Altitude University's Online Part 107 Test Prep Course: The Ultimate Review

By Lauren Miller  🕒  Includes Updates: April 2021, New Rules & Regulations

The Drone Industry is huge and it's only getting bigger which presents a great opportunity to anyone interested in turning their passion into a profitable drone business. 

There are tons of online programs that teach you how to get cinematic drone shots, but none that breakdown the process of actually making an income flying drones. 

Though YouTube is a great free option, you end up paying the price in time. What I’ve found is the regulations keep changing, and the full-time drone pilots with real-world experience haven’t sat down to create the training that will prepare you to enter the industry once you’ve received your license. That's why I've decided to create this ultimate review of the Altitude University Online Part 107 Test Prep Course where I'll take an in-depth look at every aspect of this program and help you make a decision if this test prep course is right for you.

If you’re reading this, wondering how to get your drone license and confidently enter the drone industry, I’m going to break down the certification process for you. Let's get started. 

High-Level Overview of AU's Online Part 107 Test Prep Course

Until August 29, 2016 the rules and regulations in the U.S. were mostly unstructured in terms of the legality of flying UAV’s. Since then, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has made many strides in making flying drones legal and far safer.

The Altitude University Online Part 107 Course is a test prep course aimed to help drone enthusiasts pass the exam and acquire their FAA Remote Pilot's Certificate (better known as Part 107 License) that will allow you to legally make money flying drones. 

The program has been created by Brandon Trentalange who is one of the most popular young entrepreneurs of the drone industry. He has over 6+ years of experience flying drones as a professional drone pilot, has worked with top corporations like NASA, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and Syngenta, and helped over 12,000+ drone operators start a career in the industry.

This course breaks down the entire process of acquiring your FAA Part 107 License into tiny, manageable chapters which helps students understand the 120 lesson objectives necessary to pass the exam.

Here's an overview of what the course includes: 

• 8 Curriculum Modules showing you everything that the FAA will be testing you on during the in-person exam.
• Scheduling Your Exam at one of the 800 testing centers in the United States.
• One on One Support with Brandon and his team to answer questions about the course, and other opportunities in the drone industry.
• Private Facebook Group giving you access to a tight-knit community where you can interact and learn from other drone pilots.
• Real FAA Practice Exam Questions allowing you to test your knowledge using feedback from thousands of students who've recently passed the exam.

Altitude University takes an extremely hands on approach to structuring their self-paced curriculum and is packed with chapter quizzes, tutorials and flashcards. 

Let's take a closer look at the course content and curriculum offered in their Part 107 Test Prep. 

What To Expect During The In-Person Part 107 Exam 

The exam is a 60-question, multiple choice test with three answer options, and to pass you must receive a score of 70% or better. 

Here is a breakdown of the questions by category: 

What's Included in the Online Part 107 Test Prep?

The course covers eight core modules, chapter quizzes, live Q&A sessions with Brandon Trentalange, flashcards, practice exams and access to a private facebook group, among other things. 

You will be able to access the chapter videos on a desktop, tablet and even mobile device through their app if you're watching on-the-go.

Let's take an in-depth look into the course's contents.

Module 1: Course Introduction

The first module is an introduction to Altitude University and the team that powers it. It explains the experience their team has helping students become certified pilots, and lets you know that you're able to reach out and speak to them at any time while going through the material. 

You will get access to a breakdown of the course curriculum, and what to expect while going through the video lectures. 

Plus, it talks about some of the opportunities that are available right now in the drone industry and how to get involved. 

Module 2: Regulations & FAA Standards. 

There are a few best practices you should know as a Remote Pilot in Command, including documents that you should have during your operation onsite, and the process of acquiring waivers and authorizations that you can apply for after you receive your Part 107 License in the mail. 

While you are flying your drone, whether you are by yourself or with a team, there are some right of way rules that you need to know. What you will begin to realize, is that flying safely does not just apply when your drone is in the air, it actually applies to your operation on the ground.

This module will discuss flying over people, and weight limitations you will need to know if you're attaching a payload to your drone for a specific application. 

Module 3: Understanding Weather Effects

The FAA's Part 107 Exam will ask you questions about the weather, because lets face it - flying your drone in the air largely depends on the supporting weather in your area.

You will learn how to read various weather reports and automated briefings such as METAR Reports & TAF Reports. This chapter is extremely visual with interactive graphics and walk-through tutorials to ensure you're familiar with the process of reading these briefings. 

In this module, the Altitude Team will also discuss some common weather phenomena, the different stages of a thunderstorm and how to read cloud formations - which will give you an idea of whether it's safe to fly. 

Module 4: National Airspace System

The airspace is broken down into six main airspace classifications. There is a chapter dedicated to each classification and what type of activity typically happens within that airspace.

You will learn about Class G Airspace, which is uncontrolled airspace and where you will be spending the majority of your time as a drone pilot. 

