What Part 107 topics need visual practice?

The most visual Part 107 topics are sectional chart reading, latitude and longitude, airport data, airspace boundaries, METAR and TAF weather decoding, traffic-pattern awareness, obstruction symbols, loading and performance scenarios, and emergency or preflight sequence questions.

Is audio-only study enough for the Part 107 exam?

Audio helps with memorization, but it is not enough by itself for most students because the FAA exam uses figure supplement references, chart symbols, weather codes, airport data, and scenario interpretation. Visual practice is the missing layer.

The Authority Suite

Drone Authority

ACS · FIGURES

Drone Authority · Part 107

The visual prep lab

Podcasts are good for repetition. The FAA test also asks you to read charts, plot latitude and longitude, decode weather, interpret airport clues, and choose the safest action from a visual scenario. This page fills that gap.

Start the lab Take the practice exam

Assessment

What the audit found

Drone Authority already covered the five big study domains, but the FAA study guide is split across 12 knowledge areas. The missing layer was not more narration. It was visual, procedural practice: map figures, coordinates, airport references, radio awareness, emergency sequences, and preflight details.

Strong already

Core Part 107 numbers and operating limits
Airspace class colors and LAANC basics
METAR field decoding
Loading, CG, and density-altitude concepts
ADM, IMSAFE, hazardous attitudes, and over-people rules

Needed more visual work

Figure-supplement style map reading
Latitude/longitude and chart scale
Airport data blocks, CTAF, ATIS, and Chart Supplement clues
Emergency deviation and crew briefing sequences
Tower and obstruction interpretation
Physiology, OTC medication, fatigue, dehydration, and preflight details

Work the visual examples

Treat these like figure-supplement warmups. Read the image first, answer the question, then check the readout. The diagrams are teaching schematics, not official charts.

Visual prep lab

Airspace classification, airport operations, obstructions

Map figure

Point A is inside the dashed blue ring. Point B sits under the faded magenta shading. Point C is beside a tower marked 1549 (612). What matters for a drone flight?

Point A is Class D, so you need authorization before flying. Point B is under Class E that begins at 700 ft AGL, so a normal drone flight below 400 ft is still in Class G. Point C is a real hazard: the tower top is 1,549 ft MSL and 612 ft AGL, and guy wires may extend far from the structure.

Blue dashed ring means towered airport, Class D.
Faded magenta means Class E starts at 700 ft AGL.
Obstruction numbers are top height MSL, with AGL in parentheses.

Then drill the sectional reader

The full chart reader is still the main airspace drill. Use it after the lab so the colors and symbols become automatic.

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.