Part 107 recurrent training: what it covers and when it's due

Part 107 recurrent training is the free, online course a certificated remote pilot completes every 24 calendar months to keep exercising the privileges of the certificate. It is not a certificate renewal and not a fee-based exam at a testing center; since 2021 it has been a self-paced course a pilot works through and finishes with a short knowledge check. The training exists because aeronautical knowledge decays, rules change, and the FAA wants remote pilots refreshed on the current airspace and safety picture at a regular interval, without the cost and friction of a proctored retest.

This article covers what the recurrent course replaced, what it covers, when it is due and how the clock is counted, and how a pilot or a program keeps proof of completion. The recurrent requirement is straightforward once the pieces are clear, and most of the confusion around it comes from carrying over assumptions from the old testing-center model that no longer apply.

What recurrent training replaced

Before the rule change that took effect in 2021, staying current meant returning to a knowledge testing center every 24 months and passing a paid recurrent exam, much like the initial test. The FAA concluded this created cost and friction without meaningfully improving safety for pilots who had already demonstrated competency, and it replaced the recurrent test with free online recurrent training. You can confirm the current requirement on the FAA's Become a Certificated Remote Pilot page, which states that certificate holders complete an online recurrent training every 24 calendar months to maintain aeronautical knowledge recency.

The course a pilot takes depends on their credentials. A remote pilot who holds only a Part 107 certificate completes the recurrent course built for that group, hosted on the FAA Safety Team training site. A pilot who also holds a Part 61 certificate with a current flight review has an alternative recurrent course available to them. Both are no-cost and self-paced. The initial knowledge test, by contrast, is still taken in person at an approved testing center, because initial certification and ongoing currency are handled differently.

What the course covers

Recurrent training mirrors the areas of knowledge on the initial test, so it is a refresh of the same material rather than a narrower slice. A pilot works through modules on the regulations that govern small unmanned aircraft operations, airspace classification and the requirements and restrictions that come with each class, the effects of weather on aircraft performance, loading and performance, and emergency procedures. The updated material also folds in the knowledge areas the FAA added with recent rules, including operating at night, operations over people, and Remote ID.

The format is a series of sections with knowledge checks along the way and a short assessment at the end, and it typically takes a couple of hours. Because the point is currency rather than a gate, a pilot can review the material and retake the assessment as needed, and finishes with a completion certificate. The content skews toward the things that change, which is why even an experienced pilot gets value from it: the airspace rules, the operating requirements, and the newer provisions are exactly the areas where a pilot's knowledge is most likely to have drifted since the last time they sat the material.

When it's due and how the clock runs

Recurrent training is due within 24 calendar months of the pilot's most recent initial test or recurrent training. The interval is counted in calendar months, so it runs to the end of the month rather than to the exact anniversary date. A pilot who completed training in June has until the last day of June, two years later, to complete it again. Completing the course resets that window from the new completion date, and there is no penalty for finishing early, so completing a few weeks ahead is a common way to avoid any risk of a gap.

If the window closes, the pilot is no longer current and may not fly under Part 107 until the recurrent training is completed. The certificate itself remains valid; only the authority to exercise its privileges pauses until recency is restored. Restoring it means completing the same recurrent course, not retaking the initial test, so a lapse is recoverable rather than a reset to the beginning. The cleaner approach is simply not to let the window close, which for most pilots means treating the deadline as a few months earlier than it truly is and building in a buffer.

Keeping proof of completion

Completing the course produces a printable completion certificate, and that document is the proof of currency a pilot carries. Under the records provision of Part 107, a remote pilot must make certain records available to the FAA on request, and a current completion certificate is the practical evidence that the pilot's recency is intact. Carrying it, in paper or digital form, is what lets a pilot answer a question about currency on the spot rather than promising to find it later.

For a program, the completion certificate belongs in the pilot's record alongside the certificate number and the current recency date, so that the training status is stored where the rest of the pilot's compliance information lives. Keeping it there rather than in an individual pilot's inbox means the program can confirm at a glance that a pilot's training is current, and can produce the evidence if a client's compliance team or an insurer asks. The training itself is quick and free; the record of having done it is what turns a completed course into something a program can stand behind.

Common mistakes in Part 107 recurrent training

Thinking recurrent training is a paid test at a testing center. Since 2021 it has been a free, self-paced online course. Pilots who plan for a proctored exam and a fee are working from the old model and can miss the far simpler path that applies.

Assuming it only matters for newer pilots. Recurrent training is due for every certificate holder on a rolling 24-month clock, no matter how experienced. A long-tenured pilot who never refreshes lapses just as surely as a new one.

Counting the due date to the exact day. The interval runs in calendar months to the end of the month, not to the anniversary. Counting to the day leads pilots to cut it close or to misjudge when they have lapsed.

Skipping the material because the assessment is easy. The assessment is not the point; the refreshed knowledge is. Rushing past airspace, weather, and the newer rules defeats the reason the FAA requires the course at a regular interval.

Losing the completion certificate. The completion certificate is the proof of currency a pilot must be able to show. Finishing the course but failing to save the certificate leaves the pilot unable to demonstrate recency when asked.

FAQ

Is Part 107 recurrent training free?

Yes. Since the 2021 rule change, recurrent training is a free, self-paced online course hosted on the FAA Safety Team site. It replaced the old paid recurrent knowledge test at a testing center, which the FAA removed for remote pilots maintaining currency.

How often do I have to complete recurrent training?

Every 24 calendar months, measured from your most recent initial test or recurrent training. The interval runs to the end of the month, and completing the course resets the window from the new date. There is no penalty for completing it early.

What does the recurrent course cover?

It covers the same knowledge areas as the initial test: regulations, airspace and operating requirements, weather effects, loading and performance, and emergency procedures, plus the newer areas of night operations, operations over people, and Remote ID. It ends with a short assessment and a completion certificate.

What happens if I let my recurrent training lapse?

You may not fly under Part 107 until you complete the recurrent training. The certificate stays valid, but its privileges pause until you restore recency. You complete the same recurrent course to return to current status, without retaking the initial knowledge test.

Closing thought

Part 107 recurrent training is a light requirement that carries a heavy consequence when it is missed. The course is free, online, and finished in an afternoon, and it refreshes exactly the material most likely to have drifted since a pilot last sat it. The consequence of skipping it is not a lost certificate but a grounded pilot, until the training is done. Treating the deadline as a rolling status to maintain, and keeping the completion certificate where it can be found, keeps a pilot flying and keeps a program able to prove that everyone on the roster is current.

If you are managing recurrent training across a team of pilots, FlybyOps was built for the operational record problem at the center of regulated drone work. A pilot registry with certification and currency tracking, a document vault that flags expirations, a project and job hierarchy with map-based scoping, and an append-only audit log are all part of how the platform keeps each pilot's recurrent training current and provable.