How to Read a Sectional Chart for Part 107

What to carry into your next study session

• Start with the current chart and the FAA Aeronautical Chart User’s Guide so you can identify airspace boundaries, airport information, and other charted features.
• A dashed blue boundary generally depicts Class D airspace, while other boundary colors and line styles must be read with the chart legend and the surrounding information.
• Use sectional information with current NOTAMs, TFRs, and the applicable FAA authorization process; it is a planning reference, not permission to fly.
• UAS Facility Maps can inform an airspace-authorization request, but they are not authorization to fly; confirm approval and current restrictions before operating.

FAA testing update

October 26 change in effect

Since October 26, 2026, the FAA says Instrument Rating Airplane (IRA) and Unmanned Aircraft General – Small (UAG) tests include image-based questions that are not found in the test supplements. The FAA has not set a date for removing testing supplements from test centers; candidates will continue to have access until removal, with ample notice beforehand. Read the FAA advisory for details.

The October 26 date is when the test-content change begins, not a chart-edition effective date. These training excerpts use the FAA Seattle Sectional dated October 29, 2026; the chart prints an effective window from 0901Z October 29 through 0901Z December 24, 2026. As of this October 15 review, the FAA edition schedule still lists September 3 as current and October 29 as next, so the October edition is not yet effective. Each caption identifies its edition and FAA source.

These original chart-reading practice items are for study only; they are not actual FAA questions and do not predict what will appear on a test.

For the full explanation of the current test format and what the official notice does—and does not—confirm, read the dedicated October 26 image-question update.

Original practice item 1: Airspace line style

In this Seattle Sectional legend excerpt, which line style depicts Class D airspace?

• A. Blue dashed line
• B. Solid magenta line
• C. Magenta dashed line

Answer: A. The chart legend labels the blue dashed sample “Class D Airspace.” Its magenta solid sample is Class C; the magenta dashed sample marks Class E surface airspace.

Original practice item 2: Runway symbol

The legend pairs these filled airport symbols with which runway category?

• A. Airports with runways other than hard-surfaced
• B. Hard-surfaced runways 1,500 feet to 8,069 feet long
• C. Hard-surfaced runways over 8,069 feet or a group of shorter runways

Answer: B. The text beside the filled circle symbols gives the range as 1,500 to 8,069 feet. The legend uses open circles for airports with runways other than hard-surfaced.

Original practice item 3: Maximum elevation figure

In the chart quadrangle shown, what elevation does the blue “67” maximum elevation figure represent?

• A. 670 feet above mean sea level
• B. 6,700 feet above mean sea level
• C. 67,000 feet above mean sea level

Answer: B. The chart’s MEF note says these figures are in hundreds of feet above mean sea level. Multiply 67 by 100: the figure is 6,700 feet MSL.

Original practice item 4: Reading the MEF legend

The Seattle Sectional legend gives “125” as an example maximum elevation figure. What altitude does that figure represent?

• A. 1,250 feet above mean sea level
• B. 12,500 feet above mean sea level
• C. 125 feet above ground level

Answer: B. The chart legend states that MEFs are shown in hundreds of feet above mean sea level. Multiply 125 by 100 to read 12,500 feet MSL.