The Numbers Sheet
Every memorizable figure in one place.
| Number | What it's |
|---|---|
| 87 knots | Maximum groundspeed (the regulation notes this equals 100 miles per hour) |
| 400 feet AGL | Maximum altitude above the ground |
| 400 feet / 400-foot radius | The structure exception: up to 400 feet above a structure's uppermost limit, only while within a 400-foot radius of it |
| 3 statute miles | Minimum flight visibility, observed from the control station |
| 500 feet below | Minimum cloud clearance, vertically |
| 2,000 feet horizontally | Minimum cloud clearance, sideways |
| 3 statute miles | Distance your anti-collision lighting must be visible for at night |
| 30 minutes | Civil twilight, either side of official sunrise and sunset, except in Alaska |
| 55 pounds | Maximum takeoff weight, including everything on board or attached. It must be less than 55 pounds |
| 0.55 pounds | Category 1 threshold, and the recreational registration threshold (about 250 grams) |
| 11 foot-pounds | Category 2 kinetic energy threshold |
| 25 foot-pounds | Category 3 kinetic energy threshold |
| 10 calendar days | Deadline to file a safety event report |
| $500 | The repair-cost and fair-market-value figures that remove the reporting duty |
| 8 hours | Bottle to throttle |
| 0.04 percent | Maximum blood alcohol concentration |
| 1 year | Maximum period an application may be denied after a drug or alcohol offense |
| 16 years | Minimum age to hold the certificate |
| 24 calendar months | Aeronautical knowledge recency period |
| 14 calendar days | Wait before retesting after a failure |
| 3 years | Term of a Certificate of Aircraft Registration |
| $5 | Aircraft registration fee, per aircraft under Part 107 |
| $175 | Test fee, per attempt |
| 60 + 5 | Sixty scored questions plus five unscored validation questions |
| 120 minutes | Time allowed |
| 70 percent | Passing score, which is 42 of the 60 scored questions |
The Blueprint
Effective 29 September 2025. If your other study material doesn't match this table, it was written for the old exam.
| Content area | Weight | Roughly |
|---|---|---|
| Regulations | 48% | 29 questions |
| Operations | 25% | 15 questions |
| Airspace Classification and Operating Requirements | 20% | 12 questions |
| Weather | 5% | 3 questions |
| Loading and Performance | 2% | 1 question |
Regulations and Airspace together are 68 percent of your score. Spend your evenings accordingly.
Airspace at a Glance
| Class | Typical vertical limits | Prior ATC authorization? |
|---|---|---|
| A | 18,000 feet MSL to flight level 600 | Not reachable under Part 107 |
| B | Surface to about 10,000 feet MSL | Yes |
| C | Surface to about 4,000 feet above airport elevation, with an outer shelf from about 1,200 feet AGL | Yes |
| D | Surface to about 2,500 feet above airport elevation | Yes |
| E surface area | Surface upward | Yes |
| E (700 or 1,200 foot floor) | From 700 or 1,200 feet AGL upward | No |
| G | Surface to the base of the overlying Class E | No |
The chart legend states that Class E exists at 1,200 feet AGL unless otherwise designated. That's your default answer when nothing else on the chart says different.
What each class looks like on a chart, in words
Here are the six boundaries described the way you'll meet them.
- Class B is drawn as a solid blue line. Inside it you'll find boxed figures giving the ceiling on top and the floor of that shelf underneath.
- Class C is drawn as a solid magenta line, usually two rings, with boxed figures the same way.
- Class D is drawn as a dashed blue line with a small dashed box containing one number, which is the ceiling in hundreds of feet MSL. A number like 25 means 2,500 feet MSL. A minus sign in front, like -25, means up to but not including 2,500 feet MSL.
- A Class E surface area is drawn as a dashed magenta line. This is the one Class E shape that needs authorization.
- Class E with a 700-foot AGL floor is a shaded, faded magenta band, soft-edged, fading inward. Below it, down to the ground, is Class G.
- Class E with a floor of 1,200 feet or higher is a shaded, faded blue band. Below it, again, Class G.
- Class A isn't drawn on a sectional chart at all, because nothing flying visually needs to see it.
Every boxed airspace figure is in hundreds of feet MSL, top number is the ceiling, bottom number is the floor, and SFC in the bottom position means surface.
The six-step chart procedure
- Locate the point the question is asking about.
- Classify the airspace using the color and line style above.
- Check the vertical limits from the boxed figures, remembering they're MSL.
- Establish ground elevation if you need it, from an obstruction's two numbers or a spot elevation.
- Convert between MSL and AGL if the question demands it.
- Apply the regulation, usually 107.41 for authorization or 107.51 for altitude.
Obstructions, in two numbers
The upper number, with no parentheses, is MSL. The lower number, in parentheses, is AGL, meaning the height of the thing itself. An obstruction marked 2,049 over (1,149) is 1,149 feet tall, tops out at 2,049 feet MSL, and therefore stands on ground at 900 feet MSL. Radiating lines mean high-intensity lighting. Two symbols joined together mean a group obstruction, and the height given belongs to the tallest one.
