Part 107 Operations Study Guide

Operations is 25% of the current FAA Part 107 knowledge test under the specification effective 2025-09-29 (UAG_Information_Bulletin.pdf, p. 4) — not the 35–45% the now-obsolete ACS-10B blueprint appendix showed. It maps to ACS Area of Operation V, split into six tasks: Radio Communication Procedures, Airport Operations, Emergency Procedures, Aeronautical Decision-Making, Physiology, and Maintenance and Inspection Procedures (uas_acs.pdf, pp. 13–17).

Task A: Radio communication procedures

A non-towered airport has no operating control tower. Two-way radio communication there is not required, though it’s good practice to monitor the frequency for other traffic (remote_pilot_study_guide.pdf, p. 65). That frequency is the CTAF — Common Traffic Advisory Frequency — a frequency designated for airport advisory practices at an airport without an operating tower, which “may be a UNICOM, MULTICOM, FSS, or tower frequency” and is published in the Chart Supplement (remote_pilot_study_guide.pdf, p. 40). If a non-towered airport publishes no UNICOM, FSS, or any other frequency, the MULTICOM frequency 122.9 is used for self-announce broadcasts instead (remote_pilot_study_guide.pdf, p. 40).

UNICOM is a nongovernment air/ground radio station that may provide airport information at a public-use airport with no tower or FSS (remote_pilot_study_guide.pdf, p. 65). ATIS (Automatic Terminal Information Service) is a looped recording of local weather, runways in use, ATC procedures, and construction activity; each new recording gets a new phonetic-alphabet code letter — “Information Bravo” is simply the broadcast recorded after “Information Alpha” (remote_pilot_study_guide.pdf, pp. 67).

A self-announce broadcast states the destination airport’s name at both the start and the end — “so others on the frequency can confirm where the aircraft is going” — and states the aircraft’s position relative to the airport: “Town and Country traffic, Cessna 123 Bravo Foxtrot is 10 miles south inbound for landing, Town and Country traffic” (remote_pilot_study_guide.pdf, pp. 40–41). A remote pilot who only monitors, and never transmits, isn’t violating any part 107 requirement — a remote PIC “is not required to communicate with manned aircraft when in the vicinity of a non-towered airport,” and should refrain from transmitting unless there’s an emergency (remote_pilot_study_guide.pdf, p. 41).

Aircraft call signs use the ICAO phonetic alphabet: N123AB is “November One-Two-Three-Alpha-Bravo,” though “November” is usually replaced by the manufacturer’s name, so a Cessna 172 registered N123AB calls itself “Cessna, One-Two-Three-Alpha-Bravo” (remote_pilot_study_guide.pdf, pp. 39, 42). Aviation time is always given in Coordinated Universal Time with a “Z” suffix — Zulu time — which puts the whole world on one time standard (remote_pilot_study_guide.pdf, pp. 16, 18).

Task B: Airport operations

Under 14 CFR § 107.43, a remote pilot may not operate in a manner that interferes with operations and traffic patterns at any airport, heliport, or seaplane base (14-cfr-107.txt, § 107.43). On a sectional chart, a heliport gets its own distinct symbol, separate from the hard- and soft-surface runway symbols used for fixed-wing airports, and from the Seaplane Base and Military Airport symbols (sport_rec_private_akts.pdf, Legend 1, p. 1-1). Before operating near an airport, a pilot should listen to ATIS, ASOS, or AWOS, then monitor the tower frequency or CTAF to get a sense of expected traffic (remote_pilot_study_guide.pdf, p. 63).

Airport signs follow a fixed color code: a red background with white inscription marks a mandatory-instruction sign (such as a runway designation or ILS critical-area holding position) that may not be crossed without specific ATC clearance; a black background with a single white number is a runway distance-remaining sign, showing the distance to the runway end in thousands of feet (sport_rec_private_akts.pdf, Figure 65, p. 2-62). At a non-towered airport, aircraft normally enter the traffic pattern on a 45° course to the downwind leg at midfield, then progress through downwind, base, and final — matching the sequence of self-announce calls a pilot would hear on CTAF (remote_pilot_study_guide.pdf, pp. 41, 65).

The Chart Supplement U.S. (formerly the Airport/Facility Directory) is the most comprehensive source for a given public-use airport’s communications, services, and remarks — published in seven regional books, revised every 56 days (remote_pilot_study_guide.pdf, p. 66). Its remarks section is also where hazard notes live, such as bird and wildlife activity near the field (sport_rec_private_akts.pdf, Figure 77, p. 2-74). On a sectional chart, a rotating airport beacon is noted as operating from sunset to sunrise (sport_rec_private_akts.pdf, Legend 1, p. 1-1).

Task C: Emergency procedures

Under § 107.9, a remote PIC must report to the FAA within 10 calendar days of an operation involving serious injury or loss of consciousness, or property damage (other than to the small UA itself) exceeding $500 in repair cost or fair-market value (14-cfr-107.txt, § 107.9). That’s unconditional. By contrast, § 107.21 lets a remote PIC deviate from any part 107 rule to the extent required to respond to an in-flight emergency, and a written report of that deviation is required only if the Administrator asks for one (14-cfr-107.txt, § 107.21(b)). Before any flight, the remote PIC must brief every crew member — including visual observers and anyone manipulating the controls — on the flight and its planned emergency procedures (remote_pilot_study_guide.pdf, p. 35).

