How to Get a Drone License in Maine (Explained for Beginners)

Maine is in the heart of New England and an enchanting coastal state with clear skies, rolling seas, riveting cliffsides, and lighthouses galore.

It’s an idyllic place to capture drone footage, especially at sunset when the sky turns electric and neon. You can’t launch your drone in Maine’s colorful skies without a license. What do you need to do to earn yours?

How to get a drone license in Maine?

Here’s how to get a drone license in Maine:

• Meet the FAA’s eligibility requirements
• Sign up on IACRA for your FTN
• Find a Knowledge Testing Center and register
• Study for the exam
• Earn a passing grade
• Send in your certificate request
• Fly your drone

This guide for Maine pilots seeking a drone certificate is packed full of beginner information and excellent resources to prepare you for getting your license.

Here’s how to obtain a drone license in Maine #

Maine might be one of the most popular east coast states to fly a drone, but like the rest of the country, it requires pilots to hold a commercial or recreational certificate.

The recreational license, called the TRUST certificate, is for hobbyists who fly for the fun of it. If you’re interested in using your drone commercially (i.e., for profit), you must obtain a Remote Pilot Certificate, informally referred to as the Part 107 license.

The following steps will walk you through the process.

» MORE: How I Passed Part 107 (& The Course That Helped Me do That)

Meet the FAA’s eligibility requirements #

Before taking the Unmanned Aircraft General – Small (UAG) test, commonly known as the Part 107 exam, you must check the FAA’s rules on eligibility for test-takers.

Although you can fly a drone (with supervision) if you’re under 16, you can’t take the Part 107 exam until your 16th birthday.

The FAA also requires pilots to know the full scope of English so they can comprehend the material on the exam and be in a good enough mental and physical condition for drone use. 

Sign up on IACRA for your FTN #

Great, you got through the first step of the process already. That wasn’t so bad!

Next, it’s time to join the legion of aeronautic experts on IACRA, short for the Integrated Airman Certification and Rating Application.

Every new drone pilot entering the FAA system must have an FAA Tracking Number or FTN, which the FAA uses to monitor drone activities and keep the skies safe. The only way to get an FTN is on IACRA.

Making your IACRA account is super simple and only requires a couple of minutes. Click the link above to the IACRA homepage, then navigate to the upper right. You will see a link to register under where you log in.

Click the link, and you’re ready to register. The first page requires you to select a relevant role. You must check off something, but you don’t have to select multiple roles. You’re probably not a certifying officer or instructor, and you likely don’t have an admin role either, so check applicant.

Don’t forget to agree to the terms of service to move on to the second page.

The second page of IACRA registration begins with a section on certificate information. You can leave this blank, as you’re trying to get your certificate, so you have no relevant information to share.

Fill in your personal details within 50 characters, then select two security questions from a dropdown. Type in your answers.

As you scroll down to the bottom of the page, you’ll see an option to create a unique login and password. Type this information, confirm your password, and then click the register button.

You can log into IACRA with your new credentials. You will see your FTN in your account.

Find a Knowledge Testing Center and register #

Recreational pilots can take the TRUST test anywhere, as it’s online-based. As for you, aspiring commercial pilot reading this right now? You’re not as lucky.

The Unmanned Aircraft General – Small (UAG) exam is only offered in person at FAA Knowledge Testing Centers. These special testing facilities are spread across the country, with plenty in Maine. You can register for one to set into motion obtaining your commercial license.

You’ll need an account on PSI to do that. PSI is an FAA partner for finding and registering at a Knowledge Testing Center.

» MORE: FAA and the Knowledge Testing Centers (PSI)

When you click the PSI link above and navigate to the part of the homepage that says Create an Account, after clicking that, you’ll realize you need to verify your identity with your FTN. You can see now why it was so important to obtain it.

Once PSI verifies you, you can register on their platform. You will receive an email confirmation once you create your account, then you can log back in.

Next, click Find a Test Center on the PSI homepage. This link will take you to a Knowledge Testing Center search. You can input your postal code and preferred distance from home.

Don’t forget to select the United States for the country from the dropdown and choose Unmanned Aircraft General – Small (UAG) for the type of exam.

