Airspace
12 Sectional Chart Symbols Every Part 107 Pilot Should Know
The boundaries, airport data, obstacles, and special-use markings worth learning first for the Part 107 exam.
Key takeaway
Learn chart symbols in functional groups—airspace, airports, obstacles, and special-use areas—then practise locating them in context.
Airspace boundaries first
Boundary colour and line style provide the quickest clues to the class of airspace. Solid blue, solid magenta, dashed blue, and dashed magenta each communicate something different.
Do not stop at the boundary. Read vertical limits and determine whether your planned altitude intersects the airspace.
- Solid blue: Class B
- Solid magenta: Class C
- Dashed blue: Class D
- Dashed magenta: surface Class E
Airport symbols and data
Airport colour, runway depiction, and surrounding data help identify tower status, field elevation, frequencies, and other operational details.
The exam may require combining several chart elements rather than naming one symbol in isolation.
Obstacles and special-use areas
Obstacle symbols display height information that may be expressed in both MSL and AGL. Special-use airspace requires you to understand the type of activity and how to find current status information.
Put this guide into practice.
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