Lithium battery fires can be caused by a short circuit, improper charging, extreme heat, crash damage, mishandling, or a simply defective cell (AC_107-2A.pdf, Appendix B, § B.5, p. B-3). A battery fire severe enough to force a climb above 400 ft. AGL to reach a safe landing area is itself the kind of emergency § 107.21 is built for (remote_pilot_study_guide.pdf, p. 35).

During an automated, pre-programmed flight, losing the control link most likely means the aircraft keeps flying its programmed mission or returns home to land — control inputs during automation come from the aircraft itself, not a live link (AC_107-2A.pdf, § 5.2.3, p. 5-2). AC 107-2A’s sample risk assessment lists the causes of a lost control link as a dead control-station battery, the aircraft flying out of range, or signal interference from another device such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth — a real risk, since most small UAS share the unlicensed 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz bands with wireless computer networks, and interference on those bands is a reported cause of loss-of-control events and fly-aways (AC_107-2A.pdf, Appendix B, §§ B.6.1–B.6.2, p. B-3). Losing the aircraft’s GPS signal removes the groundspeed, altitude, and position data it normally reports to the pilot (AC_107-2A.pdf, §§ 5.12.1–5.12.2, p. 5-11).

Because a lost control link over people is rated high-risk, AC 107-2A’s sample mitigation is a control-link check before any operation over people, with the preflight briefing covering what to do if the link is lost; if the link can’t be reestablished, the remote pilot follows exactly the contingency plan briefed for that scenario (AC_107-2A.pdf, Appendix A, Figure A-2, p. A-4). Night operations get their own equipment and training requirements under § 107.29 — covered in full in the Remote ID & Night Operations guide, since they share the same ACS cross-cut.

Task D: Aeronautical decision-making

ADM is a structured approach to safe decisions. The remote pilot study guide’s ADM chapter lists identifying attitudes hazardous to safe flight, learning behavior-modification techniques, recognizing and coping with stress, developing risk-assessment skills, using all available resources, and evaluating one’s own ADM skills as the steps it builds toward (remote_pilot_study_guide.pdf, p. 52). The 3P model — Perceive, Process, Perform — applies that structure in flight: Perceive the circumstances, Process by evaluating their impact on safety, Perform by carrying out the best course of action (remote_pilot_study_guide.pdf, p. 57). Crew Resource Management (CRM), adapted to small UAS, must be integrated into all phases of the operation — not just the flight portion, and not just communications (uag_questions.pdf, p. 5, sample question 15).

Situational awareness is the accurate perception and understanding of everything affecting safety before, during, and after a flight, within five fundamental risk elements: flight, pilot, aircraft, environment, and type of operation (remote_pilot_study_guide.pdf, p. 63). The first step of the 3P model — perceiving hazards — uses the PAVE checklist, sorting hazards into Pilot, Aircraft, enVironment, and External pressures (remote_pilot_study_guide.pdf, p. 58).

The five hazardous attitudes and their antidotes

Attitude	What it sounds like	Antidote
Anti-authority	“Don’t tell me.” Resents being told what to do, regards rules as unnecessary.	Follow the rules. They are usually right.
Impulsivity	“Do it quickly.” Acts on the first idea without considering alternatives.	Not so fast. Think first.
Invulnerability	“It won’t happen to me.” Knows accidents happen, but never believes it’ll be them.	It could happen to me.
Macho	“I can do it — I’ll show them.” Takes risks to prove superiority or impress others.	Taking chances is foolish.
Resignation	“What’s the use?” Doesn’t believe their own actions make a difference.	I’m not helpless. I can make a difference.

(faa-h-8083-25c.pdf, Ch. 2, p. 2-5.) A pilot pressing on in unsafe conditions mainly to impress a client is macho; a manager who says “fly first, ask questions later” is prompting impulsivity (uag_questions.pdf, pp. 4–5, sample questions 12 and 16).

Task E: Physiology

Drink two to four quarts of water every 24 hours to help prevent dehydration, whose first noticeable effect is fatigue; heat and high altitude both increase the water-loss rate (remote_pilot_study_guide.pdf, p. 47). Heatstroke is the body’s inability to control its own temperature, sometimes recognized only at collapse — prevented by drinking water at frequent intervals regardless of thirst, about a quart an hour in severe heat stress (remote_pilot_study_guide.pdf, p. 48).

