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Loading and performance
Loading and performance for drone pilots
Loading and performance is about 2 percent of the UAG test but the ideas return in other areas. Overloading raises stalling speed and shortens range, high density altitude cuts performance, and heat damages lithium batteries. Weight also decides whether the aircraft qualifies as small: under 55 lb at takeoff including everything attached.
What counts toward the 55 lb limit?
14 CFR 107.3 defines a small unmanned aircraft as one weighing less than 55 pounds on takeoff, including everything on board or attached. A 49 lb airframe with 7 lb of equipment is 56 lb and does not qualify, and exactly 55.0 lb is not under 55.
What does overloading do?
The FAA study guide lists a higher stalling speed, a longer takeoff run, a reduced climb, a lower maximum altitude and a shorter range. Balance matters too: payload placement that moves the center of gravity outside limits harms stability and control.
What is density altitude?
| Condition | Effect on density altitude | Effect on performance |
|---|---|---|
| Hot day | Higher | Less lift and thrust |
| High elevation | Higher | Less lift and thrust |
| High humidity | Higher | Slightly less performance |
| Low altimeter setting | Higher pressure altitude | Less performance |
Pressure altitude equals field elevation plus a correction for the altimeter setting. For example, with a 1,380 ft site and a conversion factor of 298 for 29.6 in Hg, pressure altitude is 1,678 ft. The test gives the conversion table in the supplement.
What is load factor?
Load factor is the ratio of lift to weight. It increases in turns, so a steeper bank for a fixed-wing aircraft raises stalling speed. The test's Figure 2 charts load factor against bank angle.
What battery risks does the FAA mention?
AC 107-2A lists heating to extreme temperatures among causes of lithium battery fires, along with short circuits, improper charging, crash damage, mishandling and defects. Do not leave spare batteries in a closed hot vehicle.
Sources (checked 2026-11-12): FAA Remote Pilot sUAS Study Guide (FAA-G-8082-22); FAA Advisory Circular 107-2A; 14 CFR 107.3 (eCFR).
Free practice questions on this topic
4 original questions from the Sectional Cue bank. Try each one, then open the answer.
Effects of overloading
1. A remote pilot loads a fixed-wing small UA beyond its maximum weight. Which performance change should they expect?
- A shorter takeoff run
- A higher maximum altitude
- A higher stalling speed
Show answer and explanation
C. A higher stalling speed
The Remote Pilot Study Guide lists a higher stalling speed among the performance losses of an overloaded aircraft, along with a longer takeoff run, reduced climb, lower maximum altitude and shorter range. A shorter takeoff run is the opposite of what added weight causes. Maximum altitude drops, not rises, with excess weight.
Source: FAA-G-8082-22, Chapter 4
Battery heat
2. A remote pilot plans to leave spare lithium batteries on the dashboard of a closed truck parked in the sun all afternoon. What concern does AC 107-2A raise?
- Heat matters only while a battery is being charged
- Heat only shortens battery life and poses no fire risk
- Heating a lithium battery to extreme temperatures is a listed cause of battery fires
Show answer and explanation
C. Heating a lithium battery to extreme temperatures is a listed cause of battery fires
AC 107-2A lists heating to extreme temperatures among the causes of lithium battery fires, along with short circuits, improper charging, crash damage, mishandling and defects. The cause is not limited to charging, so a stored battery baking in a hot cab is still at risk. Saying heat poses no fire risk contradicts the AC, which also advises following the manufacturer's battery handling recommendations.
Source: AC 107-2A, para B.5
Payload and Category 1
3. A drone weighs 0.52 lb. The remote pilot adds propeller guards weighing 0.05 lb for a Category 1 operation over people. Is the aircraft still eligible for Category 1?
- Yes, because only the bare airframe weight counts
- No, because the total of 0.57 lb exceeds the 0.55 lb limit, which includes everything attached
- Yes, because propeller guards make the aircraft safer
Show answer and explanation
B. No, because the total of 0.57 lb exceeds the 0.55 lb limit, which includes everything attached
Section 107.110(a)(1) requires a Category 1 aircraft to weigh 0.55 lb or less on takeoff and throughout the operation, including everything on board or otherwise attached. 0.52 + 0.05 = 0.57 lb, which exceeds the limit. The rule counts everything attached, not just the airframe, and a safety accessory creates no exception to the weight limit.
Source: 14 CFR 107.110(a)(1); AC 107-2A, para 8.3.4
Aircraft of 55 lb or more
4. An unmanned aircraft weighs 70 lb at takeoff. Can a Part 107 certificate of waiver allow it to fly under Part 107?
- Yes, by waiving 107.51 operating limitations
- Yes, by waiving the 55 lb limit in the 107.3 definition
- No, it is not a small unmanned aircraft, so it needs other authority such as an exemption under 49 U.S.C. 44807
Show answer and explanation
C. No, it is not a small unmanned aircraft, so it needs other authority such as an exemption under 49 U.S.C. 44807
Part 107 covers only aircraft under 55 lb as defined in 107.3, and that definition is not on the 107.205 list. Heavier unmanned aircraft need other authority, such as an exemption under 49 U.S.C. 44807. A waiver of 107.51 changes operating limits, not the weight that defines a small UA.
Source: 14 CFR 107.3; 14 CFR 107.205; 49 U.S.C. 44807
Related guides
- Weather for drone pilots: what the Part 107 test expects
- Preflight and maintenance for Part 107 flights
- Part 107 operating rules: altitude, speed, visibility and clouds
- All Part 107 guides
Study the charts on your phone
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Sources
- FAA Remote Pilot sUAS Study Guide (FAA-G-8082-22), checked 2026-11-12
- FAA Advisory Circular 107-2A, checked 2026-11-12
- 14 CFR 107.3 (eCFR), checked 2026-11-12
- FAA airman testing supplements (FAA-CT-8080-2H), checked 2026-11-12
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.