Based on the FAA Aeronautical Chart Users’ Guide (July 9, 2026 edition), the FAA’s Part 107 testing materials and UAS Facility Map guidance, all linked below. Current as of November 2026. Chart examples here are for learning only; never use them for flight planning, and always check a current chart and an FAA-approved app before you fly.
Quick answer: A sectional chart is the FAA’s map of the sky for low, slow aircraft. As a drone pilot you mainly read it for airspace: solid blue lines are Class B, solid magenta lines are Class C, dashed blue is Class D and dashed magenta is Class E starting at the surface. Those four need FAA authorization for Part 107 flights, and recreational flyers need it there too. Altitudes on the chart are in feet above sea level (MSL), often with the last two zeros dropped, while drone altitudes are measured above the ground (AGL). Learning to convert between the two is most of the battle on the Part 107 test.
Chart reading is the part of the FAA’s Part 107 knowledge test that worries new pilots most. Airspace is a big share of the test: the current PSI test bulletin puts airspace classification and operating requirements at about 20% of questions (see our Part 107 hub for the full breakdown). During the test you’ll get a printed booklet, the Airman Knowledge Testing Supplement (FAA-CT-8080-2H), that contains sectional chart excerpts, and many questions ask you to read them. The good news: the symbols are standardized, and a handful of them cover most questions.
What a sectional chart is (and where to get one free)
- Scale: 1:500,000, or about 6.86 nautical miles per inch (FAA: Sectional Aeronautical Chart). Each chart is named after a major city in its coverage area.
- Updates: every 56 days. The edition current as of this writing took effect October 29, 2026, and the next one is due December 24, 2026 (FAA: VFR Raster Charts).
- Cost: the FAA lets you download current charts free as PDF or GeoTIFF files. Printed charts are sold through FAA-approved print providers.
- The legend is printed on the chart itself, and the FAA’s free Aeronautical Chart Users’ Guide explains every symbol. Keep it open while you study.
The most important rule: MSL vs. AGL
Unless a chart says otherwise, altitudes on it are in feet above mean sea level (MSL), as the Chart Users’ Guide explains. Drone limits are above ground level (AGL): the 400-foot limit, LAANC grid altitudes on the FAA’s UAS Facility Maps, and so on.
To convert: MSL altitude − ground elevation = AGL altitude. If the ground under you is at 900 feet MSL and an airspace floor is at 1,500 feet MSL, that floor is 600 feet above the ground. A drone at 400 feet AGL would be at 1,300 feet MSL, below that floor.
Find the ground elevation from nearby airport elevations, terrain contour lines, or the obstacle labels described below. In a test question, look for an airport elevation or a spot elevation near the point in question.
Reading controlled airspace
| Airspace | How it’s drawn | How altitudes are shown | Drone authorization? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class B (big airports) | Solid blue lines, often an “upside-down wedding cake” of rings | Blue figures, ceiling over floor in hundreds of feet MSL. “100/40” means 10,000 ft down to 4,000 ft MSL. “SFC” means surface. | Yes, inside the lateral limits from the floor up |
| Class C (mid-size airports) | Solid magenta lines, usually an inner surface ring and an outer shelf | Magenta figures, same format. “40/15” means 4,000 ft down to 1,500 ft MSL. A “T” ceiling means it goes up to, but not including, overlying Class B. | Yes, inside the lateral limits from the floor up |
| Class D (smaller towered airports) | Dashed blue line | Ceiling in a dashed box, in hundreds of feet MSL: [25] means 2,500 ft MSL. A minus sign, [-25], means “up to but not including” 2,500 ft. | Yes, from the surface to the ceiling |
| Class E surface area | Dashed magenta line | Starts at the surface | Yes |
| Class E starting at 700 ft AGL | Faded magenta band (vignette) | Floor 700 ft AGL on the shaded side | No (a drone at or below 400 ft AGL stays below it) |
| Class E starting at 1,200 ft AGL | Faded blue band (vignette), or no marking at all | Class E begins at 1,200 ft AGL unless the chart says otherwise | No |
| Class G (uncontrolled) | Not drawn; it’s what’s left underneath | From the surface up to the overlying Class E | No |
Source: FAA Chart Users’ Guide. Part 107 pilots need FAA authorization to fly in Class B, C, D or surface-area Class E (14 CFR 107.41), usually through LAANC. Recreational flyers need authorization in the same controlled airspace (FAA: Recreational Flyers).
Common trap: Class B and C shelves don’t start at the ground. Under an outer shelf with a 1,500-foot MSL floor, you may be outside Class C entirely, but you then need to know what’s underneath it (often Class E with a 700-foot floor, and Class G below that). On the test, check the floor, convert to AGL, and then ask what airspace is below. In real life, your B4UFLY or LAANC app shows this for your exact location. See Where Can I Fly My Drone?
