Study Hub
Free guides for FAA knowledge-test candidates
What the rule says, what the chart shows and what the test actually does with it. Every guide is free to read, with no account and no paywall, filtered by the certificate you are working toward.
The Record That Follows You: What the Pilot Records Database Holds
Before an operator may let you fly for it, 14 CFR 111.105 requires it to evaluate your records in the FAA's Pilot Records Database, and to go asking if your account and your employers' accounts do not match. What the database keeps, for how long, what your own consent certifies, and the right of review and correction most pilots never use.
Test strategy, Updated October 22, 2026What Score Do You Need on Practice Tests Before the FAA Knowledge Test
The FAA knowledge test is 60 questions and 70 percent to pass. A candidate who truly knows 70 percent fails about half the time. Here is the arithmetic, and the practice score worth aiming at.
Test strategy, Updated October 5, 2026What Changes on the FAA Knowledge Tests on October 26, 2026
The new question formats, the codes affected and how to prepare for them.
Getting started, Updated September 27, 2026How to Get Your FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate
Eligibility, the FTN, the PSI knowledge test, IACRA, TSA vetting, cost and timeline.
Test strategy, Updated September 27, 2026The 2025 Part 107 Test Blueprint: Where the Points Are
The Part 107 test blueprint effective September 29, 2025: Regulations 48%, Operations 25%, Airspace 20%, Weather 5%, Loading 2%.
Test strategy, Updated October 12, 2026How to Pass the Part 107 Test: A Study Plan
A study plan for the Part 107 test that puts your hours where the points are, with a week by week schedule and a practice test strategy.
Free here, complete in the book
The Part 107 Library
Three volumes and the Exam Engine, written to the current Airman Certification Standards.
See the Part 107 LibraryPart 107 Rules and Operating Limits at a Glance
Part 107 operating limits: 400 feet AGL, 87 knots, 3 statute miles visibility, cloud clearance, night rules and flight over people.
Airspace, Updated October 12, 2026How to Read a Sectional Chart for the Part 107 Test
Airspace boundaries, floors and ceilings, obstruction heights and airport data blocks.
Getting started, Updated September 27, 2026Part 107 vs. Recreational Drone Rules: Which Applies
Part 107 or the recreational exception under 49 USC 44809: which rules apply to your flight, and exactly what each one requires of you.
Staying current, Updated September 27, 2026Part 107 Recurrent Training: How to Stay Current
The free online course that keeps you current, what 107.65 requires and how the 24 calendar months are counted.
Regulations, Updated October 11, 2026Part 107 Waivers: The 10 Rules You Can Waive
The ten provisions 107.205 lets you deviate from, the two that can never be waived for hire and how to apply for one.
Airspace, Updated October 5, 2026Airspace Classes A Through G, Explained
Floors, ceilings, entry requirements, equipment and the VFR weather minimums for each class.
Performance, Updated October 5, 2026Density Altitude: What It Is and How to Calculate It
How to compute it from pressure altitude and temperature, and what it does to takeoff roll, climb and landing.
Getting started, Updated October 5, 2026How to Get Your FAA Private Pilot Certificate
The 40 hours in 61.109, eligibility under 61.103, the PAR knowledge test and the checkride.
Test strategy, Updated October 5, 2026Private Pilot Knowledge Test: Format and Passing Score
60 questions, the 70 percent passing score, how the test is weighted and what to bring on test day.
Getting started, Updated October 5, 2026FAA Medical Certificate vs. BasicMed: Which You Need
Which one you need, what each one permits, how long each class lasts and how to start MedXPress.
The FAA medical, Updated October 28, 2026Can You Get an FAA Medical Certificate With a Criminal Record?
The FAA medical standards in 14 CFR Part 67 do not list any crime. What you must still disclose under Items 18.v and 18.w, why there is no lookback, and the separate 10 year airport access rule in 49 CFR 1542.209.
The FAA medical, Updated October 28, 2026Your FAA Medical Was Deferred. What Happens Now?
A deferral is not a denial. What the FAA says about the two outcomes, the 29 CACI conditions an examiner can issue on the spot, and the Special Issuance and SODA routes under 14 CFR 67.401.
The FAA medical, Updated October 28, 2026What Actually Disqualifies You From Being a Pilot?
