Hey guys, my name is Matt Johnson and today I want to talk to you about how to become an FAA certified drone pilot, which is something that I became last week because I took the FAS part 107 drone knowledge test and passed it.

So now I’m able to fly one of these guys legally for commercial use. On an unrelated note, this is also my one-year anniversary of making wedding filmmaker training videos, and so thank you. If you’ve been watching since the beginning.

Whenever I first uploaded an a7s2 review video or if you’re coming in just now, and checking it out well welcome thanks for watching, and I hope that you enjoy the future stuff I make too but anyways onto the video.

Now, before we start getting into things, I’m going to make a couple assumptions, namely that you know who the FAA or Federal Aviation Administration is what they do. Things like that, I’m, going to assume that you either own a drone or you’re, looking to buy a drone and you are wanting to use it for commercial use.

So if you are like a total newb – and you have no idea about drone things, but you want to get into it, the first link in the description of this video is going to be to the know before you fly website and that’s.

Going to be super helpful if you’re, just starting out in your like drones, are cool. I want to do that someday like read this website, and it will give you all the information and guidelines for how you can fly a drone safely.

But if you are wanting to fly commercially, that’s, we’re, going to be focusing on today now. What do I mean by commercial? I mean that if you are using your drone to make money, then you are using it for a commercial purpose.

So if you are flying and filming stock footage that’s, commercial usage, if you are flying and filling for a company commercial usage, if you are filming a wedding and getting paid for it, that’s. Commercial usage – and I know a lot of people like I’m, just filming little things, it shouldn’t matter.

What does that matter? It does matter, and it’s very important that you consider commercial certification for two reasons. First of all, because it’s illegal. If you aren’t doing it and there’s, a very real chance that the FAA could come and sue your pants off.

The other reason is because learning all of this stuff about drones is incredibly helpful and the regulations they have in place and the knowledge that you’ll, get by studying for commercial certification, is going to be incredibly helpful to you.

If you are wanting to learn how to fly a drone safely responsibly and to legally make money, which is, I think, what we all want to do here being certified means you’re, going to learn about whether you’re, going to Learn about different flight spaces, you’re, going to learn how to deal with plane’s.

You’re, going to learn how to, after another pilot, you’re, going to learn how to make decisions. You’re, going to learn how to be a better pilot and learn when to fly and where you should fly and how you should fly, and these are all really good things, because if you think about that’s, really why the Faa exists is to prevent accidents from occurring, and so whenever you consider that there are literally thousands upon thousands of flights every day and you’re, not turning on the news every day and seeing like oh man, another plane crash it doesn’t happen nearly as often because there’s, so much safety, so much certification and so much responsibility that comes with flying, and I know that you’re, saying like Matt.

It’s, just a little drone. It’s, not a big plane. Yes, but you are sharing the airspace with these bigger airplanes. So it’s important for you to know that now I want to get off my safety soapbox here for a second and talk to you about money, because I have friends of mine that have gone out and become commercially certified to fly their drones And then, whenever a big production company, like somebody working for Netflix, comes to town and wants to film aerial videos of Dallas, they had like ten people submitting bids to them, but because my friend was able to say not only am i able to film this video For you, but I’m all to do it legally.

That production company said. Oh, we want to hire you. Definitely you’re, our first choice, so, if you think about it becoming commercially certified is a great way for you to be able to work with bigger production companies and make more money.

So now I went to the real meat of this video and that’s. How to pass the part 107 knowledge test. First off. You should be aware that there are a lot of classes that have popped up online, where you pay a set amount.

Like a hundred dollars or three hundred dollars and they have made videos and articles and thanks for you to watch and learn. So if you benefit from like a classroom setting where you would like to have lessons actually prepared for you to study for this test, then that’s, an option for you remote pilot 101 is, I think, a hundred dollars and drone pilot ground school.

As I think three hundred dollars, and both of those I’ve heard very good things about from people that have taken them and studied very quickly and been able to take the test. In my case, I didn’t. Do anything like that? I didn’t pay any extra, I literally just self studied and was able to go and take the test.

But if you’re in a time crunch and you’re, like oh man, I want to do this quickly. I would definitely recommend checking in one of those classes. But if you’re like me and you’re like oh, I’ve got a month to study.

I can take my time at this, then maybe you would benefit from my method of study, which I’m, going to share with you now my first method and recommendation for you is to not rush taking this test unlike high school or college, where You have a syllabus and the professors like Tesla than three weeks.

