“Help! My Drone License Expired!”
“My drone License expired and I can’t take the renewal test!”
A student, Michael, called concerned that his §107 UAG license was past expiration, and because of the CORVID-19 he couldn’t take the recurrent exam. He was worried that he would have to take the original exam all over again.
First, any FAA license does not “Expire”. It may not be “current” which means you can’t fly, but it’s still a valid license.
There are plenty of pilots who may not be current because they have not maintained their current license status, but as soon as they take the required check-ride, or as in the case of drone operators, pass the recurrent test, the certification is again CURRENT and valid to fly. The best part is that the recurrent test and training are now online at no cost.
The training is free and available on the FAA Safety Team (FAASTeam) website. There are three courses:
- Part 107 Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Initial (ALC-451) – Current Part 61 certificate holders are eligible to take this course. (Hint: Try it for practice!)
- Part 107 Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Recurrent (ALC -515) – Part 107 remote pilots who are also certificated and current under Part 61 are eligible to take this course.
- Part 107 Small UAS Recurrent Non-Part 61 Pilots (ALC-677) – Part 107 remote pilot certification holders (regardless of currency) are eligible to take this course
(Reference: www.faa.gov/newsroom/recurrent-training-courses-drone-pilots-available-online )
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Other training courses may expire, but NOT The Drone Professor! Once you pay for an online course with the Drone Professor, you can review the class again years later.
Don’t forget you can get the textbook version of my FAA Part §107 UAG Study Guide textbook when you order from Barnes and Noble or Amazon.com.
