Course Syllabus

Syllabus — what you'll learn

Every session follows FAA best practices and Part 107 curriculum standards. Two hours of hands-on training.

Module 1 Safety brief and regulations overview 15 min +

• FAA Part 107 basics — what you can and cannot do without certification
• NDAA compliance and why it matters for federal / government use
• Airspace classifications (Class B, C, D, E, G) — where you can fly
• LAANC (Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability) and B4UFLY app
• Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs) and how to check for them
• Waivers, exemptions, and the "recreational vs commercial" distinction

Module 2 Pre-flight inspection and mission planning 15 min +

• Aircraft airworthiness checklist
• Battery inspection and cycle tracking
• Weather assessment (wind, visibility, precipitation, gust factors)
• Site risk assessment (people, structures, powerlines, wildlife)
• Emergency landing zones and Return-to-Home (RTH) point selection
• Go/No-Go decision framework

Module 3 Basic flight — hover and directional 30 min +

• Controller familiarization and stick calibration
• Takeoff and landing procedures
• Stationary hover — maintaining position and altitude
• Directional flight — forward, backward, left, right
• Yaw rotation and orientation awareness
• Practice patterns: box, figure-8, target hover

Module 4 Autonomous flight and camera work 30 min +

• Waypoint mission planning (Litchi, DJI Fly, mission-planning apps)
• Orbit and follow-me modes
• Camera framing, exposure, and composition basics
• Photo vs video, resolution, frame rate
• Shot planning — the shots that get used vs the shots that get deleted

Module 5 Emergency procedures 15 min +

• Return-to-Home in signal loss or low battery
• Emergency landing on unstable terrain
• Bird strikes, sudden weather, mechanical failure
• What to do if you lose visual line-of-sight
• Reporting incidents to the FAA (required if injury or property damage)

Module 6 Q&A and wrap-up 15 min +

• Your specific use case — real estate, inspection, hobby, commercial
• What to buy next if you want to go further
• If you want to fly commercially: your next step is FAA Part 107 — Wake Tech Community College runs the local exam-prep program (we’ll point you there)
• Resources: FAA study materials, practice tests, community groups
• Certificate of completion issued

Total course time: 2 hours. Certificate of completion issued at Module 6.