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

You want to start flying a drone in South Dakota, but do you have a drone license? Until you do, you can’t do much with your new DJI or Autel drone.

So, how do you obtain a drone license in South Dakota?

Here’s how to get a drone license in South Dakota:

• Meet the regulatory criteria from FAA
• Obtain an FAA Tracking Number
• Sign up at a South Dakota FAA Knowledge Testing Center
• Study
• Pass the aeronautic knowledge exam
• Complete Form 8710-13

Does it not quite make sense yet? It will soon, I promise. Buckle up and join me on a journey on how to become a registered South Dakota drone pilot so you can take your drone aspirations to the highest!

Here’s how to obtain a drone license in South Dakota

South Dakota, like the rest of the United States, requires pilots to have one of two licenses under the FAA. The first is the TRUST certificate, which you obtain by taking The Recreational UAS Safety Test.

The bigger license of the two is the Remote Pilot Certificate, aka the Part 107 license. This commercial license is your ticket to earning money with your drone, which almost every new pilot wants to do.

Even if you’re unsure what you want to use your drone for, having the option is always better than not.

After all, a recreational TRUST certificate doesn’t allow you to fly your drone for financial gain. Knowing that, let’s review the steps for getting a Remote Pilot Certificate in the great state of South Dakota.

Meet the regulatory criteria from FAA

The first step is rather easy, as you only have to review the FAA’s rules and then go from there.

The FAA will only allow certain pilots to take the Unmanned Aircraft General – Small (UAG) or commercial drone exam, and that’s not to be exclusionary. Rather, it’s for safety standards.

Okay, so who’s allowed to test? Those who are 16 and older, fully proficient in English, and are mentally and physically capable of safely flying a drone.

It’s a short list, but the FAA doesn’t yield on those rules, so make sure you can continue.

Obtain an FAA Tracking Number

Are you ready to move on? Excellent. You need an FAA Tracking Number as a first-time pilot.

Returning pilots or those testing for a commercial drone exam who have been associated with the FAA in any other capacity don’t require an FTN.

So, how do you get an FTN? You need an account on the Integrated Airman Certification and Rating Application, better known by pilots as IACRA.

IACRA is a free FAA resource for searching aircraft, browsing FAQs, documentation, pilot ratings, training, and certifications.

The IACRA site will probably be one of your most used in the coming weeks, so bookmark it. Then you’re ready to create an account.

I’ll guide you through it. Here are the steps:

• Visit the IACRA homepage here.
• Click the Register link beside the Login box at the top right of the homepage.
• Choose at least one role. First-time commercial pilots should only select Applicant. However, you know best. Please choose any other applicable roles as needed.
• Review the terms of service, clicking Continue.
• Input all your personal information, including your full name, gender, email address, and birthdate.
• Select two security questions from a dropdown menu, typing your responses.
• Create a username and password, confirming the password by typing it again.
• Click Register.
• Wait for IACRA to email you with confirmation of your account creation.
• Log into IACRA and your FTN should be in your account.

And before you ask, yes, you can indeed skip the Certificate Information section when registering as a new pilot. That section is for other relevant roles that have drone certificates and doesn’t apply to you.

Sign up at a South Dakota FAA Knowledge Testing Center

Alright, now it’s time to schedule an appointment to take the Unmanned Aircraft General – Small (UAG) aeronautic knowledge exam.

You’re not taking it quite yet, just determining when you will.

This time, you won’t use IACRA, but PSI, a testing resource the FAA works with. It’s free to make a PSI account, but you must have a valid FTN to verify.

You can begin by clicking this link, then Create an Account. You also have to type your full name.

Since you already have an FTN, that part of the process should go by fast. You’re then ready to sign up on IACRA, creating a username and password. You also have to type your full name and email address.

After clicking Continue, you will receive an email from PSI with a link to click to confirm your account creation. It can sometimes take a few minutes for the email to show up, and it may appear in your spam folder.

Once you get the email and click the link, you can log in. Next, click Find a Test Center to look up South Dakota Knowledge Testing Centers.

Input the zip code of the part of SD nearest to you, whether Yankton, Pierre, Sioux Falls, Vermillion, Spearfish, or Mitchell.

Select United States for the country from the dropdown, then choose your preferred distance in miles or kilometers. Finally, click Unmanned Aircraft General – Small (UAG) from the Exam dropdown.

Click the Blue search button and watch as results populate on your screen. You can click any Knowledge Testing Center for more information, including its address, hours, and directions.

