The aerial exam is the CORE material re-asked from 100 feet up: same label law and safety, but every question angled at drift, swath, altitude, and aircraft calibration.
The five topic clusters
- Drift from aircraft: release height, droplet spectrum, crosswind swath displacement, inversions. Know that effective swath shifts downwind and you offset flight lines for it.
- Aircraft calibration: verifying flow rate, swath width, and pattern uniformity for your aircraft — expect a math question (GPA from flow, speed, swath).
- Application decisions: when conditions ground you (wind limits, inversion signs), buffer selection near sensitive sites.
- Regulatory interface: what the FAA controls (aircraft) vs the state (chemical) — and that you need both.
- Emergency procedures: spill/exposure response, plus aircraft-specific failure handling.
A 2-week study plan
- Days 1–4: read the aerial category manual once, marking every number (heights, winds, intervals).
- Days 5–7: our drift guide + calibration calculator until you can do GPA math cold.
- Days 8–10: re-read marked pages; write your own 10 hardest questions.
- Days 11–14: course quizzes + the mock exam until you pass twice clean.
What fails first-timers
- Guessing calibration math instead of writing units out.
- Confusing REI (workers) with PHI (harvest).
- Answering what drones can do instead of what the label allows.
Category numbering and manuals vary by state — Ohio's is Category 1 via OSU PSEP/ODA. Find your state in the 50-state guide.
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