The complete list of FAA medical disqualifying conditions from 14 CFR Part 67, what is not on it, the Federal Air Surgeon clause, the medication rule and the special issuance and CACI routes.
The FAA medical, Updated October 28, 2026Can You Become a Pilot With a DUI?
A DUI is not a disqualifying condition under 14 CFR Part 67, but it engages the substance standards in 67.107, the 60 day reporting duty in 61.15, the three year repeat rule and 61.16 on test refusal. What must be reported and how far back.
The FAA medical, Updated October 28, 2026Can You Be an Airline Pilot With a Criminal Record?
Three separate gates decide an airline career: the FAA medical, the FAA pilot certificate and airport security access under 49 CFR 1542.209. The 28 disqualifying offenses, the ten year window and why it runs from the access application date.
The FAA medical, Updated October 28, 2026Depression, Anxiety and ADHD: What the FAA Medical Standards Actually Say
Depression, anxiety and ADHD are not among the four mental conditions named in 14 CFR 67.107. What the section actually lists, what the Federal Air Surgeon clause means, what Items 18.m and 19 ask and why stopping treatment is the worst response.
The FAA medical, Updated October 28, 2026FAA Medical Vision Requirements: Glasses, 20/20 and 20/40
FAA medical vision requirements by class: 20/20 distant for first and second class, 20/40 for third, 20/40 near at 16 inches for all three, plus the 32 inch requirement at age 50 and what the color vision standard actually says.
The FAA medical, Updated October 28, 2026First, Second or Third Class: Which FAA Medical Do You Need?
First, second and third class FAA medical certificates: which privileges each supports and exactly how long each lasts under 14 CFR 61.23, why a first class can also last 60 months, and why Part 107 needs no medical at all.
Aviation maintenance, Updated September 27, 2026How to Become an FAA A&P Mechanic: Tests and Ratings
The experience routes, the General, Airframe and Powerplant written tests and the oral and practical.
Test strategy, Updated October 22, 2026Is the Part 107 Test Hard? What the FAA's Own Numbers Show
FAA CY2025 data: 73,914 people took the Part 107 knowledge test, 82.96 percent passed and the average score was 79.31 percent. What that means for how you prepare.
Regulations, Updated October 11, 2026Drone Remote ID: What You Must Broadcast
What a standard aircraft broadcasts under 89.305, what a broadcast module sends under 89.315 and how to comply.
Regulations, Updated October 11, 2026Flying a Drone Over People: Categories 1 to 4
The four Part 107 categories, the 0.55 pound and 11 and 25 foot-pound limits and what each one allows.
Regulations, Updated October 22, 2026Night Operations Under Part 107: What It Requires
Section 107.29 allows night flight without a waiver if the remote pilot completed the required training after April 6, 2021 and the aircraft has anti-collision lighting visible for at least 3 statute miles.
Airspace, Updated October 22, 2026Flying in Controlled Airspace: Authorization and LAANC
Section 107.41 requires prior ATC authorization before operating in Class B, C or D airspace or within the lateral boundaries of surface-area Class E. How authorization works and where to request it.
Airspace, Updated October 22, 2026VFR Weather Minimums by Airspace Class
Basic VFR weather minimums under 14 CFR 91.155: the 3 statute mile and 500 below, 1,000 above, 2,000 horizontal pattern, the Class B clear of clouds case and Class G day and night.
Test strategy, Updated October 22, 2026The Instrument Rating Knowledge Test (IRA): Format and What Changed
The Instrument Rating Airplane knowledge test is 60 questions in 2 hours with a 70 percent passing score, and from October 26, 2026 it includes image-based questions not found in the testing supplement.
Staying current, Updated October 11, 2026Instrument Currency and the IPC: What 61.57 Requires
Six approaches, holding and course tracking under 61.57(c) in 6 calendar months and when you need an IPC instead.
Test strategy, Updated October 22, 2026The Commercial Pilot Knowledge Test (CAX): What to Expect
The Commercial Pilot Airplane knowledge test is 100 questions with 2.5 hours allotted and a 70 percent passing score, covering commercial operating rules, performance and aerodynamics.
