Part 107 Weather Practice Test

Weather is 11–16% of the exam, and at least one raw METAR usually shows up expecting you to decode it cold. These 20 questions cover the visibility and cloud-clearance minimums, METAR/TAF decoding, density altitude, and storm behavior. For the full walkthrough, read Aviation Weather for Drone Pilots.

Prefer to read? Jump to all 20 questions with answers ↓

Related: high density altitude also shows up in Loading & Performance. Then test everything together in the full mock exam.

All 20 weather questions, with answers and references

The drill above shuffles the answer choices on every attempt. Below is the same 20-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.

What is the minimum flight visibility for Part 107 operations?
- A. 1 statute mile
- B. 3 statute miles from the control station Correct answer
- C. 5 statute miles
- D. There is no visibility minimum for sUAS operations below 400 ft
Why: Minimum visibility, as observed from the control station, is 3 statute miles.

Reference: 14 CFR 107.51(c)
What minimum distance must a small UA keep from clouds?
- A. 500 ft below and 2,000 ft horizontally Correct answer
- B. 1,000 ft above and 1 statute mile horizontally
- C. 2,000 ft below and 500 ft horizontally
- D. Simply remain clear of clouds
Why: Stay at least 500 ft below and 2,000 ft horizontally from any cloud — so a manned aircraft popping out of the cloud has room to be seen and avoided.

Reference: 14 CFR 107.51(d)
In the METAR 'KAUS 121853Z 24015G25KT 10SM SCT045 32/18 A2992', what does '24015G25KT' mean?
- A. Wind blowing toward 240° at 15 knots
- B. Wind from 240° true at 15 knots, gusting to 25 knots Correct answer
- C. Wind from 150° at 24 knots, gusting 25
- D. Variable wind at 15 knots
Why: First three digits are the direction the wind is FROM (240° true); next two are speed (15 kt); G25 = gusts to 25 kt.

Reference: FAA Aviation Weather Services concepts
In a METAR, 'A2992' indicates:
- A. Temperature of 29.92°C
- B. The altimeter setting is 29.92 inHg Correct answer
- C. Wind from 299° at 2 knots
- D. The pressure altitude at the field is 2,992 ft
Why: 'A' precedes the altimeter setting in inches of mercury — here 29.92, which happens to be the standard-atmosphere value.

Reference: FAA Aviation Weather Services concepts
A TAF is best described as:
- A. An hourly surface observation of the current weather at an airport
- B. A forecast for the area within 5 statute miles of an airport Correct answer
- C. A national radar summary
- D. A winds-aloft chart
Why: A Terminal Aerodrome Forecast covers expected conditions within 5 SM of the airport, typically for 24 or 30 hours. METARs are the current observations.

Reference: FAA Aviation Weather Services concepts
How does HIGH density altitude affect a multirotor drone?
- A. Rotor efficiency improves
- B. Battery endurance increases
- C. Rotor/propeller efficiency and overall performance decrease Correct answer
- D. It has no measurable performance effect below 400 ft AGL
Why: Hot, high, and humid conditions thin the air. Props produce less thrust, motors work harder, and endurance drops.

Reference: FAA Remote Pilot Study Guide; PHAK ch. 11 concepts
What are the standard atmosphere values at sea level?
- A. 15°C (59°F) and 29.92 inHg Correct answer
- B. 0°C (32°F) and 30.00 inHg at all latitudes
- C. 21°C (70°F) and 29.92 inHg
- D. 15°C (59°F) and 30.12 inHg
Why: Standard sea-level atmosphere is 15°C / 59°F and 29.92 inHg — the baseline for density-altitude calculations.

Reference: PHAK ch. 4 concepts
Which conditions are characteristic of STABLE air?
- A. Cumulus clouds and good visibility
- B. Stratiform clouds, smooth air, and poor visibility Correct answer
- C. Showery precipitation and turbulence
- D. Towering thunderstorms
Why: Stable air resists vertical motion: layered stratus clouds, smooth flying, steady precipitation, and haze trapped low (poor visibility).

Reference: FAA Remote Pilot Study Guide
Which conditions are characteristic of UNSTABLE air?
- A. Steady drizzle and fog
- B. Stratus layers and haze
- C. Cumulus clouds, showery precipitation, turbulence, and good visibility Correct answer
- D. Temperature inversions
Why: Unstable air rises freely: puffy cumulus, showers, bumpy air — but the vertical mixing sweeps haze out, so visibility is good.

Reference: FAA Remote Pilot Study Guide
What three ingredients are required for a thunderstorm to form?
- A. Moisture, unstable air, and a lifting force Correct answer
- B. High pressure, cold temperatures, and strong wind
- C. Stratus clouds, drizzle, and wind shear
- D. A temperature inversion, moisture, and calm air
Why: Water vapor, an unstable lapse rate, and initial lift (fronts, terrain, heating) are the classic recipe.