You better be ready and you’re cramming the night before like sweating and freaking out. This is a test that you’re, taking on your own time, a lot of places you don’t even have to make a reservation to take it, so you can take your time, prepare and not take the test until you’re ready, I took the test through a company called American fliers, and all I had to do was call them an hour before I showed up to say, hey, I’m, going to come and take the test today and they’re like okay, great, we’ll, see you, then it is great for you to not feel the pressure of needing to study in cram.

So take your time read the materials I’m, going to talk about make sure you know them and understand the concepts and then go take the test and you’ll walk into and be like. I’m ready for this and if you’re like me, you’ll still freak out, but then at the end you’ll, be like yeah.

I made it good great. It’s done and you don’t have to worry about it again for two years whenever you have to take the test again to get recertified. So let’s. Talk about the Articles that I studied and then I would recommend that you study to pass this test and I’m going to include links to all these articles and PDFs in the description this video.

So if you’re freaking out like there’s, no link it’s, scroll down a little bit. It’s right there, you’ll, find it first off and you’re. Gon na be like duh, but this is the most important read the FAA official study guide.

They made it for a reason. It has about 75 % of the material that’s on the test in this study guide. So I would highly recommend reading it, because if you’re wondering what are the tests going to be over it’ll, be over this booklet in total, it’s about 80 to 90 pages, but once you take out All of the blank spaces and all the table of contents and all like the random governmental things they put in there.

It’s, really only about 60 pages of material. I would highly recommend going through that at least twice because it covers things like air spaces and weather and aeronautical decision making and how to load your drone properly and g-forces, and all these other things that are going to be applicable to the test.

Second, pay special attention to the appendices in the back of the study guide, specifically appendix 1 and appendix 2. These contain references to other materials that are going to be on the test, so read through them.

Most of them are like advisory circulars, which are only one or two pages long, but things that maybe asked about one of them that you really need to focus on is the part 107 advisory circular, which is longer than those shorter ones, but is very helpful and Will give you some more information about what made on the test once you’ve read through those, there is the 726 page aviation information manual or aim which you don ‘

T really need to read all of just use it as like. A reference or a study guide for other things. If you have a question, but do not worry, you do not actually sit down and read all 726 pages like Game of Thrones link book to study for this test.

It’s, nothing that crazy, but make sure you know all that reference material make sure you know the study guide and you will be prepared, for, I would say 75 % of the test. You notice that I just said 75 % though, and you’re like Matt, like what about the other 25 % help me help me Matt like what do I do the other 25 % – and this is just from my own experience – taking the test – Is about sectional charts and that is not well covered in the study guide, you’re, going to see a couple pages like okay here’s, charts just land us know it is actually a lot more in-depth in that, because sexual charts Are in my case they were about 25 questions of the 63 questions on the test, which is a huge chunk.

So in that case, I would recommend watching several YouTube videos that I’m going to link to around here, maybe up in the corner and then like in the description that go through how to read sectional charts focus on those, and you should have A decent grasp of sectional charts and know how to answer those 25 questions.

In addition to that, I would also recommend reading the chart legend that is included in the test supplement book, that I lost a link to below. Yes, the supplemental test booklet that they give you whenever you go and take the test, which is the same booklet that they give if you’re taking a recreational pilot or a private pilot license is available online.

For you to look at right now and study, so if there’s, a question on the test that refers to sectional charts or weather report or g-forces or any other figure, it is referenced in this supplemental book.

So this gives you kind of an idea of what they may ask you about on the test, which is amazing. So I would highly recommend that if you are studying sectional charts, you not only just study sectional charts, but you study the ones that are in this booklet.

And if you’re studying weather reports know how to read the exact weather reports that they include in this booklet, because these are the actual ones they’re, going to be asking you about. So if you know how to read this weather report, then you’re, going to do well on the test.

Pretty much guaranteed. In addition, at the front of the first appendix in the supplement book is a legend for sectional charts know how to read that know how to read every single thing on that, because all of the sectional chart questions that require you to read a sexual chart.

If you look at it and you’re, like I don’t know what that symbol means it’s like a blue dotted line. What is that? You can look at the legend in the front of this book and it’s like oh, there’s. The answer for me, this is great, so in that case make sure you know how to read that legend, and you know that supplement for words, and you are going to do so great on this test.

The next study supplement that I would recommend that you listen to is the commercial drones FM podcast, where host Ian Smith goes through the part 61 practice test, which is a test for pilots that are, they have their pilot’s, license that they want To be able to fly drones, so these questions on the practice tests are going to be far more aimed at specific drone things and not so much general flying questions.

