No Landing Required: Airport Operations for Drone Pilots

No Landing Required: Airport Operations for Drone Pilots

You’ll never taxi, takeoff, or land at an airport — but the FAA still expects you to understand exactly what’s happening there. In this episode we break down airport operations from a drone pilot’s perspective, covering runway numbering and what those numbers actually mean, how traffic patterns work and why understanding them keeps you out of serious trouble, the difference between towered and non-towered airports and what each one means for your authorization requirements, how to read an airport diagram, and how to interpret the airport figures in the FAA test supplement — the exact same ones handed to you at the testing center on exam day. You don’t need to land there — but you absolutely need to know what’s going on. Grab the sticks. Class is in session.

Did You Take Any Medications Today: Physiology for Part 107

Turns out the FAA cares about what’s going on inside your body just as much as what’s going on in the sky. In this episode we cover the one Part 107 topic that catches almost everyone off guard — human physiology. We break down how fatigue, stress, and common medications affect your performance as a remote pilot, why the 8 hour bottle to throttle rule applies to drone pilots too, how your eyes actually work differently in low light conditions, what the IMSAFE checklist covers and how to use it before every flight, and why your over the counter cold medicine could literally ground you under Part 107. Your drone might be airworthy — but are you? Grab the sticks. Class is in session.

Break the Rules or Crash the Drone: Emergency Procedures and ADM

Sometimes following the rules and keeping your drone in the air are two different things — and the FAA actually has a plan for that. In this episode we cover emergency procedures and aeronautical decision making, two of the most scenario-heavy topics on the Part 107 knowledge test. We break down when you can legally deviate from Part 107 in an emergency, what you have to report afterward and when, the accident reporting thresholds that trigger a mandatory report, right of way rules, the PAVE checklist, the five hazardous attitudes the FAA tests, their antidotes, and how to make a confident go or no go decision before you ever leave the ground. Grab the sticks. Class is in session.

The Preflight Nobody Does: Maintenance and Inspection for Part 107

Most drone pilots unbox their aircraft, charge the battery, and immediately start flying — and most drone pilots are skipping one of the most tested topics on the Part 107 knowledge exam. In this episode we break down small UAS maintenance and inspection procedures, covering the remote pilot in command’s responsibility for airworthiness before every single flight, what a proper preflight inspection actually includes, how to identify and document defects, when your aircraft must be grounded, why deviating from the manufacturer’s maintenance instructions is a bigger deal than you think, how to safely inspect and maintain your batteries, and what records the FAA expects you to keep. Your drone isn’t just a toy — treat it like the aircraft the FAA says it is. Grab the sticks. Class is in session.

Your Drone Has a License Plate: Remote ID Explained

Surprise — every drone flying in the United States is now required to broadcast its location in real time like a digital license plate in the sky. In this episode we break down Remote ID — one of the newest and most misunderstood rules in the Part 107 knowledge test. We cover Standard Remote ID, broadcast modules, what information gets transmitted and when, what an FAA-Recognized Identification Area is and what limitations come with it, and what happens if your Remote ID stops working mid-flight. This is a newer rule that a lot of outdated study materials get completely wrong — don’t be that pilot. Grab the sticks. Class is in session.