Some airspace is part-time. When a control tower closes, Class C or D can change to another class, and the chart notes this with a reference to the Chart Supplement for hours. Look for those notes near the airport.
Reading an airport
- Color: airports with control towers and their data are shown in blue; all other airports are magenta (Chart Users’ Guide).
- The data block next to the airport lists, in order: the name, the location identifier, the control tower (“CT”) frequency if there is one, airport elevation in feet MSL, a lighting code, the length of the longest runway in hundreds of feet (“72” means 7,200 ft), and frequencies such as UNICOM. A circled “C” marks the Common Traffic Advisory Frequency (CTAF) used at non-towered airports.
- A star next to the tower frequency means the tower is part-time.
Test questions often ask for the CTAF or tower frequency, the airport elevation, or whether the airport is towered. All three are in the data block.
Obstacles and terrain
- Obstacles (towers, stacks, wind turbines) are shown when they’re more than 200 ft AGL, or more than 299 ft AGL in yellow city areas. The bold number is the top of the obstacle in feet MSL, and the number in parentheses below it is its height AGL. Obstacles 1,000 ft AGL and higher have a taller symbol, and lightning-bolt marks show obstacles with lights. Subtract the AGL number from the MSL number to get the ground elevation there.
- Maximum Elevation Figures (MEF) are the large blue numbers in each chart quadrant (the area bounded by 30-minute lines of latitude and longitude). Each one shows the highest terrain or obstacle in that quadrant, rounded up to the next 100 ft, in thousands with a smaller superscript for hundreds. A large 3 with a small 5 means 3,500 ft MSL.
- Wind turbine farms are shown as a hatched area. The Chart Users’ Guide warns that turbine blades and blade tips are not lighted.
Special use and other airspace
- Prohibited (P-) and Restricted (R-) areas, and Warning areas, are outlined with blue hatched borders. Don’t fly in a prohibited area. Restricted areas need permission from the controlling agency when they’re active.
- Military Operations Areas (MOAs) and Alert areas use magenta hatched borders. They aren’t off-limits to drones, but they warn of military or training traffic, so extra caution is wise.
- Military Training Routes are gray lines labeled IR (instrument) or VR (visual). Routes with four-digit numbers (such as VR1007) have no segment above 1,500 ft AGL, so military jets may fly very low there.
- National Security Areas are shown with a broken magenta line, and pilots are asked to avoid flying through them.
- Parachute jumping areas and other activity areas have their own symbols in the legend.
What the chart doesn’t show: Most temporary flight restrictions (TFRs) aren’t on the chart. According to the Chart Users’ Guide, only national-security TFRs are charted. Wildfire TFRs, VIP visits and stadium restrictions won’t appear. Check tfr.faa.gov or your B4UFLY app on the day you fly.
Latitude and longitude questions
Some test questions give coordinates (“What airspace is at 47°40’N, 101°26’W?”) or ask you for them. Sectionals are divided by latitude and longitude lines every 30 minutes, with tick marks for each minute in between. Latitude increases going north; west longitude increases going west, so in the US it increases to the left. Count minutes from the nearest labeled line, and double-check which way you’re counting.
A 5-step method for chart questions
- Find the point. Locate the spot or airport, and note any nearby airport elevation or obstacle label.
- Identify the lines around it. Solid blue (B), solid magenta (C), dashed blue (D), dashed magenta (E surface), or a shaded vignette (E at 700 or 1,200 ft).
- Read the altitudes. Add the two zeros back and remember they’re MSL.
- Convert to AGL using the ground elevation, and compare with the drone altitude in the question.
- Decide: Is the drone inside controlled airspace that needs authorization? Is there special use airspace, an obstacle or a training route to watch for?
How to practice
- Download the free FAA testing supplement (FAA-CT-8080-2H) from the FAA supplements page. It’s the same booklet used at the test center, so get used to finding things in it.
- Work through the FAA’s sample Part 107 questions and the chart and airspace sections of the free Remote Pilot Study Guide.
- Download the current sectional for your area and find your own house, nearby airports and local towers. Then compare what you find with your B4UFLY or LAANC app.
- Use the Remote Pilot Airman Certification Standards (FAA-S-ACS-10B) as your checklist of what the test can cover.
Many pilots find chart reading easier with a video course that walks through examples on screen. We compared the main options on price, content and pass guarantees in Best Part 107 Courses.
Related guides
- Part 107 hub: how to get your drone license
- Where Can I Fly My Drone?
- Drone Rules & Registration
- How High Can Drones Fly?
- Start Here
Sources
- FAA: Aeronautical Chart Users’ Guide (July 9, 2026 edition)
- FAA: Sectional Aeronautical Chart
- FAA: VFR Raster Charts (free downloads, edition dates)
- FAA: Airman Knowledge Testing Supplements
- FAA: Airman Certification Standards
- FAA: UAS Facility Maps
- 14 CFR 107.41 Operation in certain airspace
- FAA: Recreational Flyers