But this is very helpful if you need to drill yourself on drone knowledge in the podcast. Ian goes through. The question gives you a second to think about it and then tells you the answer and why the answer is correct.

You know as a trend here generally, if I can find somebody that not only tells me the answers but tells me why they are correct. I am far more likely to recommend them, because that’s really going to help.

You understand concepts at this point. Your studies after you’ve, read all the reference materials and you ‘ Ve, stuffed your brain full of aeronautical knowledge and you’re like ok. I’m ready to go fly.

My drone commercially, but I got ta, take this test, but I don’t know what the test is going to look like. I have good news for you. There are practice tests that you can take. That will give you a good idea of what the test is going to look and feel like specifically, the FAA has one that you can download.

It is 40 questions, so it’s only 2/3 as long as the actual test, but it should give you a good idea of what it’s going to be on the test. I would not recommend taking this test immediately. Just jumping out before you even study anything like I’m ready to take it.

Let’s. Do it just see? I do because you’re, not going to know everything you’re, not going to do. Well and more importantly, the FAA doesn’t actually give you test answers to this practice test, which is really ridiculous, and I’m like.

Why would you let me practices and not tell me if I did it right or not, but that’s, how the government works. So here we are so in that case there’s, a guy named Jonathan Ruprecht, who is a drone lawyer.

He’s, a lawyer that focuses on drama and he has gone through on his website through the entire FAA practice test, and not only given you the answers, but give you the reasons why those answers are correct, which is often more important, because you Could just memorize something to be like at sea, but if you don’t know how you got to sea.

Then, whenever you take a test and the question is worded slightly different – you’re going to be like I don’t, I don’t know this is crazy. So not only will he help you to understand what the answer is, but why the answer is that which is really great.

So I’ll, put a link down below Jonathan Roop Rex practice, study test, as well as his answers and his study guide. That is very helpful whenever you are studying as well. The second practice test that I want to talk about is from 3d robotics makers of the 3dr solo drone on their website.

They have an FAA subheading, which has links to not only an FAA study guide that they’ve put together, but an actual practice test. That’s like a hundred and something questions that you can go through and as a benefit.

They actually include the answers to it as well, so you’re, not digging around like a doe. I actually know what I did right. This is a good way for you to take a practice test and get immediate feedback.

If the questions are correct or not as you take, these tests make sure you take notes on the questions you got wrong or the concepts you struggled with, or even like questions you got right, but that you took a while to figure out, because these questions are Not going to be verbatim on the test, it’s, not going to be like that.

There’s like a nine hundred question test Bank that they’re pulling from so you cannot expect to just be able to walk in and say. Well, I knew that practice test. I’m good to go. No make sure you understand the concepts there may be questions on the test about sexual charts, where they’re, saying, identify this Airport on the chart and then identify a tower near the airport, and then we need you to tell us at which height You would need air traffic control supervision to fly near that tower because it’s near the airport.

Questions like that. They’re, not in the practice test at all, where you need to know how to be able to read a sexual chart to be able to do that once you feel competent and doing that, and you get most of the answers correct on the Practice test which you can do multiple times, then I’d, say you’re, getting pretty close to actually being ready to take the test.

That is about it. For the past month and a half, I studied articles listen to podcast, pretty much immersed myself as much as possible into commercial drone rules and regulations. But in the end I wouldn’t took the test and I made a good grade.

So if you are freaking out don’t do what I did and the day before your test read forum post where people talk about how they failed, because that is a terrible mindset to be in to be like. Oh my gosh, I’m terrible.

I’m, not good enough. Relax like I said, don’t rush. Take your time and you’re, going to do okay and remember out of the 60 questions on the test. You can still miss 18 of them and still pass with a 70 there’s.

No, a B or C they’re, not going to be like. Oh man made a 75, barely passed, better study harder for the final. No, that is the final. Let’s, pass or fail. Congratulations, you did it. They’re gonna hand, you a certificate and say good job.

You are now a commercially licensed drone pilot. Go therefore, and make commercial drone videos and all the money you want it’s great. So don’t stress out thanks so much for watching. I hope this video has been helpful to you and giving you some great insight how to study for take and pass the FAS part 107 drone knowledge test.

I hope it’s, giving you some reasons as to why you may want to be legally flying your drone for commercial usage. As always, you can get in touch through the comments below or send me a message through my blog who is Matt comm.

You can also check out my wedding film production company film, strong productions at film strong, calm thanks and have a great day.