Part 107 Loading & Performance Practice Test

The smallest section of the exam at 2% (about one question in 60) — but among the easiest points to bank, because the physics never changes: weight vs endurance, center of gravity, and the 60°-bank/2g load factor question. The drill also covers LiPo battery handling, which the FAA ACS tests under Operations (UA.V.C.K2). These focused questions cover the core of this area.

Prefer to read? Jump to all 14 questions with answers ↓

Density altitude connects this area to weather — take the weather practice test next, or go straight to the full mock exam.

All 14 loading and performance questions, with answers and references

The drill above shuffles the answer choices on every attempt. Below is the same 14-question set written out in full, in a fixed order, so you can read it straight through, print it, or check a single rule without restarting a quiz. Each answer carries the reasoning and the FAA source it rests on.

  1. Compared with the same aircraft lightly loaded, a heavily loaded multirotor will have:

    • A. Longer endurance
    • B. Reduced climb performance and shorter endurance Correct answer
    • C. A faster maximum climb rate due to added momentum
    • D. No measurable difference

    Why: More weight demands more thrust and power, which drains the battery faster and reduces climb margin and gust tolerance.

    Reference: FAA Remote Pilot Study Guide; PHAK ch. 10 concepts

  2. Operating with the center of gravity outside the manufacturer's limits is most likely to cause:

    • A. Improved maneuverability
    • B. Longer flight time
    • C. Control difficulties or instability Correct answer
    • D. Nothing, if the aircraft is under 55 lb

    Why: Operating with the CG outside the manufacturer's limits affects stability and control, and an unstable CG location can leave the aircraft difficult or even impossible to control. On a small UA, the CG shifts when payload or other variable load items are moved or released, so check balance after any loading change and relocate or shed weight if the CG is out of limits.

    Reference: AC 107-2A Appendix B, B.2.2 Balance, Stability, and Center of Gravity (CG), and B.2.1.2; PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C) Ch. 10, Weight and Balance: Introduction; Balance, Stability, and Center of Gravity; Effects of Adverse Balance

  3. Which situation creates the greatest fire risk with lithium polymer (LiPo) batteries?

    • A. Storing them at about 50% charge
    • B. Storing them in a cool, dry place
    • C. Charging with the manufacturer's recommended charger
    • D. Physical damage, puncture, or overcharging Correct answer

    Why: Damaged or overcharged LiPo cells can enter thermal runaway. Inspect packs after any hard landing and never charge a swollen or punctured battery.

    Reference: FAA AC 107-2A, Appendix B, para B.5 (Battery Fires); SAFO 10017

  4. The safest guidance for charging sUAS batteries is to:

    • A. Follow the manufacturer's charging instructions Correct answer
    • B. Use any USB charger that fits
    • C. Always store packs fully charged so they're ready to fly
    • D. Charge unattended overnight

    Why: Manufacturer procedures govern charge rates, balance charging, and storage voltage for a specific pack. AC 107-2A lists improper charging among the causes of lithium battery fires, along with short circuits, extreme heat, crash damage, mishandling, and defects, and says remote pilots should consider following the manufacturer's recommendations for safe battery handling and use.

    Reference: FAA AC 107-2A, Appendix B, para B.5 (Battery Fires)

  5. You launch from a high-elevation site on a hot day. What performance change should you expect?

    • A. More thrust available
    • B. Reduced thrust and a smaller performance margin Correct answer
    • C. Faster battery charging thanks to the thinner air
    • D. Improved GPS accuracy

    Why: High elevation and high temperature both lower air density, which means a high density altitude. In thinner air, propellers are less efficient and produce less thrust, and the airfoils produce less lift, so performance and your safety margin shrink. AC 107-2A notes that high density altitude may require reducing weight before flight.

    Reference: PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C) Ch. 11, Aircraft Performance: Atmospheric Pressure and Density Altitude; AC 107-2A Appendix B, B.2.1.1 and B.4 Weather and the Effects on Performance

  6. In a level, coordinated 60° bank turn, the load factor on an aircraft is approximately:

    • A. 1 g
    • B. 1.4 g
    • C. 4 g
    • D. 2 g Correct answer

    Why: Load factor = 1/cos(bank). At 60° that is 2 g — the structure and lift must support twice the aircraft's weight.

    Reference: PHAK ch. 5 concepts

  7. For a fixed-wing sUAS, increasing the load factor causes the stall speed to:

    • A. Decrease
    • B. Stay the same
    • C. Increase Correct answer
    • D. Become irrelevant

    Why: Stall speed rises with the square root of load factor — steep turns or abrupt pull-ups can stall a fixed-wing UA well above its normal stall speed.

    Reference: PHAK ch. 5 concepts

  8. Exceeding the manufacturer's maximum gross weight risks:

    • A. Nothing, provided the overload lasts only a few minutes
    • B. Structural overstress and degraded performance Correct answer
    • C. Only a shorter warranty
    • D. Better stability in wind

    Why: Weight above design limits eats into structural margins and performance — and any payload attached counts toward the 55-lb Part 107 limit too.