Choose a Knowledge Testing Center, confirm your appointment, and your test date is secured.   

Study

You need to know your stuff inside and out to pass the Part 107 test.

I’m talking about everything from weather to drone loading, emergency procedures, airspace classifications, nighttime operating rules, airport operating rules, radio communications, and preflight inspections.

It’s a lot! Besides the sheer multitude of knowledge required for the exam, you also have the pressure of paying on top of it. The Part 107 exam is anything but cheap, priced at $175 per attempt.

I don’t want the exam to put a wallop on your wallet. One attempt is enough, but paying for multiple retakes is a huge financial burden.

While I can’t promise you’ll pass the first time, I can hook you up with resources that help your chances exponentially.

Droneblog has the best beginner courses for Part 107 prep and more.

As you scroll through, you will see many major names in the drone industry, so you can feel confident you’re learning from seasoned experts.

That’s why the pass rate for most of the courses is 90 to 95 percent (sometimes higher), and you can get a full refund plus an exam cost sent to you if you don’t pass.

That kind of assurance is just awesome, if you ask me. It means you have nothing to lose, even if you don’t want to shell out more money for study resources ahead of paying for the commercial drone exam.

The courses are available at all sorts of prices, and with discounts regularly available, you can get a wealth of material for a very fair price.

Some courses even offer materials for life so you can always stay current on FAA regulations.

Pass the aeronautic knowledge exam

Are you ready to take the Unmanned Aircraft General – Small (UAG) exam? Hopefully, the answer to that question is an emphatic yes.

Testing day will bring a lot of nerves, but you have to remind yourself that you know the material. If you relax and concentrate, you should do fine.

The Part 107 exam has 60 questions. There are no open-ended questions, only multiple-choice. You get two and a half hours to finish, which is a good timeframe to work within.

You only need to bring a driver’s license or another form of photo ID with you. Anything else is extra, like a calculator or your smartphone. The former can come into the test room with you, but the latter cannot.

How do you pass? You must score 70 percent or higher, so you can get wrong marks on 18 questions only.

IACRA will have your test results for you, but I can’t promise they’ll be fast. You might have to wait a few weeks.

Complete Form 8710-13

When the fateful day arrives that you get the good news you want, you’re going to want to celebrate. Go ahead and do that, then request your Part 107 license.

Get the process underway by logging into IACRA, then choosing Start New Application to begin Form 8710-13.

After selecting the Certifications and Application Type (Pilot for both), then clicking Other Path Information and then Start Application, you’re in.

You will need your Knowledge Test Exam ID, which should be available in IACRA at least 48 hours after you take the Part 107 test. Add your signature to the application, then send it in.

IACRA will begin working on your request, sending your information to TSA for a background check. This happens automatically through IACRA, so you don’t have to do anything extra except wait.

You’ll get an email from IACRA after they process your application that includes a print version of the Remote Pilot Certificate.

Use this as your stand-in license until the FAA sends the permanent edition through certified mail.

I have my drone license in South Dakota – Now what?

Great going on obtaining your Part 107 license in South Dakota. A world of wonder awaits once you take care of these few remaining tasks.

First, get registration checked off your to-do list. It takes minutes to register, and your drones are covered for three years.

Plus, registration only costs $5. Keep in mind that if you buy any new drones, you have to register them with your others.

I’d implore you to get drone insurance. South Dakota doesn’t require it, I know, and neither does the FAA, but they should!

Insurance can cover your tail if the worst happens and you hurt someone or something with your drone.

It won’t make all your problems go away, and you will still end up paying some out-of-pocket costs, but not nearly to the extent that you would without it.

By the way, how well do you know South Dakota’s drone laws? If you answered not very, it’s time to study up!

SB 80 prohibits drones from violating privacy, flying over correctional or military facilities, and landing on another person’s property without their prior permission unless you want to get a Class 1 misdemeanor.

That carries with it a year’s worth of imprisonment and a fine of $2,000.

You can also receive a Class 6 felony under SB 80 for using your drone to transport drugs to correctional facilities, which means a prison sentence of up to two years and/or a fine of $4,000.

Locally, Aberdeen’s ordinance doesn’t allow drones within a mile of its airport, over traffic, over property pilots don’t own, over people not participating in drone operation, and over city-owned property.

The last consideration to make as you begin using your drone for more commercial projects is what you’ll do when your Remote Pilot Certificate expires. That will happen two years to the day on which you receive it.

So, what can you do? Well, you can recertify your license around when it will expire through a free online FAA exam. Learn the basics here.