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Part 107 night operations: lights, twilight and training

Last updated 2026-11-12 · Published by Certloom Learning · Sources

You may fly at night under 14 CFR 107.29 without a waiver if you completed knowledge training or testing under 107.65 after April 6, 2021, and your aircraft has anti-collision lighting visible for at least 3 statute miles with a flash rate that avoids collisions. The same lighting is needed in civil twilight.

What does 107.29 require at night?

Two things: the remote pilot in command completed an initial knowledge test or training, as applicable, under 107.65 after April 6, 2021, and the aircraft has lighted anti-collision lighting visible for at least 3 statute miles. You may reduce the light's intensity but not turn it off if safety conditions justify it. Source: eCFR 107.29, checked 2026-11-12.

When is civil twilight?

Except in Alaska, civil twilight is the period from 30 minutes before official sunrise to sunrise and from official sunset to 30 minutes after. The anti-collision light is required during twilight too.

Do I still need a night waiver?

No for routine night flight that meets 107.29. Older night waivers stopped authorizing night flight after the 2021 rule change. A waiver remains the route when you cannot meet the lighting requirement, since 107.29 is on the FAA's waivable list. See waivers.

What should I plan for on a night flight?

FAA guidance asks you to consider whether fog, hills or structures will stop people from seeing the light at 3 statute miles, and the usual risks rise at night: orientation, obstacles you cannot see and reduced visual cues. You still need flight visibility of 3 statute miles and visual line of sight (operating rules).

Free practice questions on this topic

4 original questions from the Sectional Cue bank. Try each one, then open the answer.

Night knowledge requirement
1. What knowledge requirement does 107.29 place on a remote pilot in command who wants to fly at night?

  1. At least 10 hours of supervised night flight logged with a certificated flight instructor
  2. A certificate of waiver for night operations issued under 107.200
  3. Completion of an initial knowledge test or training under 107.65 after April 6, 2021
Show answer and explanation

C. Completion of an initial knowledge test or training under 107.65 after April 6, 2021

Section 107.29(a)(1) requires the remote pilot in command to have completed an initial knowledge test or training, as applicable, under 107.65 after April 6, 2021. Part 107 has no night flight experience requirement. A waiver is no longer the route for night operations, and older night waivers stopped authorizing night flight in 2021 under 107.29(d).

Source: 14 CFR 107.29(a)(1); 14 CFR 107.65

Night operations
2. A night flight is planned in a valley with patchy fog and surrounding hills. What does the AC 107-2A PAVE guidance ask the remote PIC to consider about the anti-collision light?

  1. Only whether the light is bright enough to help light the scene for filming
  2. Nothing more, because a light rated for 3 SM meets the rule in any conditions
  3. Whether fog, hills or structures will keep anyone from seeing the light at 3 SM
Show answer and explanation

C. Whether fog, hills or structures will keep anyone from seeing the light at 3 SM

AC 107-2A asks whether the pilot and other aircraft will be able to see the anti-collision light for at least 3 SM, considering weather phenomena such as fog, terrain such as hills and manmade obstacles. The light is for collision avoidance, not filming. A rating in clear air does not guarantee visibility through fog or around terrain.

Source: AC 107-2A, App. A, para A.4.8.2; 14 CFR 107.29

Waiver or authorization
3. A roofing company wants a night inspection in Class G airspace. The remote pilot completed recurrent training within the last 24 calendar months, and the drone carries an anti-collision light visible for 3 SM. What FAA approval is needed for the night portion?

  1. None, because the rule allows night operations when these training and lighting conditions are met
  2. A night waiver of 107.29, because every Part 107 night flight needs a waiver
  3. ATC authorization, because night flights in any airspace require it
Show answer and explanation

A. None, because the rule allows night operations when these training and lighting conditions are met

Since the 2021 amendments, 14 CFR 107.29(a) permits night operations without a waiver when the remote pilot has completed the initial test or training under 107.65 after April 6, 2021, and the aircraft has anti-collision lighting visible for at least 3 SM. Night waivers were the old process. ATC authorization under 107.41 depends on the class of airspace, not on time of day, and Class G needs none.

Source: 14 CFR 107.29(a)

Autokinesis
4. At night, a remote pilot stares at the hovering drone's single light against a dark sky. After several seconds the light seems to wander, but telemetry shows the drone holding position. What is happening?

  1. False horizon
  2. Flicker vertigo
  3. Autokinesis
Show answer and explanation

C. Autokinesis

The PHAK says autokinesis comes from staring at a single point of light against a dark background for more than a few seconds; apparent movement begins in about 8 to 10 seconds. A false horizon is a confusion of lights or terrain with the real horizon. Flicker vertigo is caused by light flickering at 4 to 20 cycles per second.

Source: FAA-H-8083-25C, Chapter 17 (Autokinesis)

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Sources

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.