Home › Guides › Get certified
Get certified
Part 107 for Part 61 pilots: the ALC-451 path and what changes
If you hold a Part 61 pilot certificate (not a student certificate) with a current flight review, you can skip the knowledge test. Complete the free ALC-451 course on FAASafety.gov, apply for the remote pilot certificate in IACRA, and have your identity verified by an authorized person.
Who can use the Part 61 path?
The route is for holders of a pilot certificate issued under Part 61 who are not student pilots and who have met the flight review requirement in 14 CFR 61.56. The Part 107 side of the rule is 107.74, which sets the knowledge training for exactly this group: a person holding a pilot certificate under Part 61 (other than a student certificate) who has completed a flight review in accordance with 61.56.
Under 61.56 the review is at least 1 hour of flight training and 1 hour of ground training from an authorized instructor, covering the current general operating and flight rules of Part 91 plus the maneuvers and procedures the instructor thinks necessary. To act as pilot in command, the review must have been completed within the 24 calendar months before the current month, with a logbook endorsement. Some alternatives exist for certain checks and proficiency programs in 61.56(d), (e) and (g); ask your instructor which one you have.
Sources (checked 2026-11-14): 14 CFR 107.74 (eCFR); 14 CFR 61.56 (eCFR); FAA: Become a Certificated Remote Pilot.
What are the steps, in order?
| Step | What you do | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Confirm a current flight review under 61.56 | Student certificates do not qualify |
| 2 | Create or log in to your FAASafety.gov account | Enroll in the course for credit; previewing does not count |
| 3 | Complete ALC-451 and pass its exam | Free, online |
| 4 | Complete FAA Form 8710-13 in IACRA | Same application used by first-time pilots |
| 5 | Have an authorized person verify your identity | See the next section |
| 6 | Receive the temporary certificate, then the permanent card | The FAA issues the certificate after its checks |
The course, titled Part 107 Small UAS Initial - Part 61 Pilots (ALC-451), is run by the FAASTeam. Its page lists the sequence: an intro chapter, three numbered chapters, a review chapter, then the exam. The topics named on the course page include sUAS classification, remote pilot certification, operating rules, registration and marking, maintenance and inspection, crew resource management, certificates of waiver, abnormal and emergency procedures and accident reporting.
Sources (checked 2026-11-14): FAASafety.gov: Part 107 Small UAS Initial - Part 61 Pilots (ALC-451); IACRA (FAA Integrated Airman Certification and Rating Application); FAA: Become a Certificated Remote Pilot.
Who can validate my identity?
Because you do not test at a PSI center, someone must check your identity in person against your application. The FAA's become-a-pilot page, as we checked it for the guide on how to get a Part 107 certificate, names a Flight Standards District Office, a designated pilot examiner, an airman certification representative or a certificated flight instructor. A flight instructor can do the identity check, but cannot issue the temporary certificate. Bring the documents the FAA lists, typically your photo ID, your flight review proof and the course completion record. Because the page can change, confirm the current list on the FAA page before you make the appointment.
Sources (checked 2026-11-14): FAA: Become a Certificated Remote Pilot.
What does the ALC-451 course cover compared with the knowledge test?
The test is built on 13 knowledge areas in 107.73. The training for Part 61 holders in 107.74 names eight: regulations for rating privileges, limits and flight operations; weather effects on performance; loading; emergency procedures; crew resource management; performance calculation; maintenance and preflight inspection; and night operations. Airspace classification, radio communication, physiological effects of drugs and alcohol, aeronautical decision-making and airport operations are not named in the 107.74 list. You may still be familiar with them from manned flying, but remote pilot work applies them differently, so it makes sense to keep studying them. Sectional Cue's free practice questions cover those areas for people on either route.
Sources (checked 2026-11-14): 14 CFR 107.73 (eCFR); 14 CFR 107.74 (eCFR).
How do manned and Part 107 privileges differ?
| Topic | Manned flight under Part 61 and Part 91 | Small drone under Part 107 |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate | Pilot certificate with ratings | Remote pilot certificate with a small UAS rating (107.12) |
| Medical | Rules depend on the certificate and operation | No FAA medical certificate, but you cannot fly with a condition you know of that interferes with safe operation (107.17) |
| Recency | Flight review within 24 calendar months (61.56) | Knowledge recency within 24 calendar months (107.65) |
| Altitude | Governed by Part 91 | 400 ft AGL, with the structure exception (107.51) |
| Visibility | Part 91 and airspace dependent | 3 statute miles flight visibility; 500 ft below and 2,000 ft horizontal from clouds (107.51) |
| See and avoid | Pilot on board | Visual line of sight, with a visual observer optional (107.31, 107.33) |
| Right of way | Part 91 right of way rules | The drone yields to all other aircraft (107.37) |
| Alcohol and drugs | 91.17 and 91.19 directly | 107.27 applies the same rules |
| Airspace | Clearance and communication for the airspace | Authorization for controlled airspace surface areas (107.41), LAANC or FAA authorization |
Your manned experience helps most with airspace, charts, weather and radio. It hurts in one place: habits like "I can see it, so it is fine" do not carry over, since 107.31 puts distance and aircraft attitude judgment on the remote pilot.
