That depends on whether or not you enter into a full, or part-time flight training program. You can adjust your flying and training hours to suit your professional and personal life, but a part-time schedule relies on your instructor’s best judgment and on them deciding whether, and when you are ready to take the FAA 107 test.
If you enter a full-time program, most flight schools claim that from the moment you enter the classroom until you graduate and are qualified to fly a drone, it should take anywhere between four and six weeks. In our experience, however, it’s always more prudent to believe the longer than the shorter figure, as learning to fly safely and preparing for the exam that you need to take in order to gain your license is an arduous affair. So, regardless of what your instructors tell you when you enter the training program, expect the best-case scenario to be true, but prepare for the worst.
After you pass the 107 test, providing you score seventy percent or higher, you’ll be legally allowed to fly a drone in every state and US-dependent territory, and the certificate that says that you can do so should arrive, with the FAA stamp of approval six to eight weeks after you’ve sailed through the exam. Whatever you do though, don’t forget to renew your certificate every two years, as the FAA, just like every other government-regulated body, are sticklers for paperwork.