FAA Part 107

Above Ground Level

The distance that something is off of the ground

Mean Sea Level

Something in relation to how far it is above sea level

Are the upper and lower boundaries of airspaces marked in MSL or AGL?

MSL

What is the floor and ceiling for class A airspace?

Floor- 18,000ft MSL

Ceiling- 60,000ft MSL

How many miles does class A extend off the coastline of the US?

12 nautical miles

What must operations in class A be operated under?

IFR, instrument flight rules

What does class B airspace look like?

An upside down tiered cake, it gets larger as the altitude increases?

What is the floor and ceiling for the bottom tier of class B airspace?

Floor- Surface

Ceiling- 10,000ft MSL

Why is class B tiered?

It allows for planes to leave the airport in class B and stay in class B as they increase. But, the tiers allow for other classes to fly beneath them

Do you need prior authorization to operate a drone in class B airspace?

yes

What is the ceiling of class C airspace?

4000ft MSL

Do you need prior authorization before operating a drone in class C airspace?

yes

What is class D airspace for?

the smallest airports that still have a control tower

What is the typical ceiling of class D airspace?

2,500 AGL (not msl)

Do you need prior authorization for operating in class D airspace?

If it is all the way to the surface and surrounds an airport, YES

If it does not have an airport designation, NO

What is class E airspace for?

small airports that DO NOT have a control tower

Any airspace above 1200ft AGL that is not labeled A, B, C, or D is what type of airspace?

E

Do you need prior authorization to operate in class E airpsace?

If it is designated for an airport, YES

If it does not have an airport designation, NO

What is the floor of class E?

1200ft AGL, can sometimes start at 1400ft, but it will be marked

What is class G airspace?

Uncontrolled airspace, everywhere int he airspace that is not controlled (everywhere that isn’t A, B, C, D, or E)

Is prior authorization needed to operate in class G airspace?

No

What is special use airspace?

Airspace where certain activities must be contained and/or areas where flight is not allowed.

What are prohibited areas?

Areas where flight is not allowed. Noted by a P and a number on the sectional chart

What are restricted areas?

Areas where flight is not entirely prohibited, but usually only IFR are allowed in areas during times where the restricted area is not in use by the controlling agency

only the FAA or controlling agency can authorize flights through restricted areas

Noted by an R and a number

What are warning areas?

similar to restricted areas, they alert pilots to potential in flight hazards

noted by a W and a number

What are military operation areas?

Areas where the military operates, such as military training flights

They are designated so the FAA can keep civilian activities out of the way.

Civilian flights are not prohibited in these areas, but they have serious hazards that require extreme caution

noted by name with MOA

What are alert areas?

Areas where unusual aerial activity is taking place, such as parachute jumping or dense flight training activities.

Marked with A and numbers, they usually describe the activity that is occurring

What are victor airways?

Straight light blue lines with a number on them. Used by general aircraft traffic in class E airspace

Start at 1200ft AGL and can extend up to 18000ftMSL

Warm front

A warm air mass moving over cold air mass, move slower than cold fronts.

Brings less severe weather, but can cause low clouds, ceilings, poor visibility, and rain

moves at 10-25mph

Cold front

A cold air mass moving over a warm air mass, move quicker than warm fronts.

Associated with violent weather, such as sudden storms, gusty winds, turbulence, and occasionally hail or tornadoes

moves at 25-30mph

Stationary front

A cold air mass and warm air mass have met, but neither is taken over by the other

Occluded Front

A cold front catches up to a warm front, where there is warm air above from the warm front and cooler air in front of the warm front

Atmospheric stability

The airs tendency to either rise and create storms or turbulence(unstable), or to resist vertical movement and motion(stable)

Unstable atmosphere

Air rises easily, more buoyant and turbulent with updrafts and downdrafts, causes the production of clouds, when interacting with a trigger (such as a cold front), more violent weather conditions

Stable Atmosphere

Air resists vertical movement, more prone to fog development at night

Rising Air

When air rises, it expands due to the decrease in pressure, the expansion causes the temp to decrease

Descending air

Air compresses as it falls, causing an increase in temp

Lapse Rate

The change in temp as altitude increases or decreases

(avg is a 2 degree Celsius drop in temp per 1000ft increase in altitude)

Stable Air Conditions

Cool, dry, and smooth air, poor visibility, and continuous steady precipitation in the presence of larger, low pressure systems.