Even small amounts of alcohol impair judgment, coordination, vision, and hearing (uag_questions.pdf, p. 9, sample question 36). Part 91’s rule requires both conditions before flying: blood alcohol below 0.04 percent and at least 8 hours since drinking — a pilot at 0.05 percent 8 hours after drinking still cannot fly, because the 8-hour clock passing doesn’t override a blood alcohol level still at or above 0.04 percent (remote_pilot_study_guide.pdf, p. 50). Diphenhydramine (e.g., Benadryl) is specifically flagged for causing drowsiness with a prolonged half-life; the guide recommends waiting at least 48 hours after a first dose of any new medication before flying (remote_pilot_study_guide.pdf, pp. 48–49). Hyperventilation — lightheadedness, tingling, anxiety after a stressful event — is treated by restoring normal carbon dioxide levels; breathing normally is both the best prevention and the best cure, and recovery is usually rapid (remote_pilot_study_guide.pdf, pp. 45–46).

Fatigue is recognized as an impaired state, not something a pilot can reliably self-detect — it “may not be apparent to a pilot until serious errors are made” (uag_questions.pdf, p. 7, sample question 23). Chronic stress — an ongoing burden exceeding a person’s ability to cope, built up from smaller stressors — should prompt a visit to a physician (remote_pilot_study_guide.pdf, p. 46). The IMSAFE checklist — Illness, Medication, Stress, Alcohol, Fatigue, Emotion — is the recommended preflight self-check; “Illness” asks simply “Am I sick?” (remote_pilot_study_guide.pdf, p. 55).

At night, the eye’s cones (sharp daytime central vision) go nearly blind, while the rods handling night vision are concentrated away from the fovea — creating a night blind spot straight ahead. Looking 5° to 10° off-center of an aircraft shifts its image onto the more light-sensitive rods, making it easier to see (faa-h-8083-25c.pdf, Ch. 17, p. 17-22). Dark adaptation takes about 30 minutes, and a single bright light — like a preflight work light — can destroy it and force the process to restart (faa-h-8083-25c.pdf, Ch. 17, p. 17-8; uag_questions.pdf, p. 11, sample question 43). Staring at a stationary light in the dark can also produce autokinesis — the light appears to drift even though it hasn’t moved, which can tempt a pilot to “correct” toward a position change that never happened (faa-h-8083-25c.pdf, Ch. 17, p. 17-8).

Task F: Maintenance and inspection procedures

Preflight inspection responsibility rests with the remote pilot in command, who must ensure the small UAS is in a condition for safe operation before every flight (uag_questions.pdf, p. 9, sample question 33; 14-cfr-107.txt, § 107.49). If the manufacturer provides no scheduled maintenance instructions, the operator should establish one, documenting repairs and time-in-service to build a reliable schedule over time (uag_questions.pdf, p. 8, sample question 32). Unscheduled maintenance covers anything discovered needing service, repair, or replacement outside that schedule — found in a preflight inspection or after a mishap — and “flight operations should not occur until the issue is corrected” (AC_107-2A.pdf, § 7.2.2, p. 7-1).

A diminishing flight time on an electric aircraft (compared to when it was new) means the operator should inspect the battery’s integrity as a power source — reduced capacity can signal impending failure, with a real fire or extreme-heat risk (AC_107-2A.pdf, Appendix C, p. C-3). If a component can’t be repaired back to its safe operational specification, the operator should replace the small UAS or component outright rather than fly it (AC_107-2A.pdf, § 7.2.3.1, p. 7-2). Maintaining maintenance and inspection records is a voluntary best practice that “provides retrievable evidence of vital safety assessment data defining the condition of safety-critical systems and components supporting the decision to launch” (AC_107-2A.pdf, § 7.3.5, p. 7-4).

Two preflight items get their own checklist calls: verifying the anti-collision light works, if operating during civil twilight or night (AC_107-2A.pdf, § 7.3.4, item 18, p. 7-3), and — for Category 2 operations over people — checking that the aircraft is listed on an FAA-accepted Declaration of Compliance (DOC) and labeled accordingly, which a remote pilot can confirm at uasdoc.faa.gov and by visual inspection (AC_107-2A.pdf, § 8.3.5.1, p. 8-4).

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Drill this guide’s material with Operations practice questions, or go deeper on the cross-cut topics it touches with Operations Over People and Remote ID & Night Operations.

Frequently asked questions

What does CTAF stand for?

Common Traffic Advisory Frequency — the frequency designated for airport advisory practices at an airport without an operating control tower. It may be a UNICOM, MULTICOM, FSS, or tower frequency (remote_pilot_study_guide.pdf, p. 40).

Practice reading CTAF off a current chart →

What are the five hazardous attitudes in aeronautical decision-making?

Anti-authority, impulsivity, invulnerability, macho, and resignation — each with its own memorized antidote, such as "Not so fast. Think first." for impulsivity (faa-h-8083-25c.pdf, Ch. 2, p. 2-5).

Drill operations questions →

How much water should a remote pilot drink to prevent dehydration?

Two to four quarts every 24 hours. Dehydration's first noticeable effect is fatigue, and heat or high altitude increase the rate of water loss (remote_pilot_study_guide.pdf, p. 47).

Drill operations questions →

Who is responsible for a small UAS preflight inspection?

The remote pilot in command, who must ensure the aircraft is in a condition for safe operation before every flight (14-cfr-107.txt, § 107.49).

Read the Loading & Performance guide →