Sources (checked 2026-11-14): 14 CFR 107.12 (eCFR); 14 CFR 107.17 (eCFR); 14 CFR 107.65 (eCFR); 14 CFR 107.51 (eCFR); 14 CFR 107.31 (eCFR); 14 CFR 107.37 (eCFR); 14 CFR 107.41 (eCFR).
How do I stay current as a Part 61 pilot with a Part 107 certificate?
Section 107.65 says you may not act as remote pilot in command unless, in the previous 24 calendar months, you passed an initial knowledge test, completed recurrent training, or, as a Part 61 pilot with a current flight review, completed the training in 107.74. The FAA names the course for Part 107 holders who are also current Part 61 pilots as Part 107 Small UAS Recurrent (ALC-515), and the general recurrent course as ALC-677. Your instructor-given flight review keeps your Part 61 side current, but it does not by itself refresh Part 107 knowledge recency. See Part 107 recurrent training.
Worked example
Counting 24 months
Say you finish ALC-451 in June of a given year. Your knowledge recency runs through the end of June, two years later: 24 calendar months counts whole months, so the day in June does not matter. Plan the recurrent course well before then.
Sources (checked 2026-11-14): 14 CFR 107.65 (eCFR); FAASafety.gov (recurrent training); FAA: Become a Certificated Remote Pilot.
Are there other things a manned pilot should know?
- Night flight under Part 107 requires anti-collision lighting and a certification of recent training from 2021 onward. See night operations.
- Your drone must be registered under Part 48, with a marked unique identifier. See drone registration.
- Many Class B, C, D and E surface areas need authorization before you launch. See LAANC and airspace authorization.
- Remote ID applies to the drone. See Remote ID.
Sources (checked 2026-11-14): 14 CFR 107.29 (eCFR); 14 CFR 48.15 (eCFR); 14 CFR 107.41 (eCFR).
What does a manned pilot still need to do before the first flight?
Passing the course and getting the certificate is only the start. 107.12 says no person may manipulate the controls unless they hold the certificate and meet 107.65, or are directly supervised by a remote pilot in command who can take control at once. Beyond that, make a short checklist: the drone is registered and marked, you have the certificate and ID with you (107.7), you have checked airspace and TFRs, and you have a plan for the crew briefing in 107.49. Our guide on preflight and maintenance covers that list.
Worked example
Your first commercial job
Say you hold a private pilot certificate with a flight review from 14 months ago, and you complete ALC-451 this week. You apply in IACRA and, once your identity is verified and the FAA issues the certificate, you can act as remote pilot in command. Your flight review keeps your Part 61 side current for another 10 months, but your Part 107 knowledge recency now runs 24 calendar months from the course date, so the two clocks are not the same.
Sources (checked 2026-11-14): 14 CFR 107.12 (eCFR); 14 CFR 107.7 (eCFR); 14 CFR 107.49 (eCFR); 14 CFR 61.56 (eCFR).
What if my certificate and my flight review expire at different times?
They are independent clocks. Section 61.56 governs the flight review for manned flight, and 107.65 governs knowledge recency for the remote pilot certificate. A current flight review does not refresh Part 107 recency by itself, and a Part 107 course does not count as a flight review. Track both dates, and note that your Part 107 recency is what lets you act as remote pilot in command.
Sources (checked 2026-11-14): 14 CFR 61.56 (eCFR); 14 CFR 107.65 (eCFR).
Related guides
- How to get a Part 107 remote pilot certificate
- Part 107 recurrent training: how to stay current
- Part 107 operating rules: altitude, speed, visibility and clouds
- Drone registration for Part 107 pilots: who, how much, how long
- Part 107 night operations: lights, twilight and training
- All Part 107 guides
Study the charts on your phone
Sectional Cue has 1150+ original questions with explanations, 27 FAA figures you can tap to read, and timed 60-question rehearsals. About 152 questions and three chart lessons are free.
Sources
- 14 CFR 107.74 (eCFR), checked 2026-11-14
- 14 CFR 107.73 (eCFR), checked 2026-11-14
- 14 CFR 61.56 (eCFR), checked 2026-11-14
- 14 CFR 107.65 (eCFR), checked 2026-11-14
- FAA: Become a Certificated Remote Pilot, checked 2026-11-14
- FAASafety.gov: Part 107 Small UAS Initial - Part 61 Pilots (ALC-451), checked 2026-11-14
- IACRA (FAA Integrated Airman Certification and Rating Application), checked 2026-11-14
How this page was made: written by Certloom Learning from the sources above, with the rules checked against the current regulation text. Practice items are original questions from the app's reviewed bank. Spot an error? certloomlearning@gmail.com.