5.10 Sectional Chart Interpretation Exercises

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

5.10 Sectional Chart Interpretation Exercises

Key Takeaways Explain This Topic AI

The exam includes several sectional-chart questions drawn from the printed Airman Knowledge Testing Supplement.

Obstruction labels read top number minus bottom number: MSL height minus AGL height equals the ground elevation.

Maximum Elevation Figures are in hundreds of feet MSL — a figure of 45 means 4,500 feet MSL.

A dashed magenta line is a Class E surface area (authorization required); a faded magenta vignette is Class E starting at 700 feet AGL.

Work chart questions slowly: identify the airport first, verify colors, and remember altitude labels are in hundreds of feet.

Last updated: October 2026

Reading the Sectional Chart

The Part 107 knowledge test bundles several chart questions built on excerpts from the official Airman Knowledge Testing Supplement (sUAS) , the printed legend-and-chart booklet the testing center provides. These are points you can lock in with practice, because the questions repeat a small set of skills.

Identifying Airspace by Color and Style

Work from the airport symbol outward, and let color and line style tell you the class:

• What You See Airspace
• Solid blue lines around a major airport Class B
• Solid magenta lines Class C
• Dashed blue lines Class D
• Dashed magenta lines Class E surface area
• Faded magenta vignette (shaded band) Class E starting at 700 feet AGL
• Faded blue vignette Class E starting at 1,200 feet AGL
• No line / not otherwise depicted Class G (uncontrolled)

Color discipline is the number-one trap. A magenta airport symbol is non-towered; a blue symbol is towered. A dashed magenta ring is a Class E surface area, so Part 107 authorization is required there — distinct from the faded magenta vignette , which marks Class E beginning at 700 feet AGL and needs no authorization for a sub-400-foot drone flight.

Reading Obstruction Data

Obstructions print two numbers — the top is the height in MSL (above mean sea level), the bottom in parentheses is the height in AGL (above ground level).

Worked example — label 2,560 (1,230): the top of the obstruction is 2,560 feet MSL and it rises 1,230 feet AGL . The ground at its base is therefore 2,560 − 1,230 = 1,330 feet MSL . To find ground elevation from any obstruction, subtract the AGL number from the MSL number.

A bolded obstruction number, or one marked with a tie-down/lightning symbol, flags a lighted or group obstruction; obstructions 1,000 feet AGL and taller are drawn with the heavier "tall" symbol.

Maximum Elevation Figures

The large number in the center of each grid quadrangle is the Maximum Elevation Figure (MEF) , shown in hundreds of feet MSL . An MEF printed as 34 means 3,400 feet MSL is the highest known terrain or obstacle (plus a vertical buffer) anywhere in that quadrangle. Multiply the printed figure by 100.

Special-Use Airspace

• On the Chart Meaning Drone Action
• Blue hatched border, "P-40" Prohibited Area No flight without using-agency permission
• Blue hatched border, "R-2501" Restricted Area Contact the controlling agency
• Magenta hatched border, "MOA" Military Operations Area Legal, but use extreme caution
• Magenta hatched border, "A-XXX" Alert Area Legal, but high traffic
• Finding Coordinates

To read a point's latitude and longitude : locate the nearest labeled latitude line, count tick marks (each tick is 1 minute ) north or south to your point; repeat for longitude east or west; then state it as, for example, N33°25′ W118°10′ . The standard trap: in the contiguous United States longitude increases toward the west (to the left on the chart), so do not reverse east and west.

Typical Exam Questions

Expect prompts such as: "What class of airspace exists at [location]?"; "What are the floor and ceiling of the airspace at [location]?"; "What is the height of the obstruction at [location]?"; "Is Part 107 authorization required to fly at [location]?"; and "What is the Maximum Elevation Figure for the area around [location]?"

Test-Day Technique

Slow down — chart questions reward careful reading, not speed.

Use the legend in the supplement to confirm a symbol.

Check the color — blue versus magenta decides the airspace.

Multiply altitude labels by 100 where the convention applies (MEFs).

Identify the airport first , then work outward to the airspace.

Re-verify before committing your answer.

Reading Class E Altitude Tints Carefully

The most missed chart distinction is between the two magenta Class E depictions. A dashed magenta line drawn as a ring around an airport is a Class E surface area — controlled airspace down to the ground, where Part 107 authorization is required . A faded magenta vignette (a soft shaded band on the outside edge of the tint) marks Class E beginning at 700 feet AGL , leaving the airspace below it Class G, so a sub-400-foot drone flight there needs no authorization. Likewise a faded blue vignette marks Class E starting at 1,200 feet AGL.

Read which side of the band is shaded: the airspace transitions on the faded edge.

Floors and Ceilings in the Layer Cake

Class B and Class C airspace are drawn as stacked rings, each labeled with a ceiling over a floor in hundreds of feet MSL. A label reading 100 over 40 means that shelf runs from 4,000 feet MSL up to 10,000 feet MSL , with the airspace below 4,000 feet being something else (often Class E or G). A label with SFC as the floor means that ring extends down to the surface. For a drone pilot the practical question is usually whether the surface under your operating site is controlled; reading the innermost ring's floor answers it.

Common Chart Symbols Worth Knowing

Beyond airspace, expect a few recurring symbols. A small magenta flag marks a visual checkpoint . Victor airways appear as blue lines with a "V" designator. A boxed note near an airport gives the CTAF/Unicom frequency (often with a circled C) and the field elevation in feet MSL. Parachute, glider, and ultralight activity symbols flag areas of unusual traffic. Recognizing these keeps you from mistaking a checkpoint flag or airway line for an airspace boundary, which is exactly the kind of confusion the chart questions probe.

For the Exam: Practice on real charts — the free SkyVector website and FAA digital sectionals let you rehearse until airspace identification and obstruction math are automatic. The two facts that most often cost points are mixing up blue and magenta, and forgetting that MEFs and altitude labels are in hundreds of feet MSL.