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2.5 Reading Sectional Charts

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FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate Exam

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1 Introduction to the FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate

FAA Part 107 Exam Overview Study Strategy and Test-Taking Tips

2 1. Regulations (14 CFR Part 107)

1.1 Applicability and Definitions (Subpart A) 1.2 Remote Pilot Certification (Subpart C) 1.3 Operating Rules Overview (Subpart B) 1.4 Registration and Marking Requirements 1.5 Remote Identification (Part 89) 1.6 Operations Over People (Subpart D) 1.7 Night Operations and Civil Twilight 1.8 Waivers and Authorizations (Subpart E) 1.9 Accident Reporting and Recordkeeping 1.10 Preflight Familiarization and Actions

3 2. Airspace Classification & Requirements

2.1 National Airspace System Overview 2.2 Class B Airspace 2.3 Class C and Class D Airspace 2.4 Class E and Class G Airspace 2.5 Reading Sectional Charts 2.6 LAANC and Airspace Authorization 2.7 TFRs and NOTAMs 2.8 Latitude, Longitude, and Navigation

4 3. Weather

3.1 Weather Theory and Atmospheric Basics 3.2 Wind, Turbulence, and Wind Shear 3.3 Clouds, Visibility, and Fog 3.4 Reading METAR Reports 3.5 Reading TAF Reports 3.6 Weather Hazards for Drone Operations 3.7 Weather Information Sources

5 4. Loading and Performance

4.1 Weight, Balance, and Center of Gravity 4.2 Density Altitude and Performance 4.3 Load Factor and Maneuvering 4.4 Battery Performance and Management 4.5 Performance Calculations and Limitations

6 5. Operations

5.1 Crew Resource Management (CRM) 5.2 Aeronautical Decision Making (ADM) 5.3 Emergency Procedures 5.4 Physiological Factors Affecting Pilots 5.5 Radio Communication and Frequencies 5.6 Airport Operations and Traffic Patterns 5.7 Maintenance, Inspection, and Condition 5.8 Special Operations and Considerations 5.9 Flight Planning and Risk Mitigation 5.10 Sectional Chart Interpretation Exercises

2.5 Reading Sectional Charts

Key Takeaways Explain This Topic AI

Towered airports are printed blue; non-towered airports are printed magenta.

Obstruction labels: the top number is height in MSL, the parenthetical number is height in AGL.

Maximum Elevation Figures show the highest feature in each grid quadrangle in hundreds of feet MSL.

Airspace colors: B solid blue, C solid magenta, D dashed blue, E surface dashed magenta.

On chart questions, identify airspace first, then airports, then obstructions and terrain.

Last updated: October 2026

Reading Sectional Charts

The VFR Sectional Aeronautical Chart is the primary visual map of the NAS. On test day the FAA hands you a printed Airman Knowledge Testing Supplement containing chart excerpts (legends keyed to letters and numbers), and several scored questions ask you to extract a fact from a marked location. Speed matters less than accuracy: a methodical reader scores these reliably.

Scale and Grid

Sectionals are printed at a scale of 1:500,000 (1 inch = about 6.86 NM).

Latitude lines run east-west; longitude lines run north-south.

Each degree is divided into 60 minutes ; coordinates read as degrees and minutes (e.g., N33 45' W118 20').

Grid quadrangles formed by the lines measure 30 minutes by 30 minutes .

Airport Symbols and Color Coding

  • Airport type Color Notes
  • Towered Blue Symbol shape varies by runway layout
  • Non-towered Magenta Same shapes, magenta ink
  • Hard-surfaced runway 1,500-8,069 ft Runway-shaped symbol Drawn to orientation
  • Services available Tick marks around circle Fuel/services indicator

The airport data block packs essential facts: the identifier (4-letter ICAO code starting with K in the contiguous U.S.), the CT (control tower) frequency, ATIS (Automatic Terminal Information Service) frequency, field elevation in feet MSL, longest runway length in hundreds of feet, the lighting code ( L = lights sunset to sunrise, *L = limitations; see the Chart Supplement), and the UNICOM frequency. A star next to the airport symbol marks a rotating or flashing beacon; a star after the tower frequency means the tower is part-time.

