The Part 61 pathway lets an already-licensed pilot earn a Part 107 remote pilot certificate without sitting the knowledge test. Under § 107.63(a)(2), a person who holds a pilot certificate other than a student pilot certificate — issued under Part 61, the rules for manned-aircraft pilots — and who meets the flight-review requirement of § 61.56 may apply using a certificate of completion of a training course instead of an airman knowledge test report. The exam route and this training route lead to the identical remote pilot certificate; they differ only in how the applicant proves the knowledge.

The training itself is shorter than the test, and § 107.74 shows exactly why. It covers eight areas of knowledge rather than the thirteen on the test. It keeps the material specific to small drones — the applicable regulations, the effects of weather on the small aircraft’s performance, aircraft loading, emergency procedures, crew resource management, determining performance, maintenance and preflight inspection, and operation at night. It drops the aviation fundamentals a licensed pilot has already demonstrated — airspace classification, aviation weather sources, radio communication, the physiological effects of drugs and alcohol, aeronautical decision-making, and airport operations. The FAA does not re-teach a certificated pilot the knowledge their existing license already proves.

Two conditions gate the pathway, and both are strict. The certificate you hold must be a Part 61 pilot certificate that is not a student pilot certificate — a student certificate does not qualify. And you must be current under § 61.56, the flight review a Part 61 pilot completes to keep flying; a pilot whose flight review has lapsed cannot use this route. Meet both and complete the § 107.74 course, and you apply with the completion certificate. Fall short on either, and you take the full knowledge test like any other new applicant.