Part 107 cheat sheet: the numbers and where they come from

The Part 107 numbers most often tested are 400 feet AGL, 87 knots (100 mph), 3 statute miles visibility, 500 feet below and 2,000 feet horizontally from clouds, under 55 pounds, and 24 calendar months for knowledge recency. Each figure below is quoted from the current regulation it comes from.

Altitude, speed, visibility and cloud clearance (14 CFR 107.51)

Limit	Number	Rule
Maximum groundspeed	87 knots (100 mph)	§ 107.51(a)
Maximum altitude	400 feet above ground level	§ 107.51(b)
Structure exception	Within a 400-foot radius of a structure, and no higher than 400 feet above the structure's immediate uppermost limit	§ 107.51(b)(1)-(2)
Minimum flight visibility from the control station	3 statute miles	§ 107.51(c)
Distance below clouds	500 feet	§ 107.51(d)(1)
Horizontal distance from clouds	2,000 feet	§ 107.51(d)(2)

Two details are tested often. The limit is groundspeed, not airspeed. And flight visibility is observed "from the location of the control station". All of § 107.51 can be waived under § 107.205(i).

Example of the structure rule: next to a 300-foot tower, staying within 400 feet of it, the small UA may climb to 700 feet AGL.

Weight and operations over people

Item	Number	Rule
Small unmanned aircraft	Less than 55 pounds on takeoff, including everything on board or attached	§ 107.3
Category 1 over people	0.55 pounds or less on takeoff and throughout the operation, no exposed rotating parts that would lacerate skin	§ 107.110(a)
Category 2 eligibility	Injury no worse than a transfer of 11 foot-pounds of kinetic energy from a rigid object	§ 107.120(a)(1)
Category 3 eligibility	Injury no worse than a transfer of 25 foot-pounds of kinetic energy from a rigid object	§ 107.130(a)(1)
Category 4	Airworthiness certificate issued under part 21	§ 107.140(b)(1)

Categories 2 and 3 also require the aircraft to be listed on an FAA-accepted declaration of compliance and labeled for that category (§§ 107.115, 107.125). Category 3 may not be flown over open-air assemblies of people (§ 107.125(b)).

Night and civil twilight (14 CFR 107.29)

Item	Number	Rule
Anti-collision lighting visibility, at night and in civil twilight	At least 3 statute miles	§ 107.29(a)(2), (b)
Civil twilight outside Alaska	30 minutes before official sunrise to sunrise, and sunset to 30 minutes after official sunset	§ 107.29(c)
Night operations, pilot requirement	Initial knowledge test or training completed after April 6, 2021	§ 107.29(a)(1)

The remote pilot may reduce the light's intensity for safety but "may not extinguish" it.

Certificate, recency and paperwork deadlines

Item	Number	Rule
Minimum age for a remote pilot certificate	16 years	§ 107.61(a)
Temporary certificate	Issued for up to 120 calendar days	§ 107.64(a)
Aeronautical knowledge recency	Within the previous 24 calendar months	§ 107.65
Change of permanent mailing address	Notify the FAA, or lose privileges after 30 days	§ 107.77(c)
Retest after a failed knowledge test	14 calendar days	§ 107.71
Ban after cheating on a knowledge test	1 year	§ 107.69(b)
Denial after a drug or alcohol offense	Up to 1 year	§ 107.57

Recency can be met by passing an initial knowledge test, completing recurrent training, or, for Part 61 pilots with a current flight review, completing the § 107.74 training (§ 107.65). You must carry your remote pilot certificate and identification when exercising its privileges (§ 107.7(a)(1)).

Accident reporting: 10 days and $500 (14 CFR 107.9)

Report to the FAA "No later than 10 calendar days after an operation" that involves at least:

serious injury to any person or any loss of consciousness, or
damage to any property other than the small unmanned aircraft, unless the repair cost (materials and labor) does not exceed $500, or the fair market value does not exceed $500 if the property is a total loss.

Damage to the drone itself never triggers the report. A $700 repair bill for a fence does.

Alcohol and drugs: 8 hours and 0.04

14 CFR 107.27 applies §§ 91.17 and 91.19 to anyone manipulating the controls, acting as remote pilot in command, or acting as visual observer. Under § 91.17(a), no person may act as a crewmember:

within 8 hours after the consumption of any alcoholic beverage;
while under the influence of alcohol;
while using any drug that affects the person's faculties in any way contrary to safety; or
while having an alcohol concentration of 0.04 or greater in a blood or breath specimen.

All four apply. Waiting 8 hours does not help if you are still under the influence.

Registration and marking (14 CFR Part 48)

A Certificate of Aircraft Registration "expires 3 years after the date of issue unless it is renewed" (§ 48.100(c)). Renewal can be done in the six months before the expiration month. The unique identifier (the registration number, or the serial number if the FAA authorizes it) must be legible and displayed on an external surface of the aircraft (§§ 48.200, 48.205). Under § 107.13, a Part 107 operator must comply with the registration requirement of § 91.203(a)(2).

Airspace and other rules worth one line each

§ 107.41: prior ATC authorization for Class B, C, D, and the surface area of Class E designated for an airport.
§ 107.37: yield right of way to all aircraft, airborne vehicles, and launch and reentry vehicles.
§ 107.35: one unmanned aircraft at a time per pilot or visual observer.
§ 107.36: no hazardous material.
§ 107.25: no operation from a moving aircraft; from a moving land or water vehicle only over a sparsely populated area and not carrying another person's property for hire.
§ 107.52 and § 107.53: no transponder on, and no ADS-B Out in transmit mode, unless authorized.

Fly Part 107 is a free practice site for the UAG knowledge test. It has 520 questions with an explanation for every answer, including 120 chart questions built on ten current FAA sectionals (October 29, 2026 edition) with zoom, plus the Chart Trainer, the Read the Question trainer and a cited cheat sheet. Its cheat sheet cites the rule behind each number, as this page does. A one-time $49 payment gives lifetime access to full 60-question practice tests with 5 unscored items.

Try these practice questions

A remote pilot is inspecting a 300-foot AGL radio tower and stays within a 400-foot radius of it. What is the highest altitude allowed?

700 feet AGL.
400 feet AGL.
300 feet AGL.

Show the answer

Answer: A. A is correct: 14 CFR 107.51(b) allows flight above 400 feet AGL within a 400-foot radius of a structure, up to 400 feet above the structure's immediate uppermost limit: 300 + 400 = 700 feet AGL. B is wrong: 400 feet AGL is the general limit, but 107.51(b) allows more within 400 feet of a structure. C is wrong: 107.51(b)(2) allows up to 400 feet above the structure's top, not just to the top.