Airspace Boundary Colors

  • Airspace Chart depiction
  • Class B Solid blue lines, fraction labels
  • Class C Solid magenta lines, fraction labels
  • Class D Dashed blue lines, boxed ceiling
  • Class E surface Dashed magenta line
  • Class E 700 ft Magenta vignette
  • Class E 1,200 ft Faded blue vignette
  • Obstructions (Critical for Drone Pilots)

Towers, antennas, and wind turbines threaten low-altitude drones, so obstruction reading is high-value:

  • Symbol Meaning
  • Solid inverted-V with lightning bolt Lighted obstruction
  • Open inverted-V Unlighted obstruction
  • Grouped symbol Multiple obstructions clustered together
  • UC Under construction / position unverified

Obstruction labels carry two numbers : the top number is the height in feet MSL (top of the structure above sea level) and the number in parentheses is the height in feet AGL (above the ground at the base).

Worked example: an obstruction marked 1340 (300) stands 300 ft tall (AGL) with its tip at 1,340 ft MSL , meaning the ground there is about 1,040 ft MSL. A drone at 400 ft AGL nearby is roughly 1,440 ft MSL — only about 100 ft above the tower tip, so plan a wider buffer.

Terrain and Maximum Elevation Figures

Contour lines and color tints show rising terrain.

Maximum Elevation Figures (MEFs) are large bold numbers in each quadrangle giving the highest known feature (terrain plus obstacles plus a vertical buffer) in hundreds of feet MSL — 34 means 3,400 ft MSL . MEFs are a fast safety reference, not a regulatory altitude.

Other Useful Symbols

Visual checkpoints appear as flagged purple symbols.

Power lines show as lines with small towers; railroads as crosshatched lines; highways as bold lines.

Blue = water, yellow tint = urban/built-up area, helpful for VLOS planning.

Exam Strategy and Common Traps

Find the lettered/numbered location in the supplement first.

Identify the airspace around it (color and floor/ceiling).

Identify the airport (color = tower status).

Read obstructions and MEFs last.

The top trap is mixing the MSL and AGL obstruction numbers — remember the parenthetical is AGL. The second trap is reading a non-towered (magenta) airport as towered (blue).

Using the Testing Supplement Efficiently

The FAA supplies chart excerpts in the Airman Knowledge Testing Supplement , and each excerpt has a printed legend. A common mistake is to try to memorize every symbol; instead, learn the high-frequency ones the test repeats — airport color, airspace boundary colors, obstruction MSL/AGL labels, and MEFs — and rely on the supplied legend for the rest. Questions usually mark a location with a letter or arrow, so your job is to anchor on that exact point and read outward: airspace first, then the nearest airport and its data block, then obstructions, then terrain.

Reading outward from the marked point keeps you from being distracted by busy chart features elsewhere in the excerpt.

Why Obstruction Reading Is a Drone-Specific Skill

Manned aircraft cruise far above the towers and turbines that fill a sectional, but a drone at 400 ft AGL operates in exactly the band where these obstructions live. A 400 ft AGL tower is at your altitude limit, and a 1,000 ft broadcast antenna pierces well above it. The chart gives you both heights so you can plan a buffer: the AGL number tells you how high the structure rises from its base, while the MSL number lets you compare it to your drone's MSL altitude when terrain varies.

Wind turbines, increasingly common, are often shown as grouped symbols, and guy wires on tall antennas extend hundreds of feet outward and are invisible from a distance — a real-world hazard the chart hints at but cannot fully convey.

Worked Scenario

An excerpt marks your launch point near an obstruction labeled 2049 (568) . The structure rises 568 ft AGL with its tip at 2,049 ft MSL , so the ground at its base is about 1,481 ft MSL. If your launch site sits at the same elevation, a drone at 400 ft AGL reaches roughly 1,881 ft MSL — still 168 ft below the tip , meaning the tower towers over your legal ceiling. The correct plan is to keep well clear laterally rather than trying to overfly it. Reading both numbers and converting to a common reference is the analytical skill the chart questions reward.