You will find FAA Knowledge Testing Centers across Maine, from Freeport to Biddeford, Kennebunkport, Portland, Bangor, Ogunquit, and Bar Harbor. Select one closest to you, pick a date and time to take your test, and you’re officially ready to go.

Study for the exam #

Well, not exactly yet. You should study for the Part 107 exam before you sit down to take it. This is a paid exam that costs over $150 per attempt, so aspiring pilots wish to minimize failure as best they can.

The time between now and the exam date is yours to make the most of, and one of the most beneficial things you can do is enroll in an online beginner drone school.

These Part 107 prep courses will teach you everything you need to know about FAA drone laws.

You’ll become masterful at airspace classifications, drone performance, emergency procedures, radio communications, airport operations, nighttime flights, and all the other material the FAA will quiz you on.

These courses divide the content into video and text lessons, and practice quizzes at the end of the chapter will drive home the material you learned.

FAA experts, including commercial pilots and instructors, will teach you the ropes so you can rest assured you’re learning from the best.

What if you don’t pass after enrolling in an online Part 107 prep course?

It’s unlikely, as many schools have a 99 percent pass rate, but these drone schools are prepared. You will receive a refund for the full course cost and money toward your next try at the exam.

Are you eager to supercharge your training and become an official Part 107 license holder? Check out the best drone courses for beginners here.

Earn a passing grade #

You must score 70 percent to pass the FAA commercial exam. The exam consists of multiple-choice questions, with 60 in all. You can choose from three answers per question.

Don’t rush through, as you will have two and a half hours to answer all the questions.

Before you sit down to take the test, you must verify your identity, so please bring your driver’s license or another form of government photo identification. Plan to leave your phone; you will have access to a locker to stash it.

You can bring protractors and math calculators, but you don’t have to. All the testing materials you require are provided, including a dry-erase marker, scrap paper, and the testing booklet.

Your test results will appear in your IACRA account, but it can take several weeks for the results to be ready.

Send in your certificate request #

Congratulations on passing the Part 107 exam! Whether you did it the first time or it took you a few attempts, you made it.

The FAA must do a lot of internal processing, and while they will send you a permanent license, it will take a few weeks for it to arrive in the mail (in most cases).

In the meantime, you can request a temporary license from IACRA by completing FAA Form 8710-13.

Yep, it’s time to log back into IACRA! This time, select Start New Application, then Pilot for your application, Remote Pilot, Other Path Information, and Start Application.

Form 8710-13 is straightforward, so follow the prompts. When you reach the end, you will be asked to sign your application digitally. Once you submit it, IACRA will forward your information to the TSA.

You will be subject to a background check. If you pass, you will receive an email from IACRA with your temporary Remote Pilot Certificate with downloading and printing instructions. Follow those instructions.

Fly your drone #

Keep your Remote Pilot Certificate on your person whenever you use your drone. Keep checking your mail until the FAA sends your permanent license. You can use that going forward.

I have my commercial drone license in Maine – Now what? #

You’re a Remote Pilot Certificate holder, but you still must complete a few more tasks before you begin flying.

For one, you must register your drone under FAA laws. The registration is only $5, so it’s far cheaper than taking the Part 107 exam.

Once you’ve registered, you should consider drone insurance. It’s optional, but as a beginner, you’re likelier to make mistakes more than seasoned pilots. If you cause property damage or an injury with your drone, you’ll be happy you paid for the insurance.

Do yourself a favor and learn Maine’s drone laws now that you have the FAA’s drone laws burned into your brain. You must abide by state and local laws as you must follow federal regulations.

LD 25 is one of two active state drone laws in Maine. This law prohibits pilots from collecting private information via drone unless in a law enforcement capacity and with the proper permissions.

The Bureau of Parks and Lands Drone Policy prevents pilots from flying in any Maine state park, DACF boat launch, or historic site.

Maine has no local laws, all the more reason to memorize the state laws.

What do you do when your Remote Pilot Certificate expires? That’s right, it won’t last forever. It will expire within two years, so you can’t get lax on your drone knowledge.

Until 2021, drone pilots in Maine and the rest of the US had to take the Part 107 exam all over again, repeating that every two years for as long as they wanted to hold a commercial license.

Fortunately, it’s a lot cheaper, faster, and easier to renew your certificate these days. You can take a free online exam.