FAA Part 107 Prep — Certification, RPIC, Registration & Core Part 107 Rules
Learning objectives
By the end of this lesson you can:
- State the §107.15 requirement that a small UAS be in a condition for safe operation, and explain when the RPIC must check it and when a flight must be discontinued.
- List the §107.49(a)–(f) preflight actions the RPIC must complete before flight, including the additional check for operations over people.
- Explain the §107.9 safety event reporting rule: what triggers a report, the deadline, and the property-damage threshold.
- Apply all three rules to realistic go/no-go and post-incident decisions.
Plain-English explanation
Last lesson (Regulations — Part 1 (Core Scope + Conduct)) covered how you're allowed to behave as a pilot: no careless or reckless flying, no alcohol or drugs, show your certificate on request. This lesson covers the three rules that wrap around every single flight: before (preflight actions), during (keep the aircraft in a safe condition or land), and after (report certain safety events to the FAA).
1. The aircraft must be in a condition for safe operation (§107.15)
The rule is short and absolute: nobody may operate a small UAS unless it is in a condition for safe operation (§107.15). Three practical pieces:
- Check before each flight. The RPIC must check the small UAS before each flight to determine it is in a condition for safe operation. Not once a day, not once per battery pack purchase — before each flight (§107.15(a)).
- Discontinue if it stops being safe. If, during flight, the aircraft is no longer in a condition for safe operation, the RPIC must discontinue the flight (§107.15(b)). A cracked prop you notice mid-hover, an erratic motor, a battery cell dropping fast — land it.
- It's the RPIC's call. This links straight back to §107.19 (RPIC Responsibilities): the RPIC is the final authority, so the RPIC owns this decision.
2. Preflight familiarization, inspection, and actions (§107.49)
§107.49 is the FAA's "before you push the throttle" checklist. Before flight the RPIC must:
- Assess the operating environment (§107.49(a)). Consider risks to persons and property nearby on the ground and in the air. Check local weather (§107.49(a)(1)), airspace and flight restrictions (§107.49(a)(2)), persons and property on the surface (§107.49(a)(3)), and other ground hazards (§107.49(a)(4)), including radio-frequency interference risks. Assess these against the operating limits and VLOS rules taught in Operating Limitations & Flight Rules.
- Brief everyone directly participating (§107.49(b)). Ensure they know the operating conditions, emergency and contingency procedures, roles and responsibilities, and potential hazards.
- Verify the control link (§107.49(c)). Ensure all control links between the ground control station and aircraft work properly.
- Verify sufficient power (§107.49(d)). If the aircraft is powered, ensure there is enough available power for the intended operational time.
- Secure attached objects (§107.49(e)). Ensure any object attached to or carried by the aircraft is secure and does not adversely affect flight characteristics or controllability.
- Check eligibility for an operation over people (§107.49(f)). If operating over human beings under Subpart D, ensure the aircraft meets the applicable Category 1, 2, 3, or 4 requirements in §107.110, §107.120(a), §107.130(a), or §107.140.
Also check documents and equipment when the operation needs them. Remote ID is not a paragraph of §107.49. It is a separate operating rule, 14 CFR §89.105. Except as otherwise authorized by the Administrator, or as provided in §89.120, no person may operate an unmanned aircraft in United States airspace unless the operation meets §89.110 or §89.115. Section 89.110 is standard remote identification. Section 89.115(a) is a remote identification broadcast module, and the person manipulating the controls must be able to see the aircraft throughout the flight. Section 89.115(b) is the FAA-recognized identification area (FRIA) path: the aircraft has no remote identification equipment, and both the aircraft and that person stay inside the FRIA with the aircraft in sight.
Memory hook: Environment, Crew, Link, Power, Payload, People-category check.
3. Safety event reporting (§107.9)
§107.9 got a modernized name — it used to be called "Accident reporting" and now reads "Safety event reporting" (§107.9, amended Dec 9 2022). Older study material may still say "accident reporting"; the reporting duty is the same idea.
The RPIC must report to the FAA, no later than 10 calendar days after an operation, any operation of a small UAS involving at least:
- (a) Serious injury to any person, or any loss of consciousness, OR
- (b) Damage to any property other than the small unmanned aircraft, UNLESS one of these is true:
- the cost to repair the property (including materials and labor) does not exceed $500, or
- the fair market value of the property does not exceed $500 in the event of a total loss.