Special Use Airspace
| Type | Designator | Can you enter? |
|---|---|---|
| Prohibited area | P-56 | No. No mechanism exists for you |
| Restricted area | R-2304 | Only with permission from the using or controlling agency |
| Warning area | W-72 | Yes, with caution. Starts 3 nautical miles off the coast |
| Military operations area | Named, not numbered | Yes, with extreme caution when active |
| Alert area | A-231 | Yes. Everyone shares collision-avoidance responsibility |
| Controlled firing area | None charted | Yes. Activity stops when an aircraft approaches |
All of these are charted except the controlled firing area. Military training routes appear as thin gray lines labeled IR or VR. Four digits means the route has segments at or below 1,500 feet AGL. Three digits means it stays entirely above 1,500 feet AGL. Temporary flight restrictions are never printed on a chart, which is why checking NOTAMs is a separate job from reading the chart.
The Four Over-People Categories, Side by Side
The default is that you may not fly over a human being at all. These are the ways around it.
| Category | The test it must pass | Paperwork | Open-air assemblies |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Weighs 0.55 pounds or less, including everything on board or attached | None | Allowed, if remote ID under 89.110 or 89.115(a) is met |
| 2 | Won't cause injury equivalent to a transfer of 11 foot-pounds of kinetic energy | Declaration of compliance and a label | Allowed, on the same remote ID condition |
| 3 | Won't cause injury equivalent to a transfer of 25 foot-pounds of kinetic energy | Declaration of compliance and a label | Never. Flatly barred |
| 4 | Holds an airworthiness certificate under Part 21 | Flight Manual limitations and maintenance records | Allowed, on the same remote ID condition |
Categories 1, 2, and 3 all require no exposed rotating parts that would lacerate human skin. Categories 2 and 3 also require no safety defects. Category 3 has one more leash: you may fly over people only within a closed or restricted access site where everyone present is on notice, or without maintaining sustained flight over anyone.
Two exceptions need no category at all: people directly participating in your operation, and people under a covered structure or inside a stationary vehicle. And if a Category 2 or 3 label goes missing, you relabel the aircraft in English, legibly and prominently, before you fly over anyone.
The Ten Waivable Provisions
107.25 moving vehicle. 107.29(a)(2) and (b) anti-collision lighting. 107.31 visual line of sight. 107.33 visual observer. 107.35 multiple aircraft. 107.37(a) right of way. 107.39 operation over people. 107.41 airspace. 107.51 operating limitations. 107.145 moving vehicles.
No waiver of 107.25 or 107.31 will be issued to carry another person's property for compensation or hire. And the night training requirement in 107.29(a)(1) isn't waivable, only the lighting parts.
Commonly offered as wrong answers, and never waivable: 107.36 hazardous material, 107.17 medical condition, 107.19 remote PIC responsibility, 107.23 hazardous operation, 107.9 safety event reporting, 107.7 inspection and document presentation.
Remote ID: Eight Versus Seven
| Message element | Standard remote ID aircraft | Broadcast module |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | Aircraft serial number or session ID | Module serial number only |
| Aircraft latitude and longitude | Yes | Yes |
| Aircraft geometric altitude | Yes | Yes |
| Velocity | Yes | Yes |
| Second location | Control station | Take-off location |
| Second geometric altitude | Control station | Take-off location |
| Time mark | Yes | Yes |
| Emergency status | Yes | No |
| Total | 8 | 7 |
The three differences are the identity source, which location gets reported, and emergency status. One more thing a module does that the exam likes: with a broadcast module, the person manipulating the controls must be able to see the aircraft at all times, which rules out beyond visual line of sight flying even with a waiver of 107.31.
The third compliance route is a FRIA, where both the aircraft and the pilot stay inside its boundaries. A FRIA doesn't let you fly over an open-air assembly.
METAR Decoding Key
Worked example:
METAR KGGG 161753Z AUTO 14021G26KT 3/4SM +TSRA BR BKN008 OVC012CB 18/17 A2970
| Element | What it says |
|---|---|
| KGGG | Station identifier |
| 161753Z | Day 16, 1753 UTC |
| AUTO | Automated station, no human observer |
| 14021G26KT | Wind from 140 degrees true at 21 knots, gusting 26 |
| 3/4SM | Visibility three quarters of a statute mile |
| +TSRA BR | Heavy thunderstorm with rain, plus mist |
| BKN008 | Broken cloud at 800 feet AGL |
| OVC012CB | Overcast at 1,200 feet AGL, cumulonimbus |
| 18/17 | Temperature 18 C, dew point 17 C |
| A2970 | Altimeter 29.70 inches of mercury |
Sky cover: SKC or CLR is none. FEW is 1 to 2 eighths. SCT is 3 to 4 eighths. BKN is 5 to 7 eighths. OVC is 8 eighths. The ceiling is the lowest BKN or OVC layer, so in this example it's 800 feet. FEW and SCT never make a ceiling.
