Night Operations Requirements Flashcards
6 cards from real FAA practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Night Operations Requirements flashcards as text
For night operations, the anti-collision lights on a small unmanned aircraft must be visible for at least how many statute miles?
Answer: 3 statute miles
According to 14 CFR Part 107, a small unmanned aircraft must have anti-collision lighting that is visible for at least 3 statute miles. The lights should have a flash rate sufficient to avoid a collision.
For the purposes of Part 107, "night" is defined as the time between:
Answer: The end of evening civil twilight and the beginning of morning civil twilight.
Part 107 defines night as the time from the end of evening civil twilight to the beginning of morning civil twilight, as published in the Air Almanac. This is a more precise definition than simply sunset to sunrise.
Before a remote pilot can conduct night operations, what must they do?
Answer: Complete an initial aeronautical knowledge test or recurrent training covering night operations.
The FAA updated the rules to allow night operations without a waiver, provided the remote pilot completes an updated initial knowledge test or the recurrent online training that covers topics related to night operations. This ensures the pilot is knowledgeable about night-specific risks and procedures.
Which statement is true regarding the use of vision aids for night drone operations?
Answer: The remote pilot must be able to see the drone with their own natural vision, without the aid of NVGs.
While vision aids like binoculars can be used momentarily to scan the airspace, the remote pilot must maintain visual line of sight (VLOS) with the drone using their own natural, unassisted vision. Night vision goggles cannot be used as the primary means of maintaining VLOS.
What is the primary reason a remote pilot should allow their eyes 30 minutes to adapt to the darkness before a night flight?
Answer: To improve night vision by allowing the rods in the eyes to become more sensitive to low light.
The human eye uses two types of cells: cones for color and detail in bright light, and rods for vision in low light. It takes approximately 30 minutes for the rods to reach their maximum sensitivity, a process called dark adaptation, which is crucial for effective night vision.
A remote pilot flying at night may experience the autokinetic illusion, which is when a:
Answer: stationary light appears to move when stared at for a prolonged period.
The autokinetic illusion occurs when a static light source, such as a star or a drone's light, is stared at in the dark and appears to move or wander. Pilots must be aware of this illusion to avoid becoming disoriented or misjudging the drone's position.