Class G is the airspace nobody has designated as controlled, and it is the one place Part 107 does not ask for ATC permission. Here is what it covers and what still applies.
Yes. Class G is uncontrolled airspace, and 14 CFR 107.41 does not list it, so a Part 107 remote pilot needs no ATC authorization to fly there. All other Part 107 rules still apply, including the 400-foot limit, the weather minimums, and not interfering with traffic at any airport.
The AIM defines Class G as the part of the airspace that has not been designated as Class A, B, C, D or E. The Chart Users' Guide says Class G within the United States extends up to 14,500 feet MSL, and the Study Guide says it extends from the surface to the base of the overlying Class E. On a sectional that base is the edge of the Class E vignette: a magenta vignette means Class E starts at 700 feet above the ground, a blue vignette marks other floors that abut Class G, and where nothing is shown Class E exists at 1,200 feet AGL.
Class G can also appear at an airport. A part-time Class D or Class E surface area can change to Class G when the tower is closed, and the Chart Supplement airport entry then reads 'other times CLASS G' (or 'other times CLASS E'). Check the entry before you assume the airspace, and remember that when two designations overlap, the more restrictive one applies (14 CFR 71.9).
The authorization rule itself is explained on our 14 CFR 107.41 and 107.43 page. The manned-aircraft VFR table in 14 CFR 91.155 has its own Class G column (for example, 1 statute mile and clear of clouds by day at 1,200 feet or less above the surface), but a small drone follows the Part 107 weather minimums on our visibility and cloud clearance page.
No person may operate a small unmanned aircraft in Class B, Class C, or Class D airspace or within the lateral boundaries of the surface area of Class E airspace designated for an airport unless that person has prior authorization from Air Traffic Control (ATC).
§ 107.43 Operation in the vicinity of airports.
No person may operate a small unmanned aircraft in a manner that interferes with operations and traffic patterns at any airport, heliport, or seaplane base.
AIM 3-3-1, Class G Airspace General
Class G airspace (uncontrolled) is that portion of airspace that has not been designated as Class A, Class B, Class C, Class D, or Class E airspace.
Chart Users' Guide, Uncontrolled Airspace
Class G Airspace within the United States extends up to 14,500' Mean Sea Level. At and above this altitude is Class E, excluding the airspace less than 1500' above the terrain and certain special use airspace areas.
Remote Pilot Study Guide, Class G Airspace
Class G airspace extends from the surface to the base of the overlying Class E airspace. A remote pilot will not need ATC authorization to operate in Class G airspace.
14 CFR 107.41 lists Class B, C and D and only the Class E surface area designated for an airport, so Class G needs no authorization, but 107.43 still bars interfering with operations and traffic patterns at any airport, heliport or seaplane base.
Class G does not end at one fixed height: it runs up to the floor of the overlying Class E, which the chart shows as 700 feet AGL (magenta vignette), another floor abutting Class G (blue vignette), or 1,200 feet AGL where nothing else is charted.
A part-time Class D or Class E surface area can change to Class G when the tower closes; the Chart Supplement states it as "other times CLASS G".
When airspace designations overlap, the operating rules of the more restrictive one apply, and Class E is more restrictive than Class G.
Quick quiz: 3 questions
Similar to the FAA test, not the actual test questions. Each answer shows its FAA source.
Question 1 of 3
When operating near an airport located in uncontrolled airspace, you should
A request approval from the airport manager to fly in the airspace.
B be sure to not interfere with airport operations.
C submit a LAANC request.
Show the answer
Answer: B. be sure to not interfere with airport operations.
(Approval is not required in uncontrolled airspace. You only need to make sure you do not interfere with airport operation. Refer to “Airport Operations > Operation near and at airports”.)
When a control tower located on an airport within Class D airspace ceases operation for the day, what happens to the airspace designation?
A The airspace reverts to Class E or a combination of Class E and G airspace during the hours the tower is not in operation.
B The airspace designation normally will not change.
C The airspace remains Class D airspace as long as a weather observer or automated weather system is available.
Show the answer
Answer: A. The airspace reverts to Class E or a combination of Class E and G airspace during the hours the tower is not in operation.
(The airspace is class D when the tower is in operation but reverts to Class E when not. In some situations, the airspace can be a combination of E and G.)
Refer to the chart excerpt. A wide faded magenta band forms a ring around Fredericksburg and SHANNON (EZF). What does this magenta vignette show?
Tap the figure to open it full size.
A Class E airspace that extends to the surface; ATC authorization is required to fly a small UA anywhere inside the ring.
B Controlled Class E airspace that begins at 700 feