If you want to fly drones for commercial reasons in the USA, you will need to obtain the Part 107 certificate from the FAA. The Part 107 is a knowledge test that covers topics related to the rules, regulations and safe operation of drones for commercial applications. One of the most effective ways to study for this test and give yourself a greater chance of passing the first time is through a Part 107 Prep Course. Below I have listed some of the best Part 107 Prep Courses.
The Part 107 test has been in effect since 2016 and in that time many organisations have released study guides or prep courses to help students and make it easier for them to pass the examination the first time.
Most of these courses come in the form of video tutorials, eBooks (or study guides), practice tests, quizzes to reinforce what you have learnt and usually lifetime access to the course (but not always).
They are updated regularly and most of them are taught by FAA certified instructors.
Below I have listed the 5 most popular Part 107 prep courses, they have some great reviews, a few have very high success rates and you get good support.
The list isn’t in any particular order, they all offer exceptional training courses for the Part 107 test, however, a few courses like those from Pilot Institute, Drone Pilot Ground School and Drone Launch Academy do offer a full refund should you fail the Part 107 test.
What Is The Part 107 Certificate?
The FAA Part 107 certificate, which is also known as the Remote Pilot Certificate, is awarded to drone pilots who want to fly drones for commercial purposes.
The Part 107 test consists of 60 questions of which applicants must achieve a score of 70% to pass and they get two hours to complete it.
The Part 107 certificate is required for any drone pilot who wants to make money with their drone.
This could be something as simple as uploading your drone videos on YouTube and earning advertising fees or providing drone-related services like photography, mapping, inspection, surveillance and many other commercial applications.
Studying for the test can be demanding as there are a lot of subject areas that are covered, many of which can be a little daunting, especially for people who have little to no background knowledge in aviation rules.
The FAA provides some in-depth Part 107 study guides, but they are not the most user-friendly and can be a little exhausting when looking for specific information.
Can You Take The Part 107 Test Online?
No, the FAA requires you to take the Part 107 test at one of their many approved test centres. You can find the full list here and see which ones are closest to you.
FAA Part 107 Practice Test
All the Courses listed below provide multiple FAA Practice tests, this will help you prepare much better for the actual test. The first 4 courses provide some kind of refund guarantee should you fail the test, to be eligible for this refund, you will need to show that you passed their practice test before taking the real test.
Best Part 107 Prep Course
Pilot Institute is one of the leading organisations in the USA that provides a range high-quality training for drone pilots. that will help them gain a better understanding of how to operate drones for commercial applications.
Their Part 107 Prep course is one of the most budget-friendly on this list and is delivered by a professional pilot and FAA certified instructor.
The course has a success rate of 99% and more than 30,000 students have passed it since it was first offered in 2017, making it the most one of the most popular Part 107 prep courses on this list.
The course consists of 15 hours of video tutorials, the videos are short, easy to digest and delivered in HD. The videos are also optimised for mobile devices so you can study whenever you want.
You can also leave comments under these short videos and get help from the instructor and other students if are unsure of something.
Students also get access to unlimited practice exams, a 14 page cheatsheet and lesson notes ,a flashcard app with 110 slides to help you strengthen what have learnt, a 14-day challenge to help you keep on track and a bonus course on mastering different types of drone manoeuvres.
Cost – $149 – The Pilot Institute will refund the FAA fee for the Part 107 test as well as the course fee should you fail. They were, to my knowledge, the first company to offer this guarantee, since then a few other popular drone training companies have followed in their footsteps.
Pilot Institute has thousands of positive reviews and most of their students pass the first time with many achieving scores of 90% or better.
Another popular company that provides a range of drone training programs that are taught by FAA certified instructors.
Their course offerings include Drone Business Mastery, Drone 101, Drone Roof inspection and the most popular, the Part 107 prep course.
DLA offers a robust Part 107 prep course that has a 99+% success rate with its students and offers a refund of the FAA fee and course fee should they fail.
The course is delivered through video format and is taught by 4 of their main instructors including the founder of DLA.
You also get access to a comprehensive study guide which will further reinforce what you have learnt and there is also a weekly live Q&A with one of the instructors via Facebook.
