Part 107 sectional chart practice: read the chart, find the airspace

Airspace and chart reading is about a fifth of the FAA Part 107 test, and the area most drone pilots find hardest. You read a sectional chart excerpt from the FAA testing supplement to find an airspace's floor and ceiling, an obstacle's height, an airport's frequency, or whether you need authorization. The free drill below is 12 original questions on simplified chart figures, then the method and the symbols.

~20%
of the real test: MSL
how chart altitudes read: 4
airspace colors to know: 12
free drill questions

Last checked 22 October 2026 · Symbols from the FAA chart legend; figures are original and not for navigation

Free drill: 12 original Part 107-style airspace and chart questions on simplified figures, then every answer explained. No sign-up.

12
questions
24 min
time limit
Free
every answer explained

By the LifeScore Editorial Team · Updated 22 October 2026 · How we check facts · How this is scored

How do you read a sectional chart for the Part 107 test?

Find the place, find the airspace line around it, read its floor and ceiling in hundreds of feet MSL, and turn MSL into height above the ground by subtracting the ground elevation.

Find the point the question names, and the nearest airport.
Identify the airspace line around it by color and style (solid blue, solid magenta, dashed blue, dashed magenta).
Read the label: ceiling over floor, in hundreds of feet MSL. "SFC" means it starts at the surface.
Find the ground elevation (from an obstacle, a spot elevation or the airport elevation) and subtract it to get heights above ground.
Decide: are you inside it at the altitude in the question, and does that airspace need an authorization?

Part 107-style question 1 · Chart reading
On a sectional chart, a Class C outer shelf is labeled 45/14 and the ground under your site is 900 feet MSL. You plan to fly at 380 feet AGL. Are you inside the Class C shelf?
1. ANo; you are at 1,280 feet MSL, below its 1,400-foot MSL floor
2. BYes; Class C always starts at the surface
3. CYes; the floor is 1,400 feet AGL and you are below it
4. DNo; Class C begins at 4,500 feet MSL
Worked answer
A: No; you are at 1,280 feet MSL, below its 1,400-foot MSL floor. The label is ceiling over floor in hundreds of feet MSL: 4,500 down to 1,400 feet MSL. Your altitude is 900 + 380 = 1,280 feet MSL, below the floor, so you are under the shelf, not in it (check what airspace you are in there).
1. Floor: 14 × 100 = 1,400 feet MSL.
2. Your altitude: 900 + 380 = 1,280 feet MSL.
3. 1,280 is below 1,400, so you are under the shelf.
The trap: Reading 14 as 1,400 feet AGL. Shelf altitudes on a sectional are MSL.

More chart practice

Four chart drills of 12 and 12 airspace questions in each of eight full mocks, all on original chart figures with every answer explained.

The Part 107 Pass Pack gives you 8 full mocks on the real clock, 16 drills of 12 questions for the sections that cost you points, and a predictor that turns your mocks into the odds of reaching your target. One payment, no subscription, and your free score stays free.

Prep courses for these tests usually cost $19 to $129. The Part 107 Pass Pack is US$39 (£29), once.

See the Part 107 Pass Pack How our questions are built and checked

8
timed mocks: 16
topic drills: 1
score predictor

What do the colors and lines on a sectional chart mean?

Each class of controlled airspace has its own line: Class B solid blue, Class C solid magenta, Class D dashed blue, Class E to the surface dashed magenta. Obstacles show their top in MSL and their height above ground in parentheses.

The chart symbols the test uses most
Symbol	What it shows
Class B	Solid blue lines; each sector labeled ceiling over floor in hundreds of feet MSL (for example 100/40)
Class C	Solid magenta lines; inner circle from the surface, outer shelf usually from about 1,200 feet above the airport
Class D	Dashed blue line; the ceiling in a dashed box in hundreds of feet MSL (for example [32])
Class E to the surface	Dashed magenta line
Class E from 700 feet AGL	Shaded magenta (faded) band
Obstacles	Top in feet MSL in bold, height above ground in parentheses
Airport data	Name, identifier, tower or CTAF frequency (the C symbol marks the CTAF), elevation, runway length, lighting

Part 107-style question 1 · Chart reading
An obstacle on a sectional is labeled 1,874 in bold with (412) below it. What is the elevation of the ground at its base?
1. A1,462 feet MSL
2. B2,286 feet MSL
3. C412 feet MSL
4. D1,874 feet MSL
Worked answer
A: 1,462 feet MSL. The bold number is the top of the obstacle in feet MSL; the number in parentheses is its height above the ground. Ground = 1,874 − 412 = 1,462 feet MSL.
1. Top: 1,874 feet MSL.
2. Height: 412 feet AGL.
3. Ground: 1,874 − 412 = 1,462 feet MSL.
The trap: Adding the two numbers. The parentheses show height above ground, which is already part of the MSL top.