Reference: FAA Remote Pilot Study Guide
The MATURE stage of a thunderstorm begins when:
- A. Updrafts first develop in the cumulus stage
- B. The anvil top forms
- C. Lightning first appears
- D. Precipitation begins falling at the surface Correct answer
Why: Rain reaching the surface marks the mature stage — the storm's most violent phase, with simultaneous updrafts and downdrafts.

Reference: FAA Remote Pilot Study Guide
A microburst is best described as:
- A. A small, short-lived tornado
- B. An updraft inside a cumulus cloud
- C. An intense, localized downdraft from a convective cloud Correct answer
- D. A gust front ahead of a sea breeze
Why: Microbursts are concentrated downdrafts that spread out violently near the ground — extremely hazardous wind shear for any aircraft, including drones.

Reference: FAA Remote Pilot Study Guide
Radiation fog is most likely to form under which conditions?
- A. A windy afternoon along the coast
- B. Passage of a fast-moving cold front
- C. Strong daytime heating over dry ground
- D. A clear, calm night over moist ground Correct answer
Why: With clear skies and calm wind, the ground radiates heat away and the moist surface layer cools to its dewpoint — classic valley morning fog.

Reference: FAA Remote Pilot Study Guide
Advection fog forms when:
- A. Moist air moves over a cooler surface Correct answer
- B. Ground cools rapidly on a calm, clear night
- C. Rain falls into a layer of dry air
- D. Air is forced down a mountain slope
Why: Advection fog needs wind to push moist air across a colder surface — why it is common along coastlines, and it can persist under windier conditions than radiation fog.

Reference: FAA Remote Pilot Study Guide
The temperature/dewpoint spread is small and decreasing. What should you expect?
- A. Severe clear-air turbulence at the surface is imminent
- B. A rapid drop in density altitude
- C. Fog or low clouds are likely to form Correct answer
- D. Visibility will improve
Why: When temperature approaches the dewpoint, air is near saturation — fog, mist, or low stratus become likely, threatening your 3-SM visibility minimum.

Reference: FAA Remote Pilot Study Guide
A METAR reports 'FEW008 SCT015 BKN025 OVC060'. What is the reported ceiling?
- A. 800 ft AGL
- B. 1,500 ft AGL
- C. 2,500 ft AGL Correct answer
- D. 6,000 ft AGL, because only the overcast layer fully covers the sky above the field
Why: The ceiling is the height of the lowest broken or overcast layer, so BKN025 gives a 2,500 ft ceiling. Few and scattered layers are not ceilings no matter how low they sit.

Reference: AC 00-45H; Pilot/Controller Glossary
A fast-moving cold front is forecast to cross your job site during the flight window. What should you expect as it passes?
- A. Strong gusty winds, turbulence, and a sharp wind shift in a narrow band along the frontal boundary Correct answer
- B. Gradually lowering stratus with light steady drizzle over many hours
- C. Calm winds and improving visibility during the passage
- D. No significant change at drone altitudes
Why: Fast-moving cold fronts lift warm air abruptly, producing a narrow but violent band of gusts, turbulence, and often showers, followed by a distinct wind shift and clearing behind the front.

Reference: AC 00-6B Ch.10; FAA-H-8083-25B Ch.12
A low-level temperature inversion has formed over the open field where you plan an early-morning flight. What is the most likely associated hazard?
- A. Severe airframe icing at your operating altitude
- B. Strong convective updrafts and low-level wind shear that make holding a steady altitude difficult
- C. Widespread thunderstorm development shortly after sunrise
- D. Poor visibility from haze and moisture trapped below the inversion Correct answer
Why: Inversions cap vertical mixing, so smoke, haze, and moisture accumulate in the shallow layer beneath them. The air is typically smooth, but visibility can fall below the 3 SM Part 107 minimum.

Reference: AC 00-6B Ch.4; FAA-H-8083-25B Ch.12
The nearest METAR reports 2SM visibility in haze, and you confirm the same conditions from your control station. Under Part 107 you may:
- A. fly, if you keep the aircraft within 200 ft of the launch point
- B. not fly, because the minimum flight visibility is 3 statute miles Correct answer
- C. fly, provided a visual observer is added to the crew
- D. fly, because the 3-statute-mile minimum applies only inside controlled airspace
Why: Minimum flight visibility is 3 statute miles as measured from the control station, and it applies in every class of airspace. Only a 107.205 waiver changes it; adding crew does not.

Reference: 14 CFR 107.51(c), 107.205
On a hot, clear afternoon you are landing in a grass field bordered by a large asphalt parking lot. What should you anticipate on the approach?
- A. Steady sinking air over the asphalt, because paved surfaces cool faster than vegetation
- B. No effect, since convective currents form only above 3,000 ft AGL
- C. Low-level turbulence, with air rising over the asphalt and sinking over the grass Correct answer
- D. A uniform headwind across both surfaces that strengthens steadily as the afternoon surface temperature rises
Why: Surfaces heat unevenly. Barren or paved ground generates rising thermals while vegetated ground generates descending air, and the boundary between them produces low-level turbulence right where you are landing.

Reference: AC 00-6B Ch.9; FAA-H-8083-25B Ch.12

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.