Part 107.

'You're going to have to get a Part 107 license,' K said matter-of-factly as she drove us across Snoqualmie Pass a little over a year ago. We were headed to the annual Keener Christmas and I, out of nowhere-ish, came up with the idea of using some newly-generated funds from photography to buy a drone. I had no idea what a Part 107 meant or was.

A year and change later, I'm very familiar.

Last Friday, I finally trucked it over the mountains to Central Washington University's campus in Ellensburg. It's the closest facility the FAA uses to administer tests, including the small unmanned aircraft test I had to take. If you clicked that link, be prepared: there is a lot of information to learn. From all of that, there are sixty questions. I had two hours, but in the end it took me about fifty-five minutes. 

After running through Pilot Institute's Part 107 program, I felt confident. Greg is an awesome instructor. The course materials he presents are certainly what the FAA is looking for of commercial drone pilots. He takes some pretty complicated material like airspace and reading aeronautical charts and communicates it in a really approachable way. It was an awesome program and I'd highly recommend.

Now that I have my Airman Certificate, it's time to start flying. I've been taking it up every time the light or the clouds look worthy of a photograph. Morning, afternoon, evening. It's been a ton of fun.

I have a few commercial shoots scheduled where I'll get to take it up and I'm already thinking what's next. Another drone? A private pilot's license? The sky's the limit… (that was really bad, yes)