Loading & Performance

AC 107-2A offers several ways to keep a small unmanned aircraft at or below the 87-knot limit of §107.51(a). Which is one of them?

Answer

Installing a GPS device on the aircraft that reports groundspeed to the remote pilot

AC 107-2A lists installing a GPS device that reports groundspeed, timing the aircraft between two or more fixed points while accounting for wind, and relying on a manufacturer's installed groundspeed limiter. Airspeed alone cannot show compliance, because §107.51(a) limits groundspeed, not airspeed.

Source: AC 107-2A ¶5.12.1

Not the answer

  • Timing the aircraft against a vehicle moving on a nearby road
  • Assuming groundspeed equals the manufacturer's published cruise airspeed
  • Reading indicated airspeed off the control station display

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