Foundations · Lesson 2 of 4

Understanding the FAR, AIM, and ACS

Drone / Part 107 Ground School

Mission Brief

Three different real documents, three different jobs: one is the law, one is guidance, and one is the actual test blueprint.

You’ll see three acronyms constantly throughout this course: the FAR, the AIM, and the ACS. They’re not interchangeable, and knowing what each one actually is makes the rest of this course make more sense.

The FAR (Federal Aviation Regulations, formally 14 CFR) is the actual law. Every "Go to the Source" citation in this course points to a specific FAR section because the FAR is what you’re legally required to follow, not a suggestion or a best practice.

The AIM (Aeronautical Information Manual) is official FAA guidance on how the National Airspace System actually works in practice: procedures, phraseology, and recommended practices. The AIM itself is not regulatory, you won’t be violating a FAR by not following it, though some FAA publications and regulations do reference AIM procedures. It’s the FAA’s own explanation of how to safely operate within the rules the FAR sets.

The ACS (Airman Certification Standards) is the real, official blueprint for the Part 107 knowledge test itself. Every knowledge test question is intended to assess an element identified within the ACS. If you’re ever unsure why a topic is covered in this course, the honest answer is almost always that it’s directly listed in the ACS.

A few other real names you’ll run into repeatedly throughout this course, and what each one actually is: the Chart Supplement (detailed airport information), the sectional chart (airspace and navigation), NOTAMs (temporary changes to normal conditions), and METARs and TAFs (current weather and weather forecasts). You don’t need to memorize these yet, just recognize them when this course gets there.

Why This Matters

Understanding which of these three documents you’re looking at changes how you should treat what it says. A FAR citation is a hard legal requirement. An AIM reference is strong, official advice worth following, but not a violation if you don’t. An ACS reference tells you directly that a topic is fair game on your actual knowledge test.
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Mission Brief

While studying, you read a recommended radio phraseology practice in one source and a required altitude limit in another. You want to know how strictly you actually need to follow each one.

What do you do? Tap each option to see why it works or doesn’t.

Key Takeaways

  • The FAR (14 CFR) is the actual law you’re required to follow.
  • The AIM is official guidance on safe practice, not a legal requirement.
  • The ACS is the real blueprint the knowledge test is built from.
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