Which airspace needs FAA authorization for a drone?

Class B, Class C, Class D and the surface area of Class E around an airport. Class G does not, and neither does Class E that starts above the surface, as long as you stay below it.

Airspace classes and drones
Class	Where it usually is	Authorization needed?
Class A	18,000 feet MSL and above	Not reachable under part 107
Class B	Around the busiest airports, in layers like an upside-down wedding cake	Yes
Class C	Around busy airports with a control tower and radar approach	Yes
Class D	Around airports with an operating control tower	Yes, while the tower is operating
Class E surface area	Around some airports without a tower	Yes
Class E (not at the surface)	Usually from 700 or 1,200 feet AGL	No, if you stay below its floor
Class G	Uncontrolled airspace near the ground	No

Special use airspace is separate: a prohibited area is off limits, a restricted area needs permission from its controlling agency, and a temporary flight restriction (TFR) can close airspace for events, fires or VIP movement. Always check NOTAMs before you fly.

How do you read the airport data on a sectional chart?

Next to each airport is a block with its name and identifier, the tower or CTAF frequency, the field elevation in feet MSL, the longest runway in hundreds of feet, and lighting.

A blue airport symbol has a control tower; a magenta one does not. At a non-towered airport, the frequency marked with the C symbol is the Common Traffic Advisory Frequency (CTAF), where pilots announce their position. The number before the runway length is the field elevation, which is also the ground height you subtract to turn airspace altitudes into heights above that airport.

Our figures use the same layout in simplified form, so the step of finding the elevation becomes routine before the real supplement. The rules that decide what you may do once you know the airspace are on Part 107 regulations practice, and the free Part 107 practice test mixes chart questions with everything else.

Where do people lose points on Part 107 chart questions?

On MSL and AGL, on reading the label the wrong way up, and on assuming a shelf starts at the surface.

Reading shelf altitudes as above ground. Sectional airspace labels are MSL.
Reading the label upside down. The top number is the ceiling, the bottom the floor.
Adding an obstacle's parentheses figure to its top. The parentheses already show its height above ground.
Forgetting that a Class D ring needs authorization only while the tower is operating.
Thinking Class E always needs authorization. Only its surface area does.

How is the Part 107 knowledge test scored?

It is 60 multiple-choice questions in 2 hours, passed at 70%: 42 right. The score is for the whole test, not each area, and the knowledge test report shows the areas you missed.

The real test, with where each fact comes from
The test	Unmanned Aircraft General - Small (UAG), the initial knowledge test for an FAA Remote Pilot CertificatePublished by the ownerFAA, "Become a Certificated Remote Pilot"
Questions and time	60 multiple-choice questions in 2 hoursPublished by the ownerFAA, "Become a Certificated Remote Pilot"
Passing score	70%, which is 42 of 60Published by the ownerFAA, "Become a Certificated Remote Pilot"
Where and cost	An FAA-approved knowledge testing center run by PSI; the fee is $175SourcedPSI, FAA airman knowledge testing
Who can take it	Age 16 or older, able to read, speak, write and understand English. Book with an FAA Tracking Number (FTN) from IACRAPublished by the owner14 CFR part 107, small unmanned aircraft systems (eCFR)
If you fail	Wait 14 days before you retestPublished by the owner14 CFR 107.71, retesting after failure (eCFR)
Staying current	Free online recurrent training every 24 calendar monthsPublished by the owner14 CFR part 107, small unmanned aircraft systems (eCFR)

Our free drills are 12 questions at the real test's pace (2 minutes a question), and each full mock has all 60 questions weighted like the FAA blueprint. More on the pass mark is on Part 107 passing score.

Frequently asked questions

Do I get a chart on the real test?

Yes. The testing center gives you the FAA testing supplement, which has the sectional excerpts and figures the chart questions refer to.

Are your chart figures real sectional charts?

No. They are original, simplified figures drawn for practice. They are not for navigation.

Are chart altitudes MSL or AGL?

Airspace labels and obstacle tops are MSL. The obstacle number in parentheses is AGL.

Is this drill the real test?

No. It is Part 107-style practice with original questions. LifeScore is not affiliated with the FAA.

Read any sectional before test day

Eight full Part 107-style mocks, four drills for each area and every answer explained, for one payment.