The main objective of this module is to teach you how to read a sectional chart, which includes airspace markings, special use airspace and temporary flight restrictions. 

Module 5: Loading & Performance

The Part 107 Exam will test your knowledge of flying with a payload, weight and balance, and load factors that affect things like aerodynamics.

You will learn about topics that apply to both manned, and unmanned aircrafts. 

The chapter discusses things like turns, and maneuvers that will change the weight applied to your drone during a change in speed and direction. 

Module 6: Airport Operations

As a drone pilot, you will need to understand the requirements necessary to fly within the vicinity of an airport. This chapter teaches you what is necessary to understand when planning your mission next to an airport, and depending on the airspace, what distance you will need to maintain from the runway. 

This module will first introduce airport traffic patterns, and how manned aircrafts interact with each other when taking off and landing on a runway. As you can imagine, when there is a high volume of traffic on the runway, there are some right of way rules that you must adhere to. This chapter will teach you all about the traffic patterns, and what to be aware of in the airspace when flying your drone next to an airport. 

In the module on National Airspace System, I mentioned you will learn about the different ways to read a sectional chart. This lesson builds on itself and will discuss VFR Chart symbols and how to read them when they come up on the in-person exam. You will be given a handout on the day of the exam with various maps and charts. 

They're easy to identify after seeing the graphics in this chapter on chart symbols. In addition to the charts, you will get some insight into the different radio frequencies that manned pilots use, and how to understand aviation language incase you will need to communicate with them during a mission in low altitude airspace. 

Module 7: Crew Resource Management 

If you're interested in building a team to help you complete missions as a full time or even part time drone pilot, you will need to understand crew resource management. This is the physiology that makes up individuals on your team and how they might react if something goes wrong. 

This chapter also touches on maintenance and inspection of your drone, and emergency procedures that you can familiarize yourself with to keep your crew under control. This lesson will give you the knowledge necessary to answer any questions that come up on the exam, as well as how to effectively manage people in your crew. 

FAA Practice Exams

There will be over 250 questions available to you through the four practice exams in this chapter. These exams include real questions straight from the in-person faa exam. 

This course has trained thousands of students to pass the exam with a 99% pass rate, and the reason Altitude University has been able to consistently do that is from the support of their students who pass the exam and provide feedback. 

Scheduling Your Exam

The last module of this course will walk you through the process of scheduling your exam, with some last minute tips and tricks for exam day. 

Certificate of Completion

After you've completed this course, the team congratulates you with a Certificate of Completion!

Flashcards

Along with every module, there are flashcards that you can use to test your knowledge on the curriculum after each chapter. I personally use flashcards to study, and found these very useful. 

How is Altitude University Different from Other Courses in the Market? 

While there are many things which work for Altitude University's Online Part 107 Course, here is a list of things I like most about it, and things that I believe differentiate it from other programs. 

1. Exceptional Level of Detail in Content

The AltitudeU content is extremely structured, and the entire course is broken down into short lesson videos that allow you to digest the information at a reasonable pace. If this is something you need to acquire, for example your company is paying for you to take the course, then the self paced curriculum will allow you to complete your work during the day, and then go through the course at your own speed at night. 

2. Strong Focus on Visualization Through Course. 

A lot of this content is going to be information you're seeing for the first time. With that, being able to have on-screen graphics will allow you to picture each learning objective and will take the stress of having to look up each definition or acronym like other programs I've seen on the market. 

3. Hands-on approach to Online Drone Training

This course takes a hands-on approach to online training by providing you with tangible assets during the video lectures, like graded quizzes, downloads, e-books and pdfs that you can print out to study. 

4. Student Support

This program includes quick and timely student support. You will first get access to the Private Facebook Group, and then an email that you can use to reach out when you have questions. 

5. Proven Record of Success

One thing that really stands out about Altitude University is their fast growing record of success. They have quickly risen to the top as one of the most trusted training programs in the industry. Over 2,000 students have enrolled in this course in the last 12 months, and used its framework to create a business in this industry. 

Who is Altitude University for? 

This course is for...

#1: Drone Enthusiast

If you have been involved with drones as a hobby, or even followed the drone industry in the past and you're now looking to get more involved this course will really help you get started. 

#2: Freelance Cinematographer 

If you are a freelance cinematographer or even a photographer interested in leveraging drones as part of your camera arsenal, this is the first step to expanding how you capture moments for your clients. 

#3: Career Professional

If you currently work full time in an industry that is now adopting the use of drones, typically companies will pay for these continuing education courses to separate their employees from the competition and utilize new technology. 

#4: Looking for another revenue stream?

Making money with drones is now easier than ever, and has a very low barrier to entry if you're willing to put the initial work in. Average drone pilots make between $80,000- $120,000/year completing jobs in industries such as Agricultural Surveying, Inspection, Real Estate Photography among others. 

How Much Does The Course Cost? 

The Online Part 107 Test Prep Course will only cost you $97. Enroll using the link below!