Flying at night under Part 107
Night operations were the biggest practical change the 2021 amendment made, and the requirements are short enough to state in a sentence. The complications are in the edges: civil twilight, controlled airspace, and the fact that being allowed to fly at night is not the same as being able to see anything.
The two requirements
That is the whole of § 107.29(a). No waiver, no visual observer requirement beyond the ordinary one, no reduced altitude limit.
- The remote pilot in command has completed an initial knowledge test or training, as applicable, under § 107.65 after 6 April 2021.
- The aircraft has lighted anti-collision lighting visible for at least 3 statute miles, with a flash rate sufficient to avoid a collision.
Civil twilight is a third state, not a shade of night
In the continental United States, evening civil twilight begins at official sunset and ends 30 minutes after it; morning civil twilight begins 30 minutes before official sunrise and ends at sunrise. Alaska uses the definition in the Air Almanac instead.
During civil twilight the lighting requirement applies but the knowledge requirement does not — § 107.29(b) asks only for the anti-collision lighting. That is the practical difference between the two, and the one a question is most likely to turn on.
Controlled airspace does not sleep
The FAA states plainly that airspace authorizations are still required for night operations in controlled airspace under 400 feet. The 2021 amendment changed § 107.29; it did not touch § 107.41.
So a night flight inside Class B, C or D, or inside the surface area of Class E designated for an airport, still needs prior ATC authorization — and the authorization may carry its own altitude limit, which is then the limit that binds you.
What the rule does not solve
Anti-collision lighting makes your aircraft visible to other traffic. It does very little to make the ground visible to you, and a single light against a dark sky gives the eye almost nothing to judge distance or attitude by.
The ACS added two knowledge elements for this in 2021 — the physiological aspects of night operation and night illusions — and AC 107-2A names night vision adaptation in relation to unlit towers as a hazard to plan for. The practical answer is the same one it always was: survey the site in daylight, because at night you will only see the hazards somebody else has lit.
Now find out which ACS codes you would get back.
A full-length mock at the FAA’s published weighting, free, reported the way a real test report reports it.
Take a practice testFrequently asked
- Can you fly a drone at night under Part 107?
- Yes, since 21 April 2021, provided the remote pilot has completed the initial knowledge test or training under § 107.65 after 6 April 2021 and the aircraft carries anti-collision lighting visible for at least 3 statute miles.
- Do I need a waiver to fly at night?
- No. Waivers issued before 21 April 2021 under § 107.200 terminated on 17 May 2021 under § 107.29(d).
- How far must the anti-collision lighting be visible?
- At least 3 statute miles, with a flash rate sufficient to avoid a collision. The remote pilot may rely on the manufacturer’s statement, but remains responsible for verifying it is operational and adequate at the operating location.
- What is civil twilight in Part 107 terms?
- Except in Alaska: from official sunset to 30 minutes after, and from 30 minutes before official sunrise to sunrise. Anti-collision lighting is required during civil twilight; the night knowledge requirement is not.
- Do I still need ATC authorization at night?
- Yes, wherever § 107.41 requires it by day. The FAA states that airspace authorizations are still required for night operations in controlled airspace under 400 feet.
Sources
Every figure on this page comes from one of the documents below, with the date it was read and what the document says about its own currency. Regulations change by amendment; where a source has moved on since the date shown, the source is right and this page is out of date.
- 14 CFR part 107 — Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (eCFR) Read August 27, 2026· eCFR reports title 14 up to date as of 2026-08-25 The regulation itself, and the only acceptable source on this site for an operating limit, a category, an eligibility rule or a recency rule. Amendment 107-8 (86 FR 4381, 15 January 2021) is the one that rewrote night operations and added operations over human beings.
- AC 107-2A — Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (small UAS) Read August 27, 2026· Dated 2/1/21 FAA guidance written against the amended rule. Used for the things the regulation implies without spelling out — what civil twilight means in practice, what a scalable preflight inspection is, how maintenance recordkeeping is expected to work.
- FAA — Certificated Remote Pilots including Commercial Operators Read August 27, 2026· Page states “Last updated: Tuesday, March 25, 2025” Registration at $5 for three years, the Remote ID broadcast requirement from 16 September 2023 unless flown within a FRIA, and the list of sections that may be waived under § 107.205.
- FAA-S-ACS-10B — Remote Pilot – Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Airman Certification Standards Read August 27, 2026· Material in FAA-S-ACS-10B is effective April 6, 2021 The shape of the test and the ACS codes. Appendix 1 publishes the 60-question length, the two-hour limit, the 70% passing score and the share of the test each area of operation gets. Appendix 3 publishes that a passing test report is valid for 24 calendar months.
Page facts last verified August 27, 2026.
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