Intensity: a minus sign is light, no sign is moderate, a plus sign is heavy. RA rain, SN snow, TS thunderstorm, BR mist, FG fog, HZ haze, DZ drizzle.
Cloud heights are hundreds of feet AGL. METAR wind direction is true; a tower or ATIS gives you magnetic.
TAF change groups: FM is a rapid permanent change from a stated time. BECMG is gradual. TEMPO is a fluctuation lasting under an hour at a time. PROB40 is a 40 percent probability.
Fog indicator: when temperature and dew point sit within about 2 degrees Celsius of each other, expect fog or low cloud. The example above has a one-degree spread, which is exactly why it's full of weather.
Manned Aircraft Position Lights
- Red on the left wingtip. Green on the right wingtip. White at the tail.
- Red on your left, green on your right: it's coming toward you.
- Only a white light: it's heading away from you.
- Red on your right, green on your left: it's crossing from your right to your left.
And the rule that never bends: your aircraft yields to everything. There's no scenario in which a manned aircraft gives way to you.
The Five Hazardous Attitudes
| Attitude | The thought | The antidote |
|---|---|---|
| Anti-authority | "Don't tell me what to do" | Follow the rules. They're usually right. |
| Impulsivity | "Do something quickly" | Not so fast. Think first. |
| Invulnerability | "It won't happen to me" | It could happen to me. |
| Macho | "I can do it" | Taking chances is foolish. |
| Resignation | "What's the use?" | I'm not helpless. I can make a difference. |
Learn the antidotes word for word. The exam asks for them that way.
DECIDE and IMSAFE
DECIDE: Detect the change. Estimate the need to react. Choose a desirable outcome. Identify actions. Do the action. Evaluate the effect.
IMSAFE: Illness. Medication. Stress. Alcohol. Fatigue. Emotion.
The Six Preflight Duties (107.49)
- Assess the operating environment, which must include local weather, local airspace and flight restrictions, the location of persons and property on the surface, and other ground hazards.
- Inform all direct participants about operating conditions, emergency procedures, contingency procedures, roles, and hazards.
- Ensure all control links are working properly.
- Ensure there's enough power for the intended operational time.
- Ensure anything attached or carried is secure and doesn't affect controllability.
- Ensure the aircraft meets the right category requirements if you're flying over human beings.
Your Brain-Dump Sheet
In the first minute of your exam, before you read a single question, write this on the scratch paper:
- 87 / 400 / 3 / 500 and 2,000.
- Blue solid B, magenta solid C, blue dashed D, magenta dashed E surface, shaded magenta 700, shaded blue 1,200.
- Authorization needed: B, C, D, E surface area.
- Cat 1 = 0.55 lb. Cat 2 = 11. Cat 3 = 25 and no crowds. Cat 4 = airworthiness certificate.
- 8 hours, 0.04 percent.
- Boxed figures are MSL. The 400-foot limit is AGL.
That takes about sixty seconds and buys back far more than it costs.
Test Day Checklist
The center supplies: the supplement book with charts, legends, and figures; an accountable number of blank scratch sheets; a writing instrument; and, at its discretion, basic calculators, basic flight computers, transparent overlays, and dry erase markers.
You may bring: scales, straightedges, protractors, plotters, navigation computers, blank logsheets, holding pattern entry aids, and a standard nonelectronic handheld calculator. Plus a government-issued photo ID showing your name, date of birth, signature, and photo, with the name matching your IACRA record exactly.
You may not bring: your own pens or pencils, a watch or any timekeeping device, a dictionary, a phone or any device capable of text or video recording, or any booklet explaining how to use a test aid.
Arrive at least fifteen minutes early.
CFR Section Index
Everything below is free to read at eCFR.gov.
Part 107: 107.1 applicability. 107.3 definitions. 107.5 [Reserved]. 107.7 inspection and documents. 107.9 safety event reporting. 107.12 certification requirement. 107.13 registration. 107.15 condition for safe operation. 107.17 medical condition. 107.19 remote PIC responsibility. 107.21 in-flight emergency. 107.23 hazardous operation. 107.25 moving vehicles. 107.27 alcohol and drugs. 107.29 night and lighting. 107.31 visual line of sight. 107.33 visual observer. 107.35 multiple aircraft. 107.36 hazardous material. 107.37 right of way. 107.39 operation over human beings. 107.41 airspace authorization. 107.43 airport operations. 107.45 restricted areas. 107.47 flight restrictions. 107.49 preflight actions. 107.51 operating limitations. 107.57 and 107.59 drug and alcohol consequences. 107.61 eligibility. 107.65 recency. 107.71 retesting. 107.73 and 107.74 knowledge and training. 107.110 through 107.165 the four categories, means of compliance, and declarations. 107.200 and 107.205 waivers.
Part 89: 89.105 the requirement. 89.110 standard remote ID. 89.115 broadcast modules and FRIAs. 89.305 and 89.315 the message elements. 89.310 performance requirements.
Part 48: 48.15 registration requirement. 48.100 registration term. 48.205 marking.