Regulations›General›UA.I.A.K1
Exam Weight: 15-25%
Refs: 14 CFR parts 89 and 107, subpart A; AC 107-2; FAA-H-8083-25; FAA-G-8082-22
UA.I.A.K1: Applicability of 14 CFR part 107 to small unmanned aircraft operations.
ACS Area I — Regulations Task A: General References: 14 CFR parts 89 and 107, subpart A; AC 107-2; FAA-H-8083-25; FAA-G-8082-22
Key Concepts
What Part 107 Applies To and Who May Fly
- Scope: Part 107 Subpart B governs all civil small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) operations under this part, applicable to non-public sUAS operations.[1]
- Crewmember Qualifications: Only individuals with a remote pilot certificate with a small UAS rating, or those supervised by a certified remote PIC, may control a sUAS. The Administrator may permit certain foreign-registered sUAS operations without an FAA certificate, aligning with international standards.[1]
- Registration Compliance: Operators must comply with registration provisions in § 91.203(a)(2), verifying registration status before flight and carrying proof as required.[1]
- Safe Operation Condition: The remote PIC must ensure the sUAS is safe before each flight and discontinue if it becomes unsafe, treating this as a mandatory preflight and in-flight risk assessment.[1]
Registration and Remote Identification Applicability
- Registration Certificate Basics: sUAS used for non-recreational purposes are registered upon receiving a Certificate of Aircraft Registration, effective from the issue date and expiring after 3 years unless renewed. Renewals extend expiration by another 3 years, requiring verification or updates within 6 months before expiration.[2]
- Remote ID Applicability: Post-September 16, 2023, most registered sUAS must comply with Remote ID. The serial number of a standard Remote ID unmanned aircraft or broadcast module must be listed on the Certificate of Aircraft Registration, with a module's serial number listed on only one certificate at a time. Modules can be moved between Part 107 sUAS, but serial numbers must be updated on certificates before operation. Even aircraft not required to register must comply with Remote ID when operated under any part requiring registration.[3]
- Standard Remote ID System Requirements: The system must broadcast the unmanned aircraft’s identity, control station location, UA location, velocity, UTC time mark, and emergency status. Performance requirements include control station location corresponding to the person manipulating controls, synchronized time marks, and self-testing before takeoff.[4]
Operations Over People, Moving Vehicles, and Labeling Under Part 107
- Category 2 Aircraft Eligibility: Aircraft must be designed to not cause injury greater than 11 foot-pounds of kinetic energy, have no exposed rotating parts, and contain no safety defects. Compliance requires a legible, permanent English label indicating Category 2 eligibility and remote pilot operating instructions.[5]
- Labeling Responsibilities (Category 2/3): If a Category 2 or 3 label is damaged or missing, the remote PIC must relabel the aircraft in English before operations over people. An unlabeled or illegible label renders the aircraft ineligible. If manufactured before the rule, the remote PIC must verify FAA-accepted Declaration of Compliance (DOC) eligibility and apply a proper label. Labels must be updated if the aircraft is modified for a different category.[6][7]
- Category 4 Operations: Requires an airworthiness certificate under Part 21, operated per Flight Manual or Administrator-specified limitations, prohibiting sustained flight over open-air assemblies unless meeting § 89.110 or § 89.115(a) Remote ID requirements.[6]
- Moving Vehicles: sUAS must not maintain sustained flight over moving vehicles unless within a closed/restricted-access site, with allowances based on category and participant status. Category 1 covers aircraft weighing 0.55 pounds or less throughout flight.[8]
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