AIM

4/20/23

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Small Unmanned Aircraft System (sUAS)

Section 2. Small Unmanned Aircraft System (sUAS)

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1. Part 107 sUAS and Recreational Flyers

a.

Part 107 sUAS. A regulatory first step for civil non

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recreational UAS operations. To fly under 14 CFR

Part 107, the UAS must weigh less than 55 pounds and the operator (called a remote pilot) must pass a knowledge
test. Also, the UAS must be registered. Part 107 enabled the vast majority of routine sUAS operations, allowing
flight within VLOS while maintaining flexibility to accommodate future technological innovations. Part 107
allows sUAS operations for many different purposes without requiring airworthiness certification, exemptions,
or a COA for Class G airspace access. Part 107 includes the opportunity for individuals to request waivers for
certain provisions of the rules, for example, Beyond Visual Line

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Sight (BVLOS). Part 107 also has specific

restrictions which are not subject to waiver, such as the prohibition of the carriage or transport of Hazardous
Materials (HAZMAT).

b.

Recreational flyer UAS:

1.

The FAA considers recreational UAS to be aircraft that fall within the statutory and regulatory definitions

of an aircraft, in that they are devices that are used or intended to be used for flight in the air. As aircraft, these
devices generally are subject to FAA oversight and enforcement.

REFERENCE

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49 USC 40102, Definitions.
14 CFR Part 1

, 

Definitions and Abbreviations.

2.

Recreational aircraft may operate in Class G airspace where the aircraft is flown from the surface to not

more than 400 feet AGL, and the operator must comply with all airspace restrictions and prohibitions. The only
exception to this altitude restriction in Class G airspace is at FAA

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 recognized fixed sites and sanctioned events,

with specifically approved procedures for flights above 400 feet AGL.

NOTE

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Higher altitude airspace authorizations for Recreational Flyers are obtained through the FAA’s DroneZone website at:
https://faadronezone.faa.gov/#/.

3.

The Recreational UAS Safety Test (TRUST) module was developed in consultation with multiple UAS

stakeholders and through interested party feedback. TRUST is available electronically, has no minimum age
limit, and is provided by volunteer test administrators, vetted by the FAA. See AIM, paragraph 11

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1, UAS

Pilot Certification and Requirements for Part 107 and Recreational Flyers, for further information on TRUST.
Also, additional information regarding TRUST is available at the FAA’s The Recreational UAS Safety Test
website.

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The FAA’s The Recreational UAS Safety Test website may be viewed at:
https://www.faa.gov/uas/recreational_fliers/knowledge_test_updates/.

4.

Recreational UAS weighing more than .55 lbs must be registered. This can be done electronically

through the FAA’s DroneZone

 

website. Owners must then label all model aircraft with their assigned registration

number on the exterior of their aircraft so that the registration can be clearly seen and read from a reasonable
distance. See paragraph 11

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2, Registration Requirements, for more information on registering UAS.

NOTE

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The FAA’s DroneZone website may be viewed at: https://faadronezone.faa.gov/#/

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2. Registration Requirements

a.

Nearly all UAS flown in the NAS are required to be registered in the FAA aircraft registration database.

UAS weighing 55 pounds MGOW or more must be registered under 14 CFR Part 47, Aircraft Registration, while
UAS less than 55 pounds may be registered under the FAA’s newer 14 CFR Part 48 online system.