The FAA Opens U.S. Skies to Routine Commercial Drone Flight
Part 107 lets a drone operator fly commercially with a written test instead of a pilot's license
Quick facts
- Effective date
- August 29, 2016
- Weight limit covered
- Under 55 lbs
- Certification method
- Written knowledge exam (no flight test)
- Certified remote pilots (mid-2020s)
- 480,000+
What happened
The FAA's Part 107 rule for small unmanned aircraft systems took effect on August 29, 2016, allowing routine commercial drone operations, for aircraft under 55 pounds, without requiring the traditional airworthiness certificate or pilot's license the agency had previously mandated for all aircraft. In place of a practical flying test, the rule created a written knowledge exam covering basic aeronautical knowledge, with the FAA estimating individual certification costs at around 150 dollars, less than any other airman certification permitting non-recreational flight. By the mid-2020s more than 480,000 people held Part 107 remote pilot certificates in the United States.
Why it matters
Part 107 created the legal foundation for an entire commercial drone industry, aerial photography, agricultural surveying, infrastructure inspection, and emergency response among its uses, by treating small unmanned aircraft as a distinct regulatory category rather than forcing them through certification rules designed for crewed airplanes. The rule marked the first time aviation regulation formally split into two tracks, one for aircraft that carry a pilot and one for aircraft that do not, a split regulators have continued to build on as drone traffic has grown.
How we know
The rule's effective date, certification requirements, and estimated compliance costs are documented in the U.S. Government Accountability Office's official review of the FAA's small unmanned aircraft systems rulemaking.
Sources
- U.S. Government Accountability Office. Operation and Certification of Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems · Primary source (author-declared)gao.gov · Cited as a "primary" source (no stronger domain match). · Link is live and its text matches the event's key terms (Jul 2026)
- Center for the Study of the Drone, Bard College. Significant Aspects of the FAA's Drone Rules · Reputable sourcedronecenter.bard.edu · The domain "dronecenter.bard.edu" is on our Reputable source registry. · Link is live and its text matches the event's key terms (Jul 2026)
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