Two things students get wrong constantly:
- The drone itself doesn't count. Total your $4,000 drone into a tree with no other damage and nobody hurt? No §107.9 report required. The property-damage trigger is about property other than your aircraft.
- 10 CALENDAR days, not business days. Weekends and holidays count against you.
Also note the injury trigger is an or: serious injury OR any loss of consciousness. Someone briefly knocked out with no lasting harm still triggers a report.
Why this matters on the Part 107 exam
- The exam loves the §107.9 numbers: 10 calendar days and the $500 threshold. Distractors will offer "30 days," "business days," "NTSB immediately," and scenarios where only the drone was damaged.
- §107.49 shows up as "which of the following is a required preflight action?" questions — know the list, especially crew briefing, control link, and sufficient power for the intended operation time.
- §107.15 questions test the phrase "before each flight" and the duty to discontinue an unsafe flight.
Official rule / reference
- §107.15 Condition for safe operation — operate only if in a condition for safe operation; RPIC checks before each flight; discontinue if no longer safe.
- §107.49 Preflight familiarization, inspection, and actions for aircraft operation — assess environment; brief participants; verify control links and sufficient power; secure attached objects; check the applicable category before operating over people. Remote ID is not in this section.
- §89.105 Remote identification requirement — separate from §107.49. The operation must meet §89.110 (standard remote identification) or §89.115 (a broadcast module flown within visual line of sight, or a FRIA), unless the Administrator otherwise authorizes it or §89.120 applies.
- §107.9 Safety event reporting — report to the FAA within 10 calendar days: serious injury or any loss of consciousness; or property damage (other than the sUA) above the $500 repair-cost / fair-market-value threshold.
- FAA reference IDs: FAAREF-001, FAAREF-002, FAAREF-009, FAAREF-015, FAAREF-030.
Real-world drone example
You're shooting a roofing-inspection job. Preflight (§107.49): you check the weather and airspace app, note a cell tower two blocks away as an RF risk, brief your visual observer on the plan and lost-link procedure, run the control-link check, confirm the battery covers the planned 18-minute inspection with margin, and ensure the payload is secure. You separately confirm Remote ID under §89.105 — standard remote identification (§89.110), a broadcast module flown in sight (§89.115(a)), or a FRIA (§89.115(b)) — unless the operation is otherwise authorized. That check is not part of §107.49. If the route passes over nonparticipating people, verify the aircraft qualifies for the applicable Subpart D category under §107.49(f). During a battery swap you notice a hairline crack in one prop — §107.15 says the aircraft is no longer in a condition for safe operation, so you replace the prop before the next flight. On the last pass a gust drives the drone into the client's skylight: $1,400 in glass, drone destroyed, nobody hurt. The skylight is property other than your drone and exceeds $500, so §107.9 requires you to report the event to the FAA within 10 calendar days. The drone's own $2,000 loss is irrelevant to that trigger.
Common traps / misconceptions
| Trap | Reality |
|---|---|
| "You have 30 days / 10 business days to report" | 10 calendar days (§107.9). |
| "Any crash must be reported" | Only serious injury / loss of consciousness, or >$500 damage to property other than the sUA (§107.9). |
| "My destroyed drone counts toward the $500" | No — damage to the small unmanned aircraft itself is excluded (§107.9(b)). |
| "Injury report only if it's a serious injury" | Serious injury or any loss of consciousness — either one triggers it (§107.9(a)). |
| "One inspection per day is enough" | RPIC must check the aircraft before each flight (§107.15). |
| "Preflight is just a visual once-over of the drone" | §107.49 also requires an environment assessment, crew briefing, control-link check, power check, payload security, and a Subpart D eligibility check when operating over people. |
| "If something feels off mid-flight, finish the job first" | If no longer in a condition for safe operation, discontinue the flight (§107.15). |
Quick recap
- §107.15: safe condition or don't fly; check before each flight; discontinue if it becomes unsafe.
- §107.49 preflight: Environment, Crew briefing, Control link, Power, Payload security, People-category check when applicable.
- Remote ID is separate from §107.49: §89.105 requires the operation to meet §89.110 or §89.115 (broadcast module within visual line of sight, or a FRIA) unless otherwise authorized. Details → Modern Part 107 Rules — Remote ID, Ops Over People, Night, Waivers.
- §107.9 ("Safety event reporting"): report to the FAA within 10 calendar days for serious injury / any loss of consciousness, or >$500 damage to property other than the drone.
- Operating limits and VLOS rules you assess against → Operating Limitations & Flight Rules.