Favorable conditions in the day in the absence of low pressure systems.

Unstable air conditions

Warm, moist air, turbulence, and good visibility, showery precipitation and thunderstorms

Low pressure systems

Temperature inversion

Smooth stable air, little to no turbulence.

Occur at low altitudes, not great camera weather, but good flying weather. Continuous steady precipitation

Service based temp inversion

Occurs on a cool clear night when air close to the ground is cooled by the lowering temp of the ground. The air within a few hundred feet of the surface becomes cooler than the air above it

Frontal temp inversion

A front of warm air spreads over a layer of cooler air, or a front of cool air is forced under a layer of warm air

Relative humidity

Amount of water vapor in the air compared to the amount the air can hold at the current temp

The colder the air is, the less it can hold.

Dew Point

The temp at which air is totally saturated and it cannot hold any more water for a certain amount of water vapor

Saturation Point

When the temp drops and meets the dew point, moisture condenses out of the air and fog, dew, clouds, and precipitation can occur

Radiation Fog

forms when the ground cools quickly because of terrestrial radiation. The surrounding air must also reach the dew point.

Forms near the surface on low lying areas, typically on a clear night with no wind present.

Can be dissipated by sunlight from the sun rising and strong winds

Advection Fog

Forms when wind blows across the warmer ocean water, causing warm air to move over the cooler terrain

Common in costal regions, must have wind around 15 knots for advection fog to form (if wind is stronger, it will cause fog to rise and turn into low lying stratus clouds)

Upslope Fog

Moist stable air must be pushed up sloping lands such as large hills, mountains, etc.

A continued presence of strong wind must remain to form the fog and strengthen it, can remain for days.

Steam fog

Forms as cold dry air moves over the warmer water from a lake, river, ocean, etc.

As the sun rises, the moisture is evaporated, causing the fog to rise and cause turbulence.

More common in coldest months of the year.

Ice fog

Only occurs when temps are below freezing, causing water vapor to form into ice

Forms in low lying areas, with temps dipping to 25 degrees. Usually only forms in arctic regions, but can form in other areas wehre the conditions are extreme enough

Spread of covergence calculation

surface temp - dew point

Cloud base calculation

Cloud base in AGL = (spread of convergence/4.4) x 1000

4.4 for fahrenheit, 2.5 for celsius

Structural icing

Icing that builds on the aircraft during flight

Can occur if the aircraft is flying through some type of visible water and if the temp at the point where the water comes into contact with the uav must be at or below the freezing point

Air mass thunderstorms

created by the heating of the air near the earths surface and colder air in the upper levels of the atmosphere

Orographic thunderstorms

created by terrain, the upslope motion of air in mountainous regions

Cumulus Stage

normal clouds move upward as a result of the rising warm, moist air

cloud continues to grow and rain droplets get taller and larger until they are so big that gravity causes them to fall

Mature Stage

Thunderstorm clouds reach heights of 5-10 miles above the surface

at the top of the clouds, where the temps are below freezing, water droplets may become supercooled and freeze. creating hail

Dissipating Stage

Precipitation and downdrafts continue to cool the area, causing rising warm updrafts to become less frequent and less intense

Thunderstorm dies relatively quickly, updrafts come to an end and the cooled down drafts tend to spread out

Since there are no longer any updrafts, the thunderstorm is unable to stay alive

As pressure increases, air density

increases

As temperature increases, air density

decreases

As humidity increases air density

decreases

Thrust

the forward force acting on the aircraft, usually from the propellors int ehf ront, back, or top

Drag

the opposite of thrust, caused by the different types of friction created by the aircraft flying through the air

Lift

causes the aircraft to fly

Weight

the act of gravity that pulls the aircraft towards earth

Center of pressure

the point on the wing that is the center of all generated lift

Stalls

the wings are no longer able to generate lift, the nose of the aircraft will typically fall, increasing airspeed and decreasing the angle of attack, remedying the stall and restoring flight

Leading edge

very front of wing

Trailing edge

very back of wing

Chord line

an imaginary straight line from the trailing edge to the leading edge

Angle of attack

difference between the relative wind and chord line of the wing

If it becomes too exaggerated, the air will no longer flow smoothly over the wing and connect back at the trailing edge, which is required to generate lift

Critical angle of attack

the point at which air can no logner flow smoothly over a wing, decreases the speed at which air can flow over the wing, so the low pressure above the wing disappears. No low pressure above the wing, no lift

Center of gravity

the point on the aircraft where all of the weight is in equilibrium

Stability

an aircrafts ability to recover from a maneuver and regain straight and level flight

Maneuverability

an aircrafts ability to fly and withstand the forces of turns, climbs, and other strains

Controllability

how well the aircraft responds to inputs from the pilot

Airport Data

• lists the name, location identifier, and other important info

• © = CTAF to the left of the ©

CTAF

• Common traffic advisory frequencies

Full Time Towers

• have an airtraffic controller at all times

• Controller handles takeoff and landing, clearances, and other general air traffic management

Part time Towers

• usually open during the day/busy times

• Closed at night/non busy times

• when closed, airport is treated as if it has no tower

No Towers

• rely on pilot self repeorting

• Pilots either

  • report their position to

    • a flight service station

    • a UNICOM monitor

    • or announce their position to whomever is listening on the designated CTAF

Multicom frequency

• used at airports where no ATC is available and there is not a UNICOM frequency

• 122.9

• Also designated for temp activities such as a search and rescue

UNICOM

• non gov stations, usualy found at low traffic, general aviation airports

• provide various info and advisories to airport users such as

  • weather info

  • wind direction

  • recommended runway

  • any perviously reported trafic

• UNICOM and CTAF are generally one in the same

ATIS

• automatic terminal info service is the continued broadcast of recorded information relevant to a certain station, usually an airport

• contains info about weather, active runways, navigation, equipment outages and potential hazards

• use a certain letter of the phonetic alphabet, when pilots contact ATC for taking, landing, etc. they have to confirmed they have listened to the most recent tower by giving the phonetic alphabet letter form the report they listened to

Eligibility for drone license

• 16yrs old

• speak and write in english

• physically and mentally able to safely operate a drone

• pass the FAA exam

Unable to operate if…

• alcohol less than 8hrs before flight

  • blood alcohol content greater or equal to .04

• taking drugs that would cause unsafe operation

Temp certificate

valid for 120days

Part 107 does not apply to…

• model aircraft for rec use

• outside of US

• amateur rockets and kites

• unmanned free balloons and moored balloons

• public aircraft operations

• air carrier operations

Remote Pilot in Command

• individual responsible for safe unmanned aircraft operations

• must have a valid and current certificate

• designated before every flight

• ensures compliance with part 107 and safety of people/property in event of loss of control

• decides whether operations are go or no go

• does pre flight inspections

You must report an accident if…

• drone causes serious injury to someone (category 3, hospitalization or unconscious)

• cost to repair damaged property is greater than $500 dollars (not including drone repair)

• must be submitted within 10 days

Operating limitations from other vehicles

• can only operate from a moving vehicle (land/water) in sparsely populated areas

• person operating the UAS CANNOT drive the vehicle at the same time

• cannot be operated from another moving aircraft

Operating limitations for lighting

• can operate 30mins before official sunrise and up to 30 mins after official sunset

• Must have appropriate anti collision lighting

Morning civil twilight

30 mins before official sunrise

Evening civil twilight

30 mins after official sunset

Operating limits with multiple drones

• cannot operate more than 1 UAS at a time

• cannot be the observer for more than 1 UAS at a time

• all other aircrafts have the right of way over a UAS

Speed Operating Limits

• 87 knots (roughly 100mph)

Height Operating Limits

• 400ft AGL

Height operating limits with tall structures

• if operating around a tall structure, you can go above 400ft as long as you are in a 400ft radius of the structure

Visibility Operating Limits

• 3 statue miles