This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams.

In this episode you will learn:

- The specific Part 107 regulations that are eligible for a Certificate of Waiver, such as operating beyond visual line of sight or from a moving vehicle.

- The critical regulations that can NEVER be waived, including the 55-pound maximum weight limit and the prohibition on careless operations.

- The crucial difference between a long-lead-time waiver and a near-real-time LAANC airspace authorization, a common exam confusion point.

- The requirement to submit a detailed safety case via the FAA DroneZone portal, proving an equivalent level of safety for your proposed operation.

- The typical 90-day processing time for waivers and why this makes last-minute waived operations impossible.

For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams.

In this episode you will learn:

- §107.23 prohibits both careless/reckless flying and dropping objects that create an undue hazard to people or property.

- The FAA exam will test your ability to distinguish between careless (negligent) and reckless (willful disregard for safety) actions in operational scenarios.

- Under §107.19 and §107.37, a small unmanned aircraft must always yield the right-of-way to all other aircraft, without any exceptions.

- Exam questions often present scenarios with unpredictable manned aircraft; as the Remote PIC, your responsibility is always to see, avoid, and yield.

- A helpful mnemonic, "Drones Don't Dominate," reinforces that drones are at the bottom of the aviation hierarchy and must give way to all other airborne vehicles.

For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams.

In this episode you will learn:

- Part 107 remote pilots must follow the same strict alcohol and drug rules as manned aircraft pilots, as specified in 14 CFR §91.17.

- You must satisfy three separate alcohol rules: no flying within 8 hours of consumption, a blood alcohol level below 0.04%, and not being under the influence.

- Any drug, including common over-the-counter medications like cold remedies with antihistamines, that affects your abilities in any way contrary to safety is prohibited.

- The responsibility to determine if a medication is safe for flight rests solely with the pilot, as the FAA does not provide a definitive list of approved drugs.

- Use the 'IMSAFE' mnemonic (Illness, Medication, Stress, Alcohol, Fatigue, Emotion) as a personal pre-flight checklist to assess your fitness to fly.

For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams.

In this episode you will learn:

- The Remote Pilot in Command (PIC) is always ultimately responsible for the preflight inspection, even if the task is delegated.

- There is no standardized FAA-required preflight checklist; you must follow the drone manufacturer's recommended procedures.

- Preflight assessment under §107.49 includes the operating environment, risks to people, aircraft condition, control links, sufficient power, and crew briefings.

- "Sufficient power" means enough for the planned flight plus a reserve for contingencies, not just a full battery charge.

- A common exam trap is the idea of an "FAA-approved checklist"; the correct answer always refers to manufacturer guidelines.

For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams.

In this episode you will learn:

- An FAA Part 107 accident report is required within 10 calendar days if specific injury or damage thresholds are met.

- Any loss of consciousness, no matter how brief, automatically triggers the injury reporting requirement.

- Property damage must exceed $500 to require a report, based on the lesser of repair cost or fair market value.

- The value of the drone itself is explicitly excluded when calculating the $500 property damage threshold.

- Reports must be submitted electronically via the official FAA DroneZone portal.

For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams.

In this episode you will learn:

- The maximum legal groundspeed for a drone under FAA Part 107 is 100 mph, which is equivalent to 87 knots.

- Why the FAA exam focuses on groundspeed instead of airspeed, with wind being the key variable.

- How to perform the essential exam calculation: Airspeed + Tailwind or Airspeed - Headwind to determine your true groundspeed.

- To identify a common exam trap where a legal airspeed becomes an illegal groundspeed due to a strong tailwind.

- A simple mnemonic for the test: "Tailwind adds, headwind subtracts, for the groundspeed facts."

For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams.

In this episode you will learn:

- Operations over moving vehicles are regulated under FAA Part 107.145.

- Flying over moving vehicles is permitted within a closed or restricted-access site, provided all vehicle occupants are notified.

- A drone meeting Category 1, 2, or 3 requirements may transit over moving vehicles on public roads.

- Sustained flight over moving vehicles on public roads is prohibited, even with a categorized drone.

- A key mnemonic to remember the exceptions is: 'Closed, Cat, or Cross.'

For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams.

In this episode you will learn:

- Category 1 drones must weigh 0.55 pounds or less and have no exposed rotating parts that could lacerate skin.

- Categories 2 and 3 are defined by impact kinetic energy limits: 11 foot-pounds for Category 2 and 25 foot-pounds for Category 3.

- A manufacturer's FAA-accepted Declaration of Compliance (DOC) is mandatory for operating under Categories 2 and 3.

- Category 3 operations are prohibited over open-air assemblies and have strict rules against sustained flight over non-participating people.

- Category 4 requires a specific FAA-issued airworthiness certificate under Part 21, distinguishing it from the other categories.

For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams.

In this episode you will learn:

- The specific definition of civil twilight for Part 107 operations, which is the 30-minute window before sunrise and after sunset.

- The mandatory anti-collision lighting requirement for both civil twilight and night flights must be visible for at least 3 statute miles.

- Official sources like the Air Almanac or NOAA must be used to determine local sunrise and sunset times, not generic weather apps.

- The unique rule for Alaska, where civil twilight times are determined by the Air Almanac, not the standard 30-minute rule.

- A common exam trap is confusing the definitions and requirements of civil twilight versus full nighttime operations.

For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams.

In this episode you will learn:

- VLOS must be maintained by the remote PIC using only natural vision, though corrective lenses are allowed.

- Binoculars are prohibited for the primary purpose of maintaining Visual Line of Sight under §107.31.

- A Visual Observer (VO) is mandatory when the remote PIC uses FPV goggles that obstruct their direct view of the drone.

- Communication between the PIC and VO must be direct and unassisted by electronic devices.

- The remote PIC is ultimately responsible for the flight and cannot regain lost VLOS solely through the Visual Observer's guidance.

For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep