Part 107 Sectional Charts: How to Read One Without Staring at a Legend

Sectional charts are the specific tool tested inside Task Area 2, Airspace Classification and Operating Requirements, and “Part 107 sectional charts” is one of the most common searches candidates run once they realize the test expects them to actually read one, not just define what it is. This guide walks through what a sectional chart is and how to read its major features in plain language. Note: this page describes chart symbology in words rather than embedding a live FAA chart image, since FAA’s own chart-distribution servers block automated image fetching; every symbol described below is documented, publicly available structure, not a reproduction of any specific copyrighted chart excerpt.

What a sectional chart actually is

A sectional chart is the FAA’s standard visual flight rules (VFR) aeronautical chart, covering one section of the United States at a scale of 1:500,000 (roughly 8 nautical miles to the inch), detailed enough to navigate visually by matching terrain and landmarks to the chart. It packs three layers of information into one map: airspace (the classes and boundaries covered in airspace classification), topography and obstructions (terrain elevation, towers, and other hazards to low-altitude flight), and airports (location, type, and basic facility data). A remote pilot reads the same chart a manned VFR pilot reads; Part 107 does not have its own simplified chart.

Airspace boundaries: the feature the test asks about most

Airspace class is drawn with a specific boundary-line color and pattern: solid blue for Class B, solid magenta for Class C, dashed blue for Class D, and a dashed magenta line or soft magenta shading for the two Class E variants. Where boundaries are tiered (Class B and C both step down in floor and ceiling as you move away from the primary airport), each ring is labeled with its own floor and ceiling in hundreds of feet. The full class-by-class breakdown, including which classes require authorization before a Part 107 flight, is covered in airspace classification; this page focuses on reading the chart itself.

Airports: symbol shape tells you the runway layout

Airport symbols on a sectional chart encode more than location. The symbol’s shape reflects the runway configuration (a single line for one runway, a plus or asterisk-like shape for multiple crossing runways), and its color signals whether the airport has an operating control tower (blue) or not (magenta), the same color convention used for the surrounding airspace class. Each airport also carries basic facility data nearby, elevation, common frequencies, and lighting notes, printed in small type next to the symbol. For Part 107 purposes, the two things that actually matter are the airport’s presence (a reason to expect manned traffic and possible LAANC grid coverage) and whether the surrounding airspace class requires authorization, which you read from the boundary lines around it, not the airport symbol itself.

Obstructions: height matters more than the symbol

Towers, antennas, and other tall obstructions are marked with a distinct symbol, and each is charted with its height, both above mean sea level and above ground level, so a pilot can translate the number directly into “how much clearance do I have above my planned altitude.” A taller symbol style marks obstructions that exceed a notable height threshold, making the tallest hazards visually distinct at a glance rather than requiring you to read every printed number. For a drone operator capped at 400 feet AGL by Part 107, an obstruction’s above-ground-level figure is almost always the more directly useful number, since your operating ceiling is defined the same way.

Restrictions layered on top of airspace class

Beyond airspace class, a sectional chart marks additional restriction types that can apply regardless of the underlying class: Special Use Airspace like Prohibited Areas (“P-”, no aircraft allowed) and Restricted Areas (“R-”, hazardous activity such as military exercises), each drawn with its own hatched boundary and identifying number. Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs) are not permanent chart features since they are issued and lifted on short notice around events like wildfires or VIP movement, so a printed chart never shows a current TFR; that has to be checked separately, close to your actual flight time, through the FAA’s TFR listing. The full restriction taxonomy is covered in Task Area 2.

Reading fast is a practiced skill, not a lookup skill

Nobody reads a sectional chart correctly under time pressure the first time they see one; the skill comes from repeatedly looking at different chart excerpts until the symbols stop requiring conscious translation. That is the entire reason this site built a sectional chart drill as a dedicated practice surface instead of covering chart-reading in a single paragraph: repetition against varied chart excerpts, not a one-time legend read, is what actually transfers to test performance.

How this gets tested

Expect chart-excerpt questions that show a marked point and ask what airspace class covers it, whether authorization is required, or what a specific symbol (an obstruction, a restricted-area boundary, an airport type) means. Combine the sectional chart drill with the free practice bank so you get both the chart-reading repetition and the mixed-format recall questions the rest of the exam pulls from.