Already a Pilot? The Part 107 Shortcut

If you hold a pilot certificate under Part 61, other than a student pilot certificate, and your flight review is current, you can get a remote pilot certificate without taking the knowledge test. You complete an online training course instead. The training covers fewer subjects than the test, and the subjects it leaves out are the ones a manned pilot is expected to know already.

Who qualifies for the Part 61 route?

14 CFR §107.61(d)(2) says a person who holds a pilot certificate other than a student pilot certificate issued under Part 61, and who meets the flight review requirements of §61.56, may demonstrate aeronautical knowledge by completing training covering the areas in §107.74. The other eligibility rules in §107.61 still apply: age 16, English and the medical condition standard.

What does the training cover, and what does it skip?

Compare the two lists side by side:

The regulation does not state its reasons, so this is our reading: the topics left out are ones the pilot certificate already covers. What remains is what is specific to small drones.

Is the application entirely online?

No. The training course is online, and the FAA lists it as Part 107 Small UAS Initial (ALC-451) on its become a drone pilot page. The application is different. §107.63(b) says it must be submitted to a Flight Standards office, a designated pilot examiner, an airman certification representative for a pilot school, a certificated flight instructor or another person the FAA authorizes. That person must verify your identity, and you must show, by logbook endorsement or another acceptable way, that you meet the flight review requirements.

The FAA page lists what to bring: the completed Form 8710-13 from IACRA, proof of your current flight review, photo ID and the course completion certificate.

How do you stay current afterward?

§107.65(c) lets a Part 61 pilot with a current flight review stay current by completing the §107.74 training within the previous 24 calendar months. The FAA lists the recurrent version for these pilots as ALC-515. If your flight review lapses, the Part 61 recency option stops fitting. The FAA lists ALC-677 as open to anyone who holds a remote pilot certificate, regardless of recency. The eligibility and recency post walks through both.

Does a Part 107 certificate help you toward a pilot certificate?

Not that we found. We found no provision in Part 61 that credits a remote pilot certificate toward a manned pilot certificate. The shortcut runs in one direction.

A worked example

A private pilot whose flight review was 14 months ago wants to fly a drone for a real estate client. They can complete ALC-451 online, start the 8710-13 in IACRA, and then meet a CFI who verifies their identity and logbook endorsement. They never sit the knowledge test. Their drone-specific gaps are the ones §107.74 still covers, such as loading, performance and Part 107's own rules, which the two-week study plan can be cut down to.

What this means for the exam

You can see this on the exam even if you are not a pilot. Expect questions on who may use the training route (Part 61 certificate other than student, current flight review) and on what recency requires every 24 calendar months.

The handbook covers this under UA.I.C.K3 and UA.I.C.K4.