§ Study — the map

The study guide

Eight chapters in the order the FAA's own standards use, written for someone who has never read an aviation document. Read them in order the first time; after that, the outline on each page is your index. About 4 hours of reading in all.

1. 01OrientationWhat Part 107 is, what the knowledge test asks and how it is weighted, how this site works, and a realistic two-to-three-week plan.13 min
2. 02RegulationsPart 107 rule by rule, each with the reason behind it: who may fly, where, how high, over whom, on what paperwork. It is 48 percent of the test.48 min
3. 03AirspaceThe alphabet of airspace, what each class means for a small drone, who you must ask before you fly, and where to look it up.35 min
   • Deep dive Airspace, from the ground up
4. 04Sectional chartsHow to read a VFR sectional chart from zero, ending with three FAA test figures worked line by line.49 min
   • Deep dive Reading a sectional
   • Deep dive The chart's airspace rings
   • Deep dive Latitude and longitude
5. 05WeatherWhy weather matters to a small drone, how the atmosphere behaves, how to decode METAR and TAF, and how to decide not to fly.36 min
   • Deep dive Decoding METAR and TAF
   • Deep dive Cloud clearance
   • Deep dive Density altitude
6. 06Loading and performanceWhy weight, balance, bank angle and thin air change what your aircraft can do, and the handful of numbers the test asks about.26 min
   • Deep dive Weight, balance, and CG
7. 07OperationsHow manned pilots talk, how airports work, what to do when a flight goes wrong, and how people and machines fail.36 min
   • Deep dive The traffic pattern and runways
   • Deep dive Right-of-way and see-and-avoid
   • Deep dive Civil twilight and night
8. 08Test dayWhat the sitting is like, what to bring, how to pace 65 questions in 120 minutes, and what the score report and a retest mean.11 min