Preflight & Maintenance Duty
~10 min read · Run the preflight condition check and ground the aircraft when equipment is inoperable.
Part 107 has no mechanic certificate and no maintenance schedule — the entire airworthiness system is compressed into one person: the remote PIC, before every single flight. The exam tests what that preflight check must cover and who bears responsibility.
The condition-for-safe-operation standard
107.15 requires the remote PIC to check the sUAS before EACH flight and confirm it is in a condition for safe operation. If, during flight, the PIC knows or has reason to know the aircraft is no longer safe, the flight must be discontinued immediately (consistent with safety). There is no FAA-mandated maintenance program — manufacturer guidance is the reference, and the PIC's judgment is the authority.
- Preflight check before EVERY flight, not every day
- In-flight discovery of an unsafe condition → land as soon as practicable
- Responsibility sits with the remote PIC, not a mechanic
What the preflight assessment includes
Beyond the airframe, 107.49 requires a pre-flight familiarization and inspection: assess the operating environment (local weather, airspace, flight restrictions, ground hazards, people/property on the surface), brief all crew (VO, others) on roles, hand signals or communication procedures, and emergency plans, verify all control links function, confirm sufficient power for the intended operation, verify the payload is secure and does not adversely affect flight characteristics, and check that any required lighting works.
- Environment: weather, airspace, NOTAMs/TFRs, ground hazards
- Crew briefing: roles, communications, emergencies
- Aircraft: control link check, battery/fuel adequacy, secure attached payload
- Systems: anti-collision lighting for twilight/night
Inoperable equipment and records
If a component needed for safe flight is inoperative, the aircraft is not in a condition for safe operation — the flight does not launch until it is fixed. Keeping maintenance records is not mandated by Part 107, but the FAA's guidance (AC 107-2) recommends them, and a documented maintenance history is standard best practice for commercial operators and waiver applications.
Worked example
On battery two of a mapping job, you notice the drone's gimbal is loose and one motor sounds irregular, though it is holding position fine. Sixty percent of the survey remains. What does Part 107 require?
The question is whether the aircraft remains in a condition for safe operation. An irregular motor is exactly the kind of condition that gives the PIC 'reason to know' safe operation is in doubt — continuing because the mission is 60% incomplete is the classic hazardous-attitude answer. The rule: discontinue the flight, land as soon as practicable, and do not resume until the aircraft is inspected and restored to safe condition. The loose gimbal alone might not endanger flight, but the combination fails the standard. Mission completion never outranks 107.15.
Common exam pitfalls
Treating the preflight as a once-per-day ritual.
The check is required before EACH flight — every battery swap and relaunch included.
Believing some FAA-certificated technician must sign off repairs.
No such person exists in Part 107. The remote PIC determines condition for safe operation, using manufacturer guidance.
Finishing the mission with a known defect because it 'still flies'.
Knowledge of an unsafe condition requires discontinuing the flight — the rule has no mission-importance exception.
Each flight, ask SAFE: Structure sound, Airspace/weather checked, Fuel (battery) enough, Everyone briefed.
Recap
- Remote PIC verifies condition for safe operation before every flight (107.15)
- Pre-flight familiarization (107.49): environment, crew briefing, links, power, payload security
- Known unsafe condition in flight → discontinue immediately
- No FAA maintenance certificates or schedules — manufacturer guidance + PIC judgment
- Records are best practice (AC 107-2), not a rule
- Payloads must be secure and must not adversely affect flight characteristics
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