Drone Pilot Ground School – Is Worth It (Here’s Why)

Every year, thousands of people from around the world enroll in online drone schools. Some do it to better understand their drone, but most enroll to pass the Part 107 test to earn their drone license. If you’re contemplating joining Drone Pilot Ground School, are their services worth the money?

**Drone Pilot Ground School is definitely worth it if you’re looking for online test prep for your Part 107 exam or if you want to strengthen your drone flight concepts. They’re a little expensive for single enrollees, but the group rates are great. **

Still not totally sure if the Drone Pilot Ground School is a good investment of your time and money? That’s what this guide is for. Ahead, we’ll discuss the Ground Pilot Ground School in detail, including its background, curriculum, and pricing.

Let’s begin! 

What is Drone Pilot Ground School? Who’s the founder? #

Okay, so what exactly is Drone Pilot Ground School? Who’s behind it?

The Drone Pilot Ground School was founded in 2016 by Alan Perlman. The school is located in Nashville, Tennessee, although as an online school, enrollees come from other parts of the United States and even other countries. 

Before starting the Drone Pilot Ground School, Perlman worked on UAV Coach, which he also founded. When starting UAV Coach, Perlman’s goal was to provide commercial opportunities, safety lessons, and education to aspiring drone pilots like himself. 

He established the Drone Pilot Ground School to equip drone pilots with everything they need to know to pass the FAA Part 107 exam.

If you’re not familiar, most drone pilots who hope to take to the skies must obtain their Part 107 license, which is technically known as the Remote Pilot Certificate. As a certificate holder, you’re proving that you know the ins and outs of drone flight rules as established by the FAA. 

Like you took your written road test to earn your driver’s license, the FAA mandates that you take an exam to get your Part 107 license. Drone Pilot Ground School can help you here. 

Since your license is only good for 24 months after it’s issued, Drone Pilot Ground School’s courses may come in handy for drone pilots again and again. 

After all, the questions on the Part 107 exam might not be identical each time you take it. As UAV rules and regulations change, you’re quizzed on them so you can stay current on your drone knowledge.

The Drone Pilot Ground School gives you lifetime access to its materials so you can always brush up on the lessons you need to learn to pass your recurrent exam time and again! 

What can you learn at Drone Pilot Ground School?  #

Perlman and the rest of the team at Drone Pilot Ground School know that the average person has a more jam-packed schedule than ever. That’s why, rather than sit you down in a virtual classroom, the curriculum is divided into more than 70 text and video lessons. 

Every lesson is taught by experts who worked at a Part 141 Fight School or had roles such as Chief Pilots. The other teachers are Gold Seal Certified Flight Instructors or CFIs, so you’re confident that you are learning from seasoned pros, not some random guy off the street.

To make the most of their lessons, Drone Pilot Ground School recommends listening to or watching the lesson, then reading through the included text transcript. You can always jump right to the transcript if you’re more of a book learner. Then you should quiz yourself. 

What kind of curriculum does Drone Pilot Ground School have? 

Here is the curriculum in its entirety.

Welcome to Drone Pilot Ground School

• 5 Quick-Start Tips for New Students
• Download Your Test Supplement
• Meet Your Instructor and Student Support Manager
• Common Drone Industry Terms (Glossary)

Drone Rules and FAA Regulations

• The Basics of Part 107 Regulations
• Crew Member Definitions
• Registering Your Drone
• Reporting an Accident or In-Flight Emergency
• Airspace Authorization and Waivers
• Alcohol, Drugs and Physiology
• Flying Visual Line-of-Sight
• Flying Over People and Moving Vehicles
• Flying at Night
• Flying From a Moving Vehicle
• FAA Compliance: Flight Logging, Inspections and Required Documents
• Operating Limitations: Height, Speed, Minimum Visibility and Cloud Clearance

Drone Flight Operations

• Pre-Flight Checklist 
• UAS Maintenance and Inspection
• UAS Loading and Performance
• Radio Communications
• 5 Hazardous Altitudes
• PAVE, IMSAFE, & DECIDE Models
• Crew Resource Management (CRM)
• Aeronautical Decision-Making (ADM)
• LiPo Batteries
• Lost Link Procedures
• Emergency Operations
• Hazardous Flight Operations 