Test strategy, Updated October 22, 2026Becoming a Flight Instructor: The FOI and FIA Knowledge Tests
Flight instructor candidates take two written tests: the Fundamentals of Instructing, 50 questions in 1.5 hours, and the Flight Instructor Airplane, 100 questions in 2.5 hours. Both require 70 percent.
Test strategy, Updated October 22, 2026The Airline Transport Pilot Knowledge Test (ATM)
The ATP Multiengine Airplane knowledge test is 125 questions with 3.5 hours allotted and a 70 percent passing score, and it requires an ATP Certification Training Program before you may sit it.
Aviation maintenance, Updated October 22, 2026The Three A&P Knowledge Tests: General, Airframe and Powerplant
Aviation maintenance candidates take three written tests: General is 60 questions in 2 hours, Airframe and Powerplant are 100 questions each in 2 hours. All three require 70 percent.
Regulations, Updated October 22, 2026The 400-Foot Rule: Part 107 Altitude Limits Explained
Section 107.51 caps a small unmanned aircraft at 400 feet AGL, with one exception: within a 400-foot radius of a structure you may fly up to 400 feet above that structure's top.
Regulations, Updated October 22, 2026Do I Need to Register My Drone? The Rule and the Exception
Under 14 CFR 48.15 a small unmanned aircraft of 0.55 pounds or less is exempt from registration only when flown exclusively under the recreational exception. Under Part 107 every drone must be registered.
Regulations, Updated October 22, 2026The 55-Pound Limit: What Counts Toward It
Part 107 applies to small unmanned aircraft weighing less than 55 pounds on takeoff, including everything on board or otherwise attached. What that phrase includes and why it matters.
Test strategy, Updated October 22, 2026What Happens If You Fail the Part 107 Test?
Section 107.71 requires a 14 calendar day wait before reapplying after a failed knowledge test. Your score report lists the ACS codes you missed, which is the most useful study document you will get.
Test strategy, Updated October 22, 2026How Long Should You Study for the Part 107 Test?
There is no FAA-mandated study time for the Part 107 knowledge test. What the pass-rate data suggests about how much preparation is enough, and how to allocate it by knowledge area.
Getting started, Updated October 22, 2026What Does a Part 107 Certificate Cost?
The FAA charges nothing for the remote pilot certificate itself. The cost is the knowledge test fee, charged by the testing vendor, plus whatever you spend on study materials.
Getting started, Updated October 22, 2026How Many Flight Hours Does a Private Pilot Certificate Require?
Section 61.109(a) requires 40 hours total for an airplane single-engine rating: 20 hours of flight training and 10 hours of solo, with specific cross-country, night and instrument requirements inside those.
Test strategy, Updated October 22, 2026How to Use Part 107 Practice Tests Properly
Practice questions are the most effective study tool available and the easiest to use badly. How to get real value from them rather than memorizing a bank.
Aviation careers, Updated October 28, 2026How to Write a Pilot Resume That a Chief Pilot Can Read
What goes on a pilot resume and where, how to present flight time using the FAA's own categories from 14 CFR 61.51, and why the hours a chief pilot looks for first are the ones named in 14 CFR 61.159.
Aviation careers, Updated October 28, 2026How to Write an Aircraft Mechanic Resume
How to present an airframe and powerplant certificate, inspection authorization, type and model experience and the operations you have worked under, written for the director of maintenance who actually reads it.
Aviation careers, Updated October 28, 2026Changing Careers into Aviation: Writing the Resume When Your Experience Is Somewhere Else
How to write an aviation resume when your last twenty years were in another industry, what an aviation reader is actually scanning for, and why a long non-aviation record is an asset rather than a gap.
Aviation careers, Updated October 28, 2026The Aviation Jobs Nobody Writes Resumes For
Dispatchers, operations controllers, avionics technicians, quality inspectors, planners, schedulers and the rest of the people who keep an operation flying, and how to write a resume that an aviation reader understands.
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Get the free Part 107 Starter Kit
The October 2026 test-change briefing, 20 practice questions and an exam-day checklist.
- 01The October 2026 test-change briefing. What the new image-based questions look like and how to prepare for them.
- 0220 practice questions, weighted to the test blueprint, with the reason every answer is right or wrong.
- 03The exam-day checklist: what to bring, what to expect and how the time works.