A remote pilot registers under Part 107 rather than the recreational registration. What is the practical difference?

The two registration paths differ in what a single registration covers, and that is the practical difference for anyone with more than one airframe. Part 107 registration is issued per aircraft: each airframe gets its own certificate and its own number, and each number must be marked on the exterior of that aircraft. Recreational registration is issued to the person, and the single number covers every aircraft that person flies recreationally. So a pilot with five aircraft holds five registrations under Part 107 and one under the recreational path. Both carry the same modest fee and both are valid for three years, which is why options built around fee or duration differences are wrong. The distinction matters when a fleet grows or when an aircraft is sold, since the registration follows the airframe under Part 107 and must be cancelled or transferred accordingly.

Part 107 registration is issued per aircraft, with each airframe holding its own certificate and number, while recreational registration is issued to the person and covers all of that person's aircraft.

Part 107 registration is per aircraft, with the registration number displayed on the exterior of each airframe. Recreational registration is issued to the individual and covers all aircraft flown under the recreational exception. Both cost the same and last three years.

Per Aircraft or Per Person. Five drones means five registrations under Part 107, one under recreational.

The number must be marked on the exterior of the aircraft, readable without tools. Marking only inside a battery compartment no longer suffices.

• •Assuming one Part 107 registration covers a whole fleet
• •Believing Part 107 registration is free or shorter-lived
• •Marking the number where it cannot be read without disassembly