Part 107 ACS Task Area 2: Airspace Classification and Operating Requirements

Airspace Classification and Operating Requirements is Task Area 2 of the Unmanned Aircraft General, Small (UAG) Airman Certification Standards (ACS). Candidates consistently name this the hardest section of the Part 107 knowledge test, and the reason is structural: unlike a regulation you can memorize as text, this task area asks you to look at a sectional chart, a specialized aeronautical map covered in symbols, lines, and numbers, and correctly identify what airspace class covers a given location and whether you can legally fly there. No incumbent study resource in this niche ships a standalone, drill-first chart-reading tool as its flagship product; it is usually one chapter inside a longer paid course. We built one anyway: try the sectional chart drill for repeatable, free practice reading real chart symbology, separate from everything below.

The airspace classes, in Part 107 terms

The National Airspace System is divided into classes, and only some of them matter day to day for a small unmanned aircraft system (UAS, “drone”) pilot flying at or below 400 feet above ground level (AGL):

• Class B: the airspace around the busiest airports (major hubs), typically shaped like an upside-down wedding cake extending from the surface up to 10,000 feet mean sea level (MSL) near the airport. Always requires prior authorization to fly a drone inside it.
• Class C: airspace around airports with an operating control tower and radar approach service, generally extending from the surface to 4,000 feet above the airport. Always requires prior authorization.
• Class D: airspace around smaller airports with an operating control tower but no radar approach service, generally up to 2,500 feet above the airport. Always requires prior authorization.
• Class E: controlled airspace that does not meet the definition of B, C, or D. Most Class E starts well above 400 feet AGL and does not affect Part 107 operations, but Class E that extends down to the surface near certain airports does require authorization, the detail that trips up the most candidates.
• Class G: uncontrolled airspace, everywhere the classes above do not apply. No FAA authorization is required to fly a drone in Class G at or below 400 feet AGL, though local rules, private property, and other restrictions can still apply.

For the visual shape of how these classes stack around an airport (which ring sits where), see the airspace classes reference page.

Getting authorization: LAANC

The Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) is the FAA’s system for granting near-instant airspace authorization in controlled airspace at or below the pre-approved altitude for that specific grid, through an FAA-approved third-party app. It replaced the older process of manually requesting authorization and waiting days or weeks for a response in most controlled-airspace locations. Not every controlled-airspace grid is available through LAANC; some locations still require a manual request. The full walkthrough of how to actually get an authorization lives at LAANC airspace authorization.

Reading a sectional chart

A sectional chart marks airspace boundaries with specific line styles and colors: solid blue lines mark Class B boundaries, solid magenta lines mark Class C, dashed blue lines mark Class D, and a fading magenta shaded ring or a dashed magenta line marks Class E that reaches the surface. Airports themselves are marked with a symbol that also encodes runway type and lighting, and a chart’s marginal data explains every symbol used on that specific chart. Reading these correctly under time pressure is a skill built by repetition against many different charts, not by reading a legend once. The sectional chart symbols reference is a running glossary of what you’ll see on a chart; the sectional chart drill is where you actually practice reading them against realistic chart excerpts, in an untimed study mode or a timed exam-simulation mode.

Flight restrictions beyond airspace class

Airspace class is not the only thing that can restrict where you fly:

• Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs): short-term restrictions the FAA puts in place around events like wildfires, major sporting events, VIP movement, and disasters. A TFR can apply regardless of the underlying airspace class, and it changes on short notice, so it must be checked separately, close to your actual flight time.
• Special Use Airspace: includes Prohibited Areas (no aircraft allowed, marked “P-” on a chart), Restricted Areas (“R-”, hazardous activity like military exercises), and Military Operations Areas (“MOA”), each with its own access rules.
• Notices to Air Missions (NOTAMs): time-limited notices about hazards, closures, or changes not yet reflected on a printed chart, such as a temporary obstruction or a newly issued TFR.

The knowledge test expects you to recognize these restriction types by their chart symbols and general purpose, not to memorize every current TFR (those change too often to be a test topic).

How this gets tested

Expect chart-excerpt questions that show a small section of a real or representative sectional chart and ask you to identify the airspace class at a marked point, or whether authorization is required to fly there. This is the task area where passive reading does not transfer to test performance; you need active, repeated practice looking at charts and making the class call yourself. Combine the sectional chart drill with the free practice bank so you get both the chart-reading repetition and mixed-format questions from the rest of the exam.