Definition of Recreational UAS Operation

In plain language

You can only fly under the recreational rules if your flight is purely for fun or personal enjoyment. Even if you aren't being paid, volunteering or doing work for a non-profit is not considered recreational.

Requirement as structured

A recreational flight is an operation flown purely for fun or personal enjoyment, and is not determined solely by the absence of compensation.

Original regulatory text

Many people assume that a recreational flight simply means not flying for a business or being compensated; it is not correct to assume this is the single determining factor. Compensation, or the lack of it, is not what determines if a flight was recreational or not... Congress created the Exception for Limited Recreational Operations of Unmanned Aircraft to allow those flying drones purely for fun or personal enjoyment to operate without complying with Part 107.

Applies when

country

United States

operation

Part 107 small UAS operation

operation regime

part_107

aircraft category

small unmanned aircraft (under 55 lb)

regulatory category

General