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Drone Authority
Straight-down aerial view with a clear grid of construction lines and reference pointsLAT FIRST / LONG SECOND

Part 107 sectional coordinates

Plot the point instead of picturing it.

Drag the aircraft, type new coordinates, change the grid scale, and watch direction and distance update. Then copy the four-step method onto your scratch paper.

Open the coordinate lab

The rule to remember

First number: north or south. Second number: east or west.

36°45'N

Latitude

Compare this first to move north or south.

076°00'W

Longitude

Compare this second to move east or west.

Interactive scratch pad

Move the red point. Read the answer change.

The airport remains the reference. Drag the aircraft or type exact degrees and minutes. Use the scale control to practice fine and broad coordinate differences.

Drag, tap, type, or use arrow keys

Coordinate plotter drill

Compare the two numbers, then draw the move

Grid scale

Latitude rows

37°15'N37°00'N36°45'N36°30'N36°15'N36°00'N35°45'N

Longitude columns

076°45'W076°30'W076°15'W076°00'W075°45'W075°30'W075°15'W
LATITUDE ROWSLONGITUDE COLUMNS37°15'N37°15'N076°45'W076°45'W37°00'N37°00'N076°30'W076°30'W36°45'N36°45'N076°15'W076°15'W36°30'N36°30'N076°00'W076°00'W36°15'N36°15'N075°45'W075°45'W36°00'N36°00'N075°30'W075°30'W35°45'N35°45'N075°15'W075°15'Wbigger N = northsmaller N = southbigger W = westsmaller W = eastAPT

Auto, 15' per tick. Each latitude minute is about 1 NM north or south.

Live coordinates

Airport

36°30'N 076°00'W

Aircraft

36°45'N 076°00'W

Lat delta

+15'

Lon delta

0'

Your call first

Read from the airport. Pick the direction before the plot line appears.

Question asks

Latitude channel

36°30'N → 36°45'N

Compare the first coordinate.

Longitude channel

076°00'W → 076°00'W

Compare the second coordinate.

Enter the coordinates from the question

Airport

°'N
°'W

Aircraft

°'N
°'W

Common exam patterns

Scratch-pad recipe

  1. 1Write the point the question uses as the reference.
  2. 2Write the point the question asks you to locate.
  3. 3Compare latitude first, without looking at the drawn line.
  4. 4Compare longitude second. In the U.S., bigger W means farther west.
  5. 5Use minutes of latitude for north/south distance.

Scratch-pad recipe

Draw one plus sign.

You do not need to redraw a sectional. A center dot and two axes are enough to solve most coordinate comparisons.

  1. 01

    Write the reference point

    Put the airport or other stated reference in the center of a plus sign.

  2. 02

    Compare latitude first

    Latitude is the first coordinate. Larger N moves north; smaller N moves south.

  3. 03

    Compare longitude second

    Longitude is the second coordinate. In the U.S., larger W moves west; smaller W moves east.

  4. 04

    Convert latitude minutes

    One minute of latitude is approximately one nautical mile. Subtract the minute values for north-south distance.

Frequently asked questions

Does latitude run north and south?
Latitude measures north-south position, but its parallel lines run east-west across the chart. That mismatch between line direction and measured direction is a common exam trap.
Does longitude run east and west?
Longitude measures east-west position, but its meridian lines run north-south. In the continental United States, increasing west-longitude numbers move farther west.
How far is one minute of latitude?
One minute of latitude is approximately one nautical mile. That relationship is useful for estimating north-south distance on a sectional chart.
Why does a larger west-longitude number mean farther west?
West longitude measures angular distance west of the prime meridian. Moving from 076 degrees W to 077 degrees W increases that westward distance.