evaluation, and to me to license someone to do air born commercial work without knowing if they have the ability to do it is just nuts.

 

[BigAl07]

.....The foolishness of 107 is that there is no performance evaluation, and to me to license someone to do air born commercial work without knowing if they have the ability to do it is just nuts.

BINGO! I've always felt exactly the same way . . .