Part 107 airspace and charts, task by task
Where a drone may fly and what it needs first: the airspace classes, special-use and other airspace, and the operating requirements the FAA tests, grouped by its Airman Certification Standards.
What does the Part 107 test ask about airspace?
Airspace and its requirements make up 15 to 25 percent of the 60-question test. The FAA's Airman Certification Standards cover two tasks: airspace classification (Class B, C, D, E and G, special-use airspace, and other areas such as MTRs and TFRs) and operating requirements, from weather minimums and ATC authorizations to NOTAMs and flight hazards.
| UAS Topics | Percentage of Items on Test |
|---|---|
| I. Regulations | 15-25% |
| II. Airspace & Requirements | 15-25% |
| III. Weather | 11-16% |
| IV. Loading & Performance | 7-11% |
| V. Operations | 35-45% |
| Total Number of Questions | 60 |
Source: FAA-S-ACS-10B, Remote Pilot Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Airman Certification Standards, p. A-1
The other test areas: regulations, weather, loading and performance, operations.
Task A. Airspace Classification
Objective
To determine that the applicant is knowledgeable in airspace classification.
What the FAA lists for this task (9 items)
- UA.II.A.K1 General airspace:
- UA.II.A.K1a a. Class B controlled airspace
- UA.II.A.K1b b. Class C controlled airspace
- UA.II.A.K1c c. Class D controlled airspace
- UA.II.A.K1d d. Class E controlled airspace
- UA.II.A.K1e e. Class G uncontrolled airspace
- UA.II.A.K2 Special-use airspace, such as prohibited, restricted, warning areas, military operation areas, alert areas, and controlled firing areas.
- UA.II.A.K3 Other airspace areas, such as Airport Advisory Services, Military Training Routes (MTRs), Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs), Parachute Jump Operations, Terminal Radar Service Areas (TRSAs), National Security Areas (NSA) and Visual Flight Rules (VFR) routes.
- UA.II.A.K4 Air Traffic Control (ATC) and the NAS.
Source: FAA-S-ACS-10B, Area of Operation II, Task A
- AIM 3-3-1 and 14 CFR 107.41Can you fly a drone in Class G airspace?
- AIM 3-2-6 and 14 CFR 107.41Can you fly a drone in Class E airspace?
- AIM 3-2-5 and 14 CFR 107.41Can you fly a drone in Class D airspace?
- AIM 3-2-4 and 14 CFR 107.41Can you fly a drone in Class C airspace?
- FAA Chart Users' Guide, VFR terms and symbolsHow do you read a sectional chart as a drone pilot?
- AIM 3-4-5 and 14 CFR 107.45Can drones fly in a Military Operations Area (MOA)?
- 14 CFR 107.45 and AIM 3-4Can you fly a drone in a restricted or prohibited area?
Task B. Airspace Operational Requirements
Objective
To determine that the applicant is knowledgeable of airspace operational requirements.
What the FAA lists for this task (17 items)
- UA.II.B.K1 Basic weather minimums.
- UA.II.B.K2 ATC authorizations and related operating limitations.
- UA.II.B.K3 Operations near airports.
- UA.II.B.K4 Potential flight hazards.
- UA.II.B.K4a a. Common aircraft accident causal factors
- UA.II.B.K4b b. Avoid flight beneath unmanned balloons
- UA.II.B.K4c c. Emergency airborne inspection of other aircraft
- UA.II.B.K4d d. Precipitation static
- UA.II.B.K4e e. Light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation (laser) operations and reporting illumination of aircraft
- UA.II.B.K4f f. Avoiding flight in the vicinity of thermal plumes such as smoke stacks and cooling towers
- UA.II.B.K4g g. Flying in the wire environment
- UA.II.B.K5 The NOTAM system, including how to obtain an established NOTAM through Flight Service.
- UA.II.B.K6 Operator equipment for night flight.
- UA.II.B.K7 Ground structures and ground structure lighting.
- UA.II.B.K8 Hazards on the ground that do not have lighting.
- UA.II.B.K9 Manned aircraft lighting.
- UA.II.B.K10 sUAS lighting requirements.
Source: FAA-S-ACS-10B, Area of Operation II, Task B
- 14 CFR 107.51What are the Part 107 weather minimums for visibility and cloud clearance?
- 14 CFR 107.41 and 107.43Do you need permission to fly a drone in controlled airspace?
- 14 CFR 107.29Can you fly a drone at night under Part 107?
- FAA Chart Users' Guide, VFR airportsWhat do the airport symbols and data on a sectional chart mean?
- FAA-G-8082-22, ch. 2, and 14 CFR 107.47What is a NOTAM, and how do drone pilots check them?
- FAA-G-8082-22, ch. 11, and FAA-H-8083-25C, ch. 14What is the Chart Supplement, and how do you read it?
Practice this topic
UAV Campus has 77 practice questions in this topic, each with its FAA source. The free practice test mixes all five topics the way the real test does; the UAV Campus AI Flight Instructor quizzes you on the ones you miss. The questions are similar to the FAA test, not the actual test questions.