**Weather and Micrometeorology **

• Stable vs. Unstable Air (Understanding Air Masses)
• Clouds, Ceilings and Visibility
• Operating in Extreme Weather
• Reading a TAF Report
• Reading a METAR Report
• Moisture, Fog and Frost
• Wind and Currents
• Standard Conditions and Density Altitude 

Airport Operations

• Reading a Chart Supplement
• Towered vs. Untowered Airports
• Right of Way
• Runways and Traffic Patterns

National Airspace System (NAS)

• Class B Airspace
• Class C Airspace
• Class D Airspace
• Class E Airspace
• Class G Airspace
• Special Use Airspace
• Military Training Routes (MTRs)
• TFRs and NOTAMs

Reading Sectional Charts

• What’s a Sectional Chart?
• Advanced Sectional Chart Interpretation
• Victor Airways
• Maximum Elevation Figures
• Isogonic Lines
• Airports and Radio Frequencies 
• MSL vs. AGL
• Notification Boxes
• VFR Checkpoints 
• Latitude and Longitude

Night Operations Training

• Understanding the Rules
• Understand These 5 Visual Illusions
• How Your Eyes Function at Night
• Night Ops Environment & Best Practices

**Bonus Lessons **

• [Interview] Ask a Drone Lawyer: Key Legal Considerations for Starting a Drone Business
• [Interview] Using Drones to Do Real Estate/Property Marketing
• [Guide] Pricing Your Drone Services
• [Guide] Drone Liability and Hull Insurance
• How to Conduct Airspace Research
• Basic Flight Proficiency Training  

Through this curriculum, Drone Pilot Ground School promises that you’ll pass your Part 107 test the first time you take it. After all, over 99 percent of their other students do. If by chance your nerves get the better of you and you fail the test, Drone Pilot Ground School has a Money-Back (and Passing) Guarantee that kicks in.

The Drone Pilot Ground School crew promises to pay the testing center fees (around $173) and refund you for what you spent on their course. 

What are the other features of Drone Pilot Ground School? #

Next, let’s take a closer look at the overall features offered by the Drone Pilot Ground School. 

Reviewable Video and Text Lessons + Lifetime Access #

The rich curriculum that Drone Pilot Ground School offers is divided into more than 70 video or text lessons. You can select a medium that matches your learning style and then go at a pace that works for you. 

The video and text lessons are yours for life, so you’re free to go back and re-watch or reread as many times as are needed for you to fully absorb the nuggets of information in each lesson. 

Lesson Quizzes #

Just how well did you soak up that information? You don’t need to guess. Rather, at the end of every video or text lesson, you have the option to take a quiz that includes only the information you learned in that lesson. 

If you didn’t do so well on your quiz, you can always review the lesson for a second time and then take the quiz again! 

Practice Tests #

The quizzes included at the end of every Drone Pilot Ground School lesson are just to reinforce the information you’ve been presented. If you want to get a feel for what the FAA Part 107 test will really be like, Drone Pilot Ground School has you covered there as well.

Their practice tests take real questions featured on past FAA tests, utilizing a rich database of 300 test questions and counting. Although you might not see the same questions on your own Part 107 exam, you can get a feel for what knowledge areas the FAA will require you to know to get a passing grade. 

Once you take the practice test, the team at Drone Pilot Ground School will email you a performance report of how you did. They’ll present a question-by-question breakdown of information for each response you got incorrect. 

You’ll understand where you went wrong with your knowledge so you can study up and do better the next time or on the real test! 

Cram Sheet #

As test day approaches, you can use Drone Pilot Ground School’s cram sheet. Across 12 pages are all the concepts you’ll definitely have to know if you hope to pass the FAA exam. 

The takeaways from every lesson the Drone Pilot Ground School offers are included in the cram sheet. It’s a great study guide! 

