Part 107 night operations: lights, twilight and the test
You don’t need a waiver to fly a drone at night under Part 107. You need two things: the right training date on your record, and the right lights on your aircraft. A lot of older material still says otherwise, so this is worth getting straight before test day.
The two conditions in §107.29(a)
To fly at night, 14 CFR 107.29(a) requires both of these:
- Training date. The remote PIC completed the initial knowledge test or training under §107.65 after April 6, 2021.
- Lighting. The small unmanned aircraft has lighted anti-collision lighting, visible for at least 3 statute miles, with a flash rate sufficient to avoid a collision.
You may reduce the intensity of the lights if that’s safer. You may not turn them off.
Why April 6, 2021
That’s the day the FAA added night operations, operations over people and Remote ID to the knowledge test. The regulation requires the initial test or training to have been completed after April 6, 2021. The same day, the old recurrent test was replaced by online recurrent training.
If you were certificated earlier, you get night privileges by completing the current recurrent training. Recurrent training finished before April 6, 2021 doesn’t count. AC 107-2A explains that the current test and recurrent training both cover night physiology and night visual illusions.
The free course for most pilots is “Part 107 Small UAS Recurrent (ALC-677)”. See Part 107 recurrent training for how it works.
Day, twilight, night
| Period | Definition (outside Alaska) | Lighting requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Day | Official sunrise to official sunset | None required |
| Civil twilight | 30 minutes before official sunrise, and 30 minutes after official sunset | Anti-collision lighting visible 3 SM |
| Night | End of evening civil twilight to start of morning civil twilight | Anti-collision lighting visible 3 SM, plus post-April 6, 2021 training |
In Alaska, civil twilight follows the Air Almanac instead of the 30-minute rule.
“Night” comes from 14 CFR 1.1: the time between the end of evening civil twilight and the beginning of morning civil twilight, as published in the Air Almanac and converted to local time.
A test question can hinge on twilight. Flying 20 minutes after sunset is civil twilight, so lighting is required, but the post-2021 training requirement applies only at night.
About those lights
The rule sets a performance standard. The lights must be visible for 3 statute miles and flash fast enough to avoid a collision. AC 107-2A says you may rely on the manufacturer’s statement that a light meets 3 SM, but you remain responsible for checking that it works and is visible at your operating location.
The option to dim exists for a practical reason. AC 107-2A notes that a bright strobe close to the pilot can make it harder to judge the aircraft’s position, speed, attitude or altitude.
During the day, §107.29 doesn’t require lighting, and the AC says lighting is generally not effective for daytime collision avoidance. You can still leave lights on if you choose.
Seeing the aircraft after dark
The line-of-sight rule doesn’t relax at night. The remote PIC and the person at the controls, or a visual observer, must be able to see the aircraft with unaided vision (glasses or contacts are fine). They must be able to tell its location, attitude, altitude and direction, watch for traffic and hazards, and make sure it endangers no one.
AC 107-2A is direct about what doesn’t satisfy that at night: you can’t rely only on the anti-collision lights, the ground control station’s telemetry, or both together. In almost all cases, it says, you may need to shrink the area you fly in. Binoculars may be used only for a moment, and a first-person-view feed never counts as line of sight.
Visibility still has to be 3 statute miles from the control station. At night that means the distance at which prominent lighted objects can be seen.
A night preflight
The regular preflight rules in §107.49 still apply, and some items get harder in the dark. Before the flight:
- Walk the site in daylight if you can, noting wires, trees and structures you won’t see later.
- Brief everyone involved on emergency procedures, roles and how you’ll communicate without eye contact.
- Confirm control links and that you have enough battery for the planned flight time.
- Check that the anti-collision lights work, are visible for 3 statute miles and have a flash rate sufficient to avoid a collision.
- Check NOTAMs and flight restrictions, and get airspace authorization where required.
The daylight walk is good practice, not a rule. The rest traces to Part 107.
Hazards you can’t see at night
Obstacles you’d spot in daylight become hard to see after dark. The FAA’s Chart Users’ Guide warns that wind turbine blade tips aren’t lit, and that the lights on the hub can in some cases sit 200 to 300 feet below the tip. The ACS also lists ground structures and their lighting, and hazards on the ground that have no lighting, as knowledge elements next to the night equipment items.
The weather minimums don’t change at night either. You still need 3 statute miles of visibility and must stay 500 feet below and 2,000 feet horizontally from clouds. Every other aircraft still has the right of way.
Waivers and old approvals
Anti-collision lighting at night and during civil twilight is on the list of rules the FAA can waive under §107.205. To get a waiver you have to fully describe the operation and show it can be done safely.
Old night waivers are no longer usable. Since May 17, 2021, no one may fly at night under a certificate of waiver issued before April 21, 2021.
What the test asks
The ACS lists operator equipment for night flight, manned aircraft lighting and small UAS lighting requirements as knowledge elements under airspace operational requirements. Expect questions on the 3 SM lighting standard, the twilight window, whether a pilot trained in 2020 can fly at night, and whether a light may be dimmed or switched off.
The 2016 FAA Study Guide doesn’t include night operation at all, so don’t rely on it for this topic. Work from the regulation and AC 107-2A.
For every limit in one place, use the Part 107 rules cheat sheet. Flying at night over people brings in the category rules, covered in operations over people. Check your recall with the free practice test.