Remote ID for Part 107 pilots: the three ways to comply
Remote ID is the rule that makes a drone broadcast who and where it is. Since September 16, 2023, no one may fly an unmanned aircraft in U.S. airspace without meeting one of the Remote ID options, if that aircraft is registered or required to be registered. For Part 107 pilots, that means every flight.
The rules live in 14 CFR part 89. They joined the knowledge test on April 6, 2021, and the FAA says those questions were drafted from the rule itself.
Three ways to comply
| Option | Section | Where you can fly | Line of sight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Remote ID aircraft | 89.110 | Anywhere the other rules allow | Other Part 107 rules apply |
| Remote ID broadcast module | 89.115(a) | Anywhere the other rules allow | Must stay within visual line of sight |
| No Remote ID equipment | 89.115(b) | Only inside an FAA-Recognized Identification Area (FRIA) | Within line of sight; pilot and aircraft stay inside the FRIA |
Option 1: a standard Remote ID aircraft
The Remote ID is built into the aircraft. It must broadcast the required message elements from takeoff to shutdown. If broadcasting stops mid-flight, the person at the controls must land as soon as practicable.
AC 107-2A lists what a standard Remote ID aircraft broadcasts:
- the aircraft’s identification, either its serial number or a session ID;
- latitude, longitude and geometric altitude of both the aircraft and the control station;
- the aircraft’s velocity, including horizontal and vertical speed and direction;
- a time mark;
- an emergency status code.
The aircraft’s serial number must be listed on its Certificate of Aircraft Registration, or provided to the FAA under §89.130.
Option 2: a broadcast module
A broadcast module adds Remote ID to an aircraft that lacks it. It can be built in by the manufacturer as a retrofit, or be a standalone unit you attach before takeoff.
Its conditions:
- The aircraft must stay within the pilot’s visual line of sight.
- Confirm the module works before takeoff.
- Land as soon as practicable if broadcasting stops.
- The module’s serial number goes on the aircraft’s registration.
A module broadcasts a slightly different set: the aircraft’s serial number, the latitude, longitude and geometric altitude of the aircraft and of the takeoff location, velocity, and a time mark. The control station’s position isn’t in that list, which is one detail a test question can use to tell the two options apart.
Moving a module between aircraft
A serial number can be listed on only one Certificate of Aircraft Registration at a time. You may move a module from one Part 107 aircraft to another, but you must move its serial number from the first aircraft’s registration to the second before you fly.
Option 3: fly inside a FRIA
An aircraft with no Remote ID equipment may fly only inside an FAA-Recognized Identification Area. It must stay within visual line of sight, and both the aircraft and the pilot must stay inside the FRIA’s boundaries.
For most commercial work this isn’t practical, because the job site decides where you fly. It’s still on the test: the ACS lists alternative remote identification as a knowledge element.
Small drones don’t get a pass
The part 48 registration exception for aircraft weighing 0.55 pound or less applies only to aircraft flown exclusively for recreation. It doesn’t cover Part 107.
AC 107-2A spells out the Remote ID consequence: small unmanned aircraft that part 48 doesn’t require to be registered must still meet Remote ID when flown under any operating part that requires registration. Fly a 0.55-pound drone commercially and you need to register it and comply with Remote ID.
How registration ties in
Remote ID and registration are linked through the serial number, so it’s worth knowing the registration rules alongside it:
| Rule | Requirement | Section |
|---|---|---|
| Registration required | Effective registration to fly under Part 107 | 107.13, 91.203(a)(2) |
| Term | Non-recreational registration expires 3 years after issue unless renewed | 48.100(c) |
| Marking | Registration number legible, securely attached, on an external surface | 48.205 |
| Minimum owner age | Under 13 cannot register; someone at least 13 must do it | 48.25(b) |
Remote ID is not ADS-B
Part 107 flatly prohibits one kind of broadcast. A small UA may not have its ATC transponder on, or its ADS-B Out in transmit mode, unless the FAA authorizes it. The ACS lists ADS-B Out as a Remote ID knowledge element, so expect a question that tries to mix the two up.
Remote ID and flying over people
Remote ID also appears in the operations over people rules. Categories 1, 2 and 4 may make sustained flights over open-air assemblies only if the operation meets §89.110 or §89.115(a), meaning a standard Remote ID aircraft or a broadcast module. A FRIA-only aircraft doesn’t qualify. Category 3 may never fly over open-air assemblies at all.
The category rules are covered in operations over people categories 1 to 4.
A Remote ID preflight
The Remote ID rules add a few items to the preflight check that §107.49 already requires:
- Registration matches the hardware. The aircraft’s serial number, or the module’s, is listed on the current Certificate of Aircraft Registration.
- Registration is current. A non-recreational registration lasts 3 years unless renewed.
- The number is on the aircraft. Legible, securely attached and on an external surface.
- The module works. With a broadcast module, confirm it’s broadcasting before takeoff.
- You have a plan if it stops. Standard Remote ID aircraft and module-equipped aircraft both have to land as soon as practicable when broadcasting stops.
- No equipment means FRIA only. If the aircraft has neither, the flight has to happen inside a FRIA, with you inside it too.
What the test asks
The ACS Remote ID task covers standard Remote ID, alternative Remote ID, operations for aeronautical research, ADS-B Out, confirmation of identification, the minimum message elements, and product labeling. The FAA’s sample questions 41 and 42 cover the standard Remote ID broadcast rules.
Questions worth practising:
- A standard Remote ID aircraft stops broadcasting in flight. What must the pilot do?
- Which option requires the aircraft to stay within visual line of sight?
- Where can an aircraft without Remote ID fly?
- Does a 0.55-pound aircraft flown under Part 107 need Remote ID?
For the rest of the regulation numbers, use the Part 107 rules cheat sheet, then try the free practice test to see how these questions read.