Drone Pilot Knowledge Center #

Once you pay for the Drone Pilot Ground School’s services, you gain access to their Drone Pilot Knowledge Center. This database of Q&A information comes from real students just like you. If you have a question about anything the Drone Pilot Ground School has to offer, you’ll love this part of the experience. 

Support  #

Are you feeling stuck, or do you need help? At any point along your journey, the Drone Pilot Ground School recommends you leave them a voicemail, call them, or send them an email. Paying for their service earns you unlimited support. 

How Much Do Drone Pilot Ground School’s Services Cost? #

You’re interested in the Drone Pilot Ground School, but you couldn’t possibly decide if their services are worth your while without reviewing their pricing.

You’re charged a varying amount of money depending on whether you’re a solo drone pilot or part of a group. Here’s an overview of Drone Pilot Ground School’s pricing:

• $299 for one enrollee
• $249 each for two enrollees and $498 total
• $249 each for three enrollees and $747 total
• $249 each for four enrollees and $996 total
• $224 each for five to nine enrollees and $1,120 to $2,016 total
• $199 each for 10 to 24 enrollees and $1,990 to $4,776 total
• Custom pricing for groups larger than 25 enrollees 

Drone Pilot Ground School is not a subscription service. You pay once and gain lifetime access to lessons that could help you pass your Part 107 exam and recurrent exams. 

You can sign up online if you’re in a group of under five people. Larger groups need to call or email Drone Pilot Ground School. 

How is Drone Pilot Ground School rated? #

Drone Pilot Ground School has a stellar reputation. Since 2016, the staff has trained more than 40,000 aspiring drone pilots, which is saying a lot. Their services have 2,500 reviews rated four or five stars with an overall rating of 4.9 out of 5.0.

Of course, every company wants to showcase its positive reviews, and Drone Pilot Ground School is no different. They don’t hide their negative reviews though. You can read through one-star, two-star, and three-star reviews as well as four-star and five-star reviews to see what people enjoyed versus what they didn’t like about the program. 

Whether it’s a good review or a bad one, someone at Drone Pilot Ground School takes the time to respond to many of the reviews, which proves they’re dedicated to their students!  

Is Drone Pilot Ground School Worth It? #

That brings us to your most burning question, is the Drone Pilot Ground School worth it?

Yes, we think it is, and here’s why.

The Drone Pilot Ground School, although a newer service, has made a huge splash in the world of drones since being founded in 2016. The school is all about passing your FAA Part 107 exam but has great information outside of that, such as drone flight rules and even information on how to make money using your UAV.

The lessons are available in two formats so you can learn according to your preferences. You can also drink in the rich curriculum at your own pace. The practice quiz uses real Part 107 exam test questions, which a lot of license prep courses cannot say. 

You’re learning lessons from real professionals, usually retired pilots who have years of experience in the industry. Drone Pilot Ground School keeps its lessons digestible and the information accessible so you really feel like you’re getting something out of the experience.

The level of extra features available as an enrollee is fantastic. You can browse Drone Pilot Ground School’s hugely helpful Drone Pilot Knowledge Center or call/email their team if you have a specific question that you need to be answered. 

You can also access the cram sheet for augmenting your studying as your testing day draws nearer.

The price of the Drone Pilot Ground School course is indeed a little on the expensive side, especially when you learn that some of their competitors offer similar courses for under $75. However, remember that once you pay, the lessons are yours to keep forever. 

Plus, on top of everything else, Drone Pilot Ground School promises to refund you your money as well as what you paid at the testing center if you by chance don’t pass your FAA Part 107 exam the first time around. There’s nothing to lose by purchasing their program! 

Conclusion  #

Drone Pilot Ground School is an online Part 107 test prep resource, but they offer a lot more than that. Through their services, you can learn the current FAA drone rules and discover ways to make piloting a drone a financially rewarding experience. 

With a Money-Back (and Passing) Guarantee that promises to refund you for the cost of the course as well as your testing fees, you can try Drone Pilot Ground School’s services with peace of mind. We recommend you do »