How to Get Your Part 107 & Fly Mine Surveys
The FAA Part 107 certificate is the ticket that turns drone photos into billable survey work — and it's very gettable: a 60-question knowledge test, no flight exam, no logged hours. Here's the path from zero to flying pits legally, plus the mine-specific layer the FAA study guides skip.
01Study the actual test, ~15–25 hours
The exam covers airspace and sectional charts (the big one), weather, regulations, loading/performance, and crew management. Free path: the FAA's own study materials plus YouTube ground schools; paid courses compress the time. The sectional-chart questions decide most pass/fails — drill them until reading a chart is boring.
02Take the knowledge test at a testing center
Schedule through PSI at an FAA-approved center (~$175). 60 questions, 2 hours, 70% to pass. Bring a government ID; results are near-immediate. Then apply for the certificate on FAA IACRA and fly under your temporary certificate while the card ships.
03Register the aircraft and mark it
Every working drone gets an FAA registration ($5, three years) at FAADroneZone, the number marked on the airframe, and Remote ID compliance (standard on current aircraft). Commercial work under someone else's unregistered 'toy' is a fine with your name on it.
04Clear the airspace before every flight
Most quarries sit in Class G — fly at or below 400 ft AGL, no permission needed. Near airports (Class B/C/D/E-to-surface), request LAANC authorization through an app like Aloft — usually approved in seconds up to the grid altitude. Check TFRs and NOTAMs every flight day; wildfire and VIP TFRs appear without courtesy calls.
05Layer on the mine rules
MSHA doesn't certify drones, but site ground rules still govern: hazard training for the site, blast-schedule coordination (never airborne during loading or shot time without the blaster's blessing), staying clear of active haul traffic, and the practical rules — launch from a bench with line of sight, watch highwall turbulence, and brief the pit foreman like the professional you're billing as.
06Fly like a survey program, not a hobby
Standardize: automated grid missions (75/75 overlap), ground control or RTK/PPK positioning, a flight log for every mission, and recurrent training every 24 months (free online now — no retest). The certificate is the floor; repeatable accuracy and documentation are the product.
Or skip the program-building and hire it: ShotRock flies licensed, insured survey missions with engineering-grade deliverables — volumetrics, surfaces, and the accuracy statement your auditor wants.
Need survey-grade numbers, not guesses?
ShotRock flies licensed Part 107 missions with engineering-grade volumetrics and reporting.
Figures are approximate, compiled from public sources as of mid-2026, and rounded for readability. Rankings shift with markets, mergers, and new discoveries. Nothing here is investment, legal, or engineering advice for a specific site — for that, hire an engineer. We know one.