How to get Part 107 Certified for Drone Wedding Videography

We officially have our Part 107 Remote Pilot License over here at Alesia Films. As a wedding videographer, I want to fly my drone to get those epic videography shots of my couples, the venue and the area they’re getting married in. And my couples want this shot too, so this has become the most beneficial license for my business.

The Part 107 license will allow me to safely and legally fly my drone at all of my wedding gigs, but has opened up even more doors for me to pitch myself to bigger brands and companies as a commercial drone photographer and videographer. 

After posting this announcement on my Instagram @alesiafilms, I was asked from a lot of you with how I became certified. This blog will walk you through the step by step procedures to obtaining your Part 107 license.

First, start by watching this Youtube video!

This Youtube video informs you the risks you take every time you fly your drone without a Part 107 for your business. 

And if you’re disagreeing with this statement, “I have the DJI Mavic Mini, so this doesn’t apply to me because of it’s weight…”

Then unfortunately you have been misled.

It turns out that drone weight does not matter if you’re flying the drone in exchange for monetary compensation. To summarize, if you are being paid in any amount to fly your drone and capture photography or videography from it and your job is to deliver that media to a client, you will need the Part 107 license. This includes wedding photographers and videographers, commercial filmmakers and youtubers who monetize their content.

But no shame if this was you. You’ve come to the right place! When I first started studying for the test, I quickly found out through the materials just how important this is. So let’s get started!

Why is taking the Part 107 Remote Pilot test so important for drone wedding videography?

The biggest risk you take, especially when you’re doing drone wedding videography, is hurting another person or property. And the last thing we want is the talk of the night be about the wedding videographer crashing their drone into Aunt Petunia’s head causing her to go to the hospital. Learning this material not only teaches you how to practice safe flying, but what to do in case someone gets hurt. 

The majority of the test is all about preventative measures. It teaches you how to look up the sectional charts and airspace maps of the place you plan to fly so you know well ahead of time if you are flying in a)a prohibited area, b)if you need any ATC authorization before flying there and c)the weather reports so you know if it’s even a good day to fly (because no, looking up to see it’s a beautiful sunny and clear day just isn’t enough). 

I will admit though, some of this stuff was extremely tedious when it came to the Airspace language. Before the test, I questioned why I needed to learn this material as a wedding videographer who isn’t ever near airports like that. But I’ve discovered that flying in any kind of major city, small island or even some rural areas, there are airport runways closer than I thought. I believe this explains why about 70% of my test questions were airspace questions. So unfortunately for us wedding videographers, we have to know this stuff. But hey, if you’re an airplane nerd, you might enjoy this!

Studying for the Part 107 Remote Pilot Test: 

What study materials work for the Part 107 and what doesn’t.

What worked: Learning from official Part 107 Course Material. 

I was in Drone Launch Academy and watched the Course once through, took all the practice questions at the end of each section and then went back and redid the sections I was still unsure of. 

What worked: Taking the Practice Tests from the app “Prepware Remote Pilot” 

I did about 4-5 practice tests the night before and one more practice test in my car before going into the testing center. The test will be randomized every time you do it so it gives you different answers. After you’re done, it tells you your score and you can click on every question you got right or wrong with notes on what the correct answer is and why. Something I found super useful so I wasn’t just memorizing test answers. The app is $5 but WORTH IT. 

What didn’t work: Watching Tony Northrup’s Party 107 Drone Youtube Video, or any Youtube Video for that matter

A lot of the comments say, “Oh I watched this only a couple times through and passed!! Thank you so much for making this!” 

Well I call BS on that unfortunately. At least in today’s tests of 2024*. Maybe that was true 10 years ago, but they are all outdated to the new 2024 changes and after going through the Drone Launch Academy’s Course, and then watching the youtube videos, I thought, “this video just skipped that entire section?!” So a course like Drone Launch Academy is still worth it in my opinion.

Overall, I see the youtube video as a CRASH COURSE and should not be your only supplement study guide. They’ll tell you a quick answer to something, but not explain it fully. The real test will absolutely question you on the HOW and WHY of certain topics so you simply need to understand the material to get it right. 

What didn’t work: Listening to Part 107 Drone Study Podcasts

They’ll read you test questions and give you the answers. But all of the questions they ask are the basic drone stuff like “How often do you need to retake the test with a Part 107 license? ….. 24 months. What does your blood alcohol level have to be lower than in order to fly a drone?…. 0.04”

Like quick facts kinda stuff, that honestly, wasn’t the most super helpful thing.

My advice: spend the most time studying the maps and sectional charts from the airspace questions until you fully understand how to read the map. This other quick Q+A stuff can be memorized pretty easily and shouldn’t take up your time once absorbed.

So if you’re ready to get certified… 

Here is a Step by Step Guide to get your Part 107 Drone Remote Pilot License! 

The following copy has been taken from the FAA website! If you’d like to go straight there, CLICK HERE

Step 1:

Obtain an FAA Tracking Number (FTN) by creating an 

Integrated Airman Certification and Rating Application

 (IACRA) profile prior to registering for a knowledge test. 

Step 2:

Schedule an appointment with a 

FAA-approved Knowledge Testing Center

. Be sure to bring a government-issued photo ID to your test. 

Step 3:

Pass the initial aeronautical knowledge test: “Unmanned Aircraft General – Small (UAG)”. Knowledge test topic areas include:

• Applicable regulations relating to small unmanned aircraft system rating privileges, limitations, and flight operation
• Airspace classification and operating requirements, and flight restrictions affecting small unmanned aircraft operation
• Aviation weather sources and effects of weather on small unmanned aircraft performance
• Small unmanned aircraft loading and performance
• Emergency procedures
• Crew resource management
• Radio communication procedures
• Determining the performance of small unmanned aircraft
• Physiological effects of drugs and alcohol
• Aeronautical decision-making and judgment
• Airport operations
• Maintenance and preflight inspection procedures
• Operation at night

Step 4:

Complete FAA Form 8710-13 for a remote pilot certificate (FAA Airman Certificate and/or Rating Application) using the electronic FAA 

Integrated Airman Certificate and/or Rating Application system (IACRA)*

1. Login with username and password
2. Click on “Start New Application” and 1) Application Type “Pilot”, 2) Certifications “Remote Pilot”, 3) Other Path Information, 4) Start Application
3. Follow application prompts
4. When prompted, enter the 17-digit Knowledge Test Exam ID (Note: it may take up to 48 hours from the test date for the knowledge test to appear in IACRA)
5. Sign the application electronically and submit for processing.

Step 5:

A confirmation email will be sent when an applicant has completed the TSA security background check. This email will provide instructions for printing a copy of the temporary remote pilot certificate from IACRA.

Step 6:

A permanent remote pilot certificate will be sent via mail once all other FAA-internal processing is complete.

Step 7:

Have your Remote Pilot Certificate available

 whenever you fly your UAS.

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Want to make your goal more interesting? 

Promise yourself a fun reward if you pass!! For me, I promised myself a brand new drone if I passed, and at the time I took the test in 2021, I purchased the new DJI Mavic Air 2S and loved it.

Here’s a link to this drone to check it out!

So get studying… you can do this! As someone with a ton of testing anxiety and ADHD, I passed on my first try, so I know you can too! 

Here’s a link to my own Study Guide I made from Practice Test Questions and Course Material that was a little tricky for me! Feel free to review it or use it as a template to make something similar of your own. I know studying is different for everyone! Especially when it comes to drone wedding videography and how this all applies to us!

Want to check out more of the videography gear I use on Wedding days?