Remote ID for Part 107: the three ways to comply, and what each broadcasts

Route 1: standard Remote ID

Standard Remote ID is built into the aircraft by its producer (14 CFR 89.110). It must broadcast from takeoff to shutdown, which is broader than takeoff to landing: the aircraft keeps broadcasting while it sits powered on the ground.

Route 2: a broadcast module

An aircraft without built-in Remote ID can carry a retrofit broadcast module (14 CFR 89.115(a)). It comes with its own, stricter visibility rule: the person manipulating the controls must be able to see the aircraft throughout the operation. Ordinary Part 107 visual line of sight can be satisfied by a visual observer instead; with a broadcast module it cannot, so a module effectively rules out beyond-visual-line-of-sight flying.

Before takeoff the operator must make sure the module is working, and if the module is moved to another aircraft, the registration record of each aircraft it is used on must be updated with its serial number.

Route 3: an FAA-recognized identification area

An FAA-recognized identification area, or FRIA (14 CFR 89.115(b)), is the only route that needs no equipment at all. The aircraft must stay inside the area's boundaries and within visual line of sight.

Only a community-based organization recognized by the FAA, or an educational institution, may request an FRIA. An individual remote pilot, or a landowner however large the property, cannot.

What gets broadcast

Both standard Remote ID and a broadcast module transmit the aircraft's latitude, longitude and altitude, an identity element (its serial number or a session ID, never the pilot's certificate number or the registration number) and a time mark. The difference the test likes: standard Remote ID broadcasts the control station's position, showing where the pilot is, while a broadcast module broadcasts the takeoff location instead.

Serial numbers follow the ANSI/CTA-2063-A standard, and the serial number appears on the aircraft's Certificate of Aircraft Registration.

If it fails, and the traps

If Remote ID stops working in flight, under either equipment route, land as soon as practicable. There is no requirement to call ATC.

• No altitude or distance exception: answers offering "below 200 feet" or "within 5 nautical miles of home" are wrong.
• ADS-B Out can never be used to meet Remote ID (14 CFR 89.125).
• A broadcast module requires the person on the controls to see the aircraft; a visual observer cannot substitute.
• Only standard Remote ID reveals the control station's position.