The Truth About Passing the Second-Class Unmanned Aircraft Pilot License as a 50-Year-Old Amateur (260224)

February 24, 2026.

I finally passed the Second-Class Unmanned Aircraft Pilot (Practical) exam.

Looking only at the result, it is a "pass," but the reality of getting there was quite different from what is discussed online.

This is the "real story" of what I felt as a 50-year-old complete drone amateur taking on a national qualification.

■ Is it true that "anyone can get it"?

I will start with the conclusion.

It is not something anyone can get easily.

In advertisements and explanations, they say

"95% pass rate"

"Safe even for beginners"

I often see phrases like that.

However, I think that is a "conditional world."

• Young

• No vision problems

• Accustomed to spatial awareness

• Able to secure sufficient practice time

• Some prior piloting experience

If these prerequisites are met, the pass rate is certainly high.

However, when you are 50 years old and a complete beginner, it is a different story.

When you add being an amateur and older, I suspect the straight pass rate is probably below 50%.

■ Starting from zero

I had zero drone experience.

So, the first thing I did was:

• Purchase my own aircraft, the 'DJI Mini 4 Pro Kikusei'

• Basic practice with a toy drone

• Internalizing spatial orientation through home practice

Honestly, I couldn't have even stepped onto the exam field without doing this much.

A drone is not a radio-controlled toy.

For the national qualification practical exam, you need:

• Grasping the aircraft's attitude

• Precise control

• Maintaining stability

• Understanding regulations

• Inspection procedures

are required at the same time.

■ The greatest enemy is "age"

What I felt most keenly this time was not the technique, but physical performance.

Especially my eyes.

Nearsightedness + farsightedness.

This is tougher than I imagined.

Drone piloting requires:

• seeing the aircraft in the distance

• checking the controls at hand

• instantly judging positional relationships

A continuous series of such visual loads.

If you can't see it, you truly cannot pilot it.

Even if you have aviation experience from when you were young, it doesn't matter.

Your body is definitely changing.

■ The First Failure

I failed once.

Since I had never failed a practical flight test before, I was honestly quite depressed.

"Am I no longer capable?"

That is what I thought.

However, looking back calmly later, the reasons were clear.

• Lack of understanding of laws and regulations

• Points deducted for inspection procedures

• Unable to compensate for practical skill errors

It was an exam that could not be passed by flying skills alone.

■ The Second Attempt

The day of this exam.

Practiced thoroughly throughout the morning.

My eyes were already fatigued.

On top of that, I was wearing contact lenses I wasn't used to.

Fatigue, tension, and visual conditions.

Everything piled up, and I made small mistakes during the practical test.

However, this time was different.

I performed the regulations and inspections perfectly.

Since my hands were numb and I made operational errors last time, I also arranged for fingerless gloves.

As a result, I was able to compensate for the piloting errors with my overall evaluation.

I understood it here.

This exam is not just about 'piloting skill'.

It is looking at whether you are a person who can operate safely.

Rather than performing acrobatic flights quickly, it is far more difficult to operate slowly with precise inputs.

■ The fear of 100,000 yen flying away

If I had failed this time, the limitation change would have been voided.

The subsidy reservation would also have been invalidated.

An additional cost of approximately 100,000 yen.

When I failed last time, I blamed myself severely for letting the money fly away due to my own mistake.

But it is different now.

It was precisely because of that failure that I was able to learn my weaknesses.

If I had passed on the first try,

I think I would have definitely struggled with the limitation changes for beyond visual line of sight and night operations.

■ The Day My Pride Was Broken

I had never failed when it came to aircraft.

That is why, this time, I felt as though my dignity had been wounded.

However, I think this way now.

I have come to know my own limitations.

It is not about my past self,

but that I need to face the sky as my "current self."

My age, my eyesight, my concentration—all of these are part of my current performance.

Being able to recognize that was a major gain in itself.

■ To those taking on the challenge from age 50

Drones, now a national qualification, are by no means a toy.

They are not easy, either.

However, they are not impossible.

What is needed is not talent, but

• prior practice

• understanding the procedures

• acknowledging your own weaknesses

.

■ And, from here on

With this, the next step is

moving to Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) and Night Flight endorsements.

I feel like I have finally reached the starting line as a drone pilot.

Even a 50-year-old amateur can make it this far.

However—

you absolutely cannot reach this point without effort.

This is the "truth" I arrived at this time.

If there is one thing I want to say, it is this: while your eye health is guaranteed, before you get presbyopia, get your license!