Section 107.29 allows small drone flights at night, and in civil twilight, when two conditions are met. The remote pilot in command must have completed the initial knowledge test or training under 107.65 after April 6, 2021. And the aircraft must carry anti-collision lighting visible for at least 3 statute miles.
The two conditions
The first is about the pilot. The text ties night operations to having completed the initial knowledge test or training under 107.65 after April 6, 2021. If your certificate predates that, check what training you hold before you plan a night job.
The second is about the aircraft. It needs lighted anti-collision lighting visible for at least 3 statute miles, with a flash rate sufficient to avoid a collision. Most small drones ship with small status lights, and those do not meet a 3 mile standard. Buy a light that states its visibility range, and mount it so it is not hidden by the airframe or payload.
What counts as civil twilight
The regulation defines it for operations outside Alaska as the 30 minutes before official sunrise until sunrise, and from sunset until 30 minutes after. In Alaska it is the period in the Air Almanac. The same lighting requirement applies in civil twilight.
This catches people who think of dusk as daylight. A flight that starts in good light can slip into the twilight window while you are still in the air, so plan the landing time, not only the takeoff time.
Lighting flexibility
The pilot in command may reduce the intensity of the lighting, but not turn it off, if the conditions make that safer. A bright strobe can wash out your own view of the aircraft or of a dark site, and the rule allows for that.
Old waivers
Paragraph (d) deals with waivers issued before the 2021 change. Night operation waivers issued before April 21, 2021 stopped being valid after May 17, 2021. Waivers issued before March 16, 2021 that allowed deviation from 107.29 terminated on May 17, 2021. If an old waiver is in your files, do not treat it as a current permission.
A night preflight list
- Confirm the pilot's training date meets 107.29.
- Check that the anti-collision light is fitted, charged and visible from every angle you will fly.
- Do a short test hover to see the light from the ground.
- Fly the site by day first and note obstacles you will not see later.
- Set a return height above the highest obstacle you noted.
- Keep the visibility numbers from 107.51 in mind, since lit objects are used at night.
- Plan battery margin, because a rushed landing at night is the wrong time to find you are low.
Recording the flight
Keep a note of the lighting product, the training date and the times. If anything goes wrong later, those records show the conditions in 107.29 were met. For a team that also logs flight data in an app, add the light model to the aircraft profile so it follows the airframe.
Quick check
Do I need lights in civil twilight?
Yes. Paragraph (b) applies the same anti-collision lighting requirement, visible for 3 statute miles with a sufficient flash rate, during civil twilight.
Can I switch the light off if it dazzles me?
You may reduce the intensity if conditions make that safer, but you may not turn it off.
Sources
- 14 CFR 107.29, eCFR: night operations and civil twilight.
- 14 CFR 107.51, eCFR: visibility measurement.
Last reviewed: 19 October 2026.
