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We just passed the FAA’s TRUST exam… and recommend you do the same

As we reported the other day, the FAA’s TRUST test is here. TRUST stands for The Recreational UAS Safety Test, and it’s mandatory for all hobbyists/non-commercial drone pilots. We thought we should give it a spin.

So the TRUST test is here. And before long, hobbyists and recreational pilots are expected to carry a paper or electronic copy showing they’ve passed the test (along with registration, for drones weighing 250+ grams) when out flying. We thought it would be a good idea to take the free test, and get a refresher at the same time.

It was painless.

Online test

You really couldn’t ask for a simpler test of skills assessment. The test is structured with knowledge sections, following by mini-quizzes. If you get something wrong, you can take the same quiz over. The knowledge requirements are basic – nowhere near as robust as writing the Part 107 Exam – but do contain all of the basic types of information that a recreational pilot needs to know.

Many of you would already have the knowledge to pass this in a heartbeat. But for those who are newer to the field or who haven’t really studied some of the main rules, this is the perfect primer.

How to take the TRUST test

Well, the FAA has approved 16 different test administrators who are now authorized to offer the online course and quizzes. We wrote about this just the other day.

We decided to choose Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, because we thought it would be kinda fun to jokingly say we’d, well, taken and passed a course from that august institution. Each of the learning sections clearly outlines the concepts that will be covered. Here’s a grab from that portion of the exam:

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Easy to read, easy to understand.

The results?

There were either four or five short quizzes in total (we can’t go back and see – so going by memory). There were about 23 questions in total, each of them multiple choice. If you read the pre-quiz content carefully, you’ll get a great refresher – and won’t have any issues.

We got one question wrong, but were able to go back and correct that. And, at the end of the day, were rewarded with this:

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DroneDJ’s Take

This test is mandatory for recreational pilots. You will need to take this and carry a version of the certificate when you’re flying.

It’s a great review of the basics, and we’re confident there will be plenty of pilots who learn new and valuable information that will contribute to safe drone flying – and a safe National Airspace System. We recommend you hit up the FAA page now, select a test administrator, and carve out 30-45 minutes of your time.

You’ll be glad you did.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

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