    Reference: PHAK (FAA-H-8083-25C) Ch. 10, Weight and Balance: Introduction and Effects of Weight; AC 107-2A Appendix B, B.2.1 Weight and Balance (W&B); 14 CFR 107.3, Definitions (small unmanned aircraft)

  9. How does cold weather typically affect drone battery performance?

    • A. Voltage sag and reduced capacity shorten flight time Correct answer
    • B. Capacity improves in cold air
    • C. There is no effect
    • D. Cold prevents overcharging

    Why: Cold slows the chemical reaction in lithium cells: expect voltage sag, shorter flights, and possible sudden capacity drops. Pre-warm packs and hover to warm them gently.

    Reference: Manufacturer's aircraft/battery user manual (low-temperature operation notice)

  10. You are flying on a hot afternoon at a high-elevation site, so density altitude is high. The effect on a multirotor is:

    • A. reduced thrust and a lower usable payload Correct answer
    • B. improved efficiency, because thinner air produces less drag on the propellers
    • C. no measurable change, since electric motors are unaffected by ambient air density
    • D. increased endurance, because the motors draw less current in less dense air

    Why: Propellers generate lift from the air they move. Less dense air means less thrust for the same rpm, so the motors work harder to hover, endurance falls, and the weight the aircraft can carry safely falls with it.

    Reference: FAA sUAS study guide, performance; PHAK ch. 11

  11. Adding a heavy camera to a forward mount shifts a multirotor's center of gravity ahead of the hub. In flight this usually shows up as:

    • A. a complete loss of attitude control immediately after takeoff
    • B. reduced maximum groundspeed with no change to hover behaviour
    • C. longer flight time, because a forward CG improves aerodynamic efficiency
    • D. a constant tilt the flight controller must correct, costing endurance Correct answer

    Why: The controller holds the aircraft level by running some motors harder than others. That correction is continuous, so the affected motors run hot and the battery drains faster. It is a performance and endurance problem long before it becomes a control problem.

    Reference: FAA sUAS study guide, weight and balance

  12. Your aircraft's published maximum takeoff weight is 4.0 lb. The airframe with battery weighs 3.1 lb and the gimbal weighs 0.6 lb. You want to add a 0.5 lb parachute. You may:

    • A. not fly, because the total would be 4.2 lb Correct answer
    • B. fly, because safety equipment is excluded from the maximum takeoff weight calculation
    • C. fly, provided the sortie is kept under 10 minutes so battery burn keeps the average weight legal
    • D. fly, because Part 107's 55 lb ceiling is the only weight limit that legally applies

    Why: 3.1 + 0.6 + 0.5 = 4.2 lb, over the manufacturer's 4.0 lb limit. Part 107's 55 lb ceiling is a regulatory maximum, not a substitute for the aircraft's own limitation. 14 CFR 107.15(a) requires the remote pilot in command to check before each flight that the sUAS is in a condition for safe operation, 107.49(e) requires that anything carried not adversely affect flight characteristics or controllability, and AC 107-2A B.2.1 says the manufacturer's weight and balance limits should be closely followed because an overweight aircraft may result in an unsafe condition.

    Reference: 14 CFR 107.15(a), 107.49(e); AC 107-2A Appendix B, B.2.1

  13. A steady 15 kt wind is blowing at your site. Compared with a calm day, your flight planning should assume:

    • A. a shorter flight only if the aircraft heads directly into the wind for the entire sortie
    • B. no change at all, provided the wind stays under the aircraft's published maximum wind resistance
    • C. a longer flight, because the aircraft can glide downwind and save battery on the way back
    • D. higher power draw and less endurance, especially returning upwind Correct answer

    Why: Holding position in wind costs power even when the aircraft is not moving, and the upwind leg costs the most. Plan the return upwind while the battery still has margin, because a downwind outbound leg flatters the range you appear to have.

    Reference: FAA sUAS study guide, performance and preflight planning

  14. Operating a lithium-polymer battery in near-freezing conditions most commonly causes:

    • A. higher usable capacity, because cold cells have lower internal resistance
    • B. no effect at all until the ambient temperature drops below minus 20 degrees Celsius
    • C. longer flight time, offset by a permanently reduced number of charge cycles
    • D. a sharp drop in available capacity and voltage sag under load Correct answer

    Why: Cold raises internal resistance, so voltage sags the moment the motors demand current and the low-voltage cutoff arrives far earlier than the indicated charge suggests. Warm the packs before flight and treat the published endurance as optimistic.

    Reference: FAA sUAS study guide; manufacturer battery limitations

Ready for the real format? Take the full 60-question timed mock exam, which draws from all seven topics using the FAA's published area weighting.