You also get access to actual FAA Part 107 test questions to help you practice for the real exam and you must achieve at least 80% in their mock exams to be eligible for the refund guarantee. So, in other words, if you follow the course properly, you have a high chance of passing the first time.
Cost – $199 – Get a discount with the code FLYING50 and there are further reductions in price if you book courses in bulk.
This is probably the most popular drone training program for the Part 107 course and is run by the team behind the popular drone website UAVCOACH.COM.
They have trained over 35,000 people, from individual pilots to corporate teams and some of their clients include NBCUniversal, Nationwide and AT&T.
Unlike the other organisations on this list, the Part 107 prep course is the only course offered by Drone Pilot Ground School.
However, over at UAVCOACH.COM, there are a couple other drone training programs but on DPGS, they only concentrate of helping students pass the Part 107 test.
This is a comprehensive course that has been developed by certified flight instructors and is updated on a regular basis.
The course consists of over 70 videos and text based lessons with quizzes at the end of each lesson to reinforce what you have learnt.
You also get access to 5 practice tests that emulates the FAA Part 107 exam and get clear explanations for wrong answers and what the correct answer should be.
To help you remember key concepts from each lesson, you get access to a 12-page document called the Cram-Sheet. This is especially useful to go over just before taking the actual exam.
Students get lifetime access to this course and any updates are free of charge.
Support is provided via email, phone and voice message and according to the reviews (most of which are very positive), their support is exceptional.
There is also a money-back guarantee should you fail the FAA test, this includes the course and test fee.
Cost – $299 – If you book in bulk, there are some significant discounts available.
If you are an enthusiastic follower of the TV show Shark Tank, you may have heard of this new drone training company.
Their CEO, Abby Speicher, got a $300,000 deal from Mark Cuban for a 10% stake in the company. Since then, Dart Drones has gone from strength to strength, they offer the widest range of drone related courses on this list and the company continues to grow rapidly.
They offer an in-person and online course for the Part 107 test.
With the course, you get access to an e-learning portal where you will get access to study guides, monthly review webinars, practice tests, access to the main course instructor and life-time access with free updates.
The in-person course is offered in over thirty cities across the USA and spaces are limited to just 12 students.
It is a one-day course where you are taught by a real pilot and get hands-on experience with reading aeronautical maps, which are an important part of the Part 107 test.
You also get to interact with the other students in group discussions and go over practice questions and get clear explanations on how to construct your answers.
Everything that is included in the online course is also included with the in-person course.
The online course is a lot cheaper, and you get access to all the material right away and I believe it is the best option for most people.
Like the other courses on this list, there is a money-back guarantee, should you fail the test, Dart Drones will pay for the test fee when you are ready to resit the exam.
Cost – $250
Drone U is an established flight training school that offers a wide selection of drone training programs.
They have in-person and online courses and are also approved by the FAA to administer the FAA TRUST test for recreational flyers.
They offer courses in drone mapping, 3D modelling, inspection, photography, starting a drone business, photo editing and also provide lots of resources in the form of webinars, eBooks and their popular Drone U podcast,
Their Part 107 prep course consists of webinars, a comprehensive 274-page study guide and a huge database of quizzes and questions to test what you have learnt.
They hold live webinars on a regular basis that covers the most important aspects of the Part 107 test, and every webinar is available for Drone U members.
Cost – $47pm/$470pa – Unlike all the other courses on this list, Drone U offers a subscription service. The price is very reasonable for what you get, every course is available to you and not just the Part 107 prep course.
However, if you just want the Part 107 prep course, it’s still a very good deal, as you can use their material for as long as you need and then cancel the subscription once you have passed the test.
Final Thoughts
If you are thinking of using drones to make money, you will need to obtain the FAA Part 107 certificate. If you do not, you could be fined a substantial amount of money, so it is in your best interest to study for this test and obtain the certificate.
The courses I have listed above have some of the best reviews for the Part 107 test, however, there are lots of others and you may want to search around and find one that is more suitable for your needs.
There are free study guides provided by the FAA, but unless you have a solid background in aviation rules, this is not the most suitable course of action for most people.