Dashed vs. feathered magenta
Dashed magenta means Class E begins at the surface. A feathered magenta vignette marks Class E beginning at 700 feet AGL.
CHARTS · UAGDrone Authority · Free Part 107 download
Airspace + airport cheat sheet
Read the boundary, find the floor, check the live layer, and plan around airport traffic. Use this page for orientation, then open the dedicated lab for the part that needs practice.
Start here
The four-question flight decision
Work these in order. Most Part 107 chart questions are this sequence wearing different clothes.
01
Find the boundary
Read the color and line style first: solid blue, solid magenta, dashed blue, dashed magenta, or feathered vignette.
02
Read the floor
Ask whether controlled airspace touches the surface or begins above the drone. Floor is the practical authorization trigger.
03
Check the live layer
TFRs, NOTAMs, wildfire response, VIP movement, stadium events, and closures can change the answer.
04
Plan for traffic
Airport type, runways, frequencies, obstructions, and traffic patterns tell you what else may occupy the same low-altitude environment.
Interactive sectional
Touch the ink, then read the consequence
Select a ring, vignette, airport, data box, obstruction, or special-use boundary. The readout explains both the chart symbol and the drone decision.
Schematic
This is an illustrative diagram, not a real FAA chart. Hover, tap, or use the buttons to learn each symbol, then study an actual sectional on VFRMap or SkyVector.
Symbol readout
Class B: solid blue rings
What it is
Concentric solid blue rings around the busiest major airports, built in shelves like an upside-down wedding cake. The numbers (e.g. 100 / 30) are the ceiling and floor of each shelf in hundreds of feet MSL.
For your drone
Authorization required. Request LAANC in an FAA-approved app before you fly, up to the grid altitude.
Colors and line styles here mirror a real VFR sectional, but positions, airports, and frequencies are invented for teaching. Always confirm the airspace at your exact launch spot in an FAA-approved app.
Continue in the right instrument
A cheat sheet can orient you. These labs make the chart usable.
Airspace builderSee the rings become a vertical volumeAdd overlapping airspace circles, move them, set realistic floors and ceilings, and inspect the accurately scaled MSL side view.FAA chart labWork the real testing-supplement figuresMagnify official FAA figures, isolate the marked area, and practice the exact chart-reading workflow used in the exam.Coordinate trainerDrag the aircraft and watch coordinates updateChange scale, move the point, and connect degrees and minutes to north, south, east, west, and nautical-mile distance.Radio simulatorHear where CTAF, ATIS, and tower fitPlace the frequencies back on a sectional and listen to traffic, weather, and mixed-use airport channels in context.
Open the complete symbol keyAirport operations
Read the traffic context
The airspace boundary answers authorization. Airport data helps you anticipate the crewed aircraft around it.
Blue airport
Towered airport. Check the surrounding B, C, D, or surface-E boundary and expect tower traffic.
Magenta airport
Non-towered airport. CTAF helps with awareness, but authorization still depends on the actual airspace.
CTAF
Common Traffic Advisory Frequency used by crewed pilots to announce position and intentions.
ATIS
Recorded weather, runway use, and airport notices at many towered airports.
Runway 18/36
Runway numbers approximate magnetic heading divided by 10: 18 is about 180 degrees, 36 about 360 degrees.
Special use + temporary
Colored rings are not the whole sky
Special-use areas and current restrictions can change the flight even when the surrounding class looks ordinary.
Prohibited
Do not enter. Established for national security or welfare.
Restricted
Hazardous when active. Entry requires permission from the controlling agency.
MOA
Military training may occur. Not automatically prohibited, but activity changes the risk picture.
Alert area
High training volume or unusual aerial activity. All pilots share responsibility for avoidance.
NSA
Security-sensitive area. Avoid when requested; a temporary restriction may be issued by NOTAM.
TFR
Temporary Flight Restriction. Read the controlling NOTAM before flight.
Exam traps
Six distinctions worth locking in
Learn the paired concepts. That is more reliable than memorizing a page of isolated definitions.
Blue airport vs. blue airspace
A blue airport symbol means towered. Solid blue rings mean Class B; a dashed blue ring means Class D.
MSL vs. AGL
An obstacle label such as 1549 (612) gives top elevation MSL first and height above the ground in parentheses.
Latitude vs. longitude
Latitude lines run east-west and measure north/south position. Longitude lines run north-south and measure east/west position.
Chart vs. current conditions
A sectional is the baseline. Current NOTAMs, TFRs, and authorization conditions complete the flight picture.
Awareness vs. permission
Monitoring CTAF or ATIS improves awareness. It does not replace LAANC or another required FAA authorization.
Next drill
Work a real figure, then test the decision.
Use the FAA chart lab for the visual workflow, then take the current-format practice bank without hints.
Source notes
Original Drone Authority study material. Current as of July 2026. Educational, not flight navigation or legal advice. Verify real flights with current FAA charts, NOTAMs/TFRs, and an FAA-approved LAANC provider.