Who Needs Part 107 (and Who Can Get It)
Before you touch a sectional chart or memorize a single weather minimum, you need to answer one question: does the FAA consider your flying commercial? Here's the simple test I use, and exactly what it takes to get certified.
The purpose-not-payment test
When people ask me whether they need Part 107, they almost always frame it the wrong way: "Do I need it if I'm getting paid?" The FAA doesn't actually care about the money. It cares about the purpose of the flight. If a flight furthers any business or other non-recreational goal — yours or someone else's — it falls under Part 107, and it needs a certificated remote pilot behind the controls.
That net is wider than most new pilots expect. Shooting aerials of a listing for a real estate agent? Commercial — even if you did it free as a favor. Grabbing coastal b-roll for your company's Instagram? Commercial, because it promotes a business. Photographing the roof of your own rental property to plan repairs? Also commercial.
The clean way to think about it: recreational flying is flying purely for fun, full stop. The moment there's any other reason for the flight to happen, you've left recreational territory.
TRUST vs. Part 107: two different lanes
Recreational flyers aren't off the hook entirely. They're required to pass TRUST — The Recreational UAS Safety Test — a short, free online safety course, and keep proof of completion. It exists to make sure hobby pilots know the basics: keep the drone in sight, stay under 400 feet, give way to manned aircraft.
Part 107 is a different animal. It's a proctored FAA knowledge test covering airspace, weather, regulations, and loading and performance. Pass it, and you apply for a Remote Pilot Certificate — an actual FAA airman certificate. To keep it current, you complete free online recurrent training every 24 calendar months.
Here's the part that trips people up: TRUST never authorizes commercial flying, no matter how experienced you are. There's no such thing as "TRUSTing your way" into a paid shoot. If the flight has a business purpose, only Part 107 covers it.
The favor trap: flying "as a favor" for someone's business is the most common way new pilots accidentally cross the line. If the footage serves a business — a listing, a restaurant's social media, a contractor's website — the purpose is commercial. The $0 invoice doesn't change that.
Who can actually get certified
Good news: the bar to sit for the test is refreshingly low. You must be at least 16 years old, be able to read, speak, write, and understand English, and be in a physical and mental condition to safely operate a small drone. That's the whole list.
Notice what's not on it: no flight hours, no medical certificate, no aviation background of any kind. Plenty of working drone pilots — myself included — walked into this with zero prior aviation experience. The knowledge test is the real gatekeeper, and it's absolutely learnable.
So if you're 16 or older and serious about flying for real estate, coastal work, or any other business purpose, nothing structural is standing in your way. The rest of this course exists to get you past that test.
KNOWLEDGE CHECK · 1
Your friend, a real estate agent, asks you to fly your drone over her new waterfront listing and send her the photos. You tell her you'll do it for free since she's a friend. Under FAA rules, does this flight require a Part 107 certificate?
Key takeaways
- Commercial means the flight furthers any business purpose — whether money changes hands is irrelevant.
- TRUST covers recreational-only flying; it never authorizes commercial work, no matter your experience.
- Eligibility is simple: at least 16, English proficiency, and the physical and mental condition to fly safely.
- Once certified, free FAA online recurrent training every 24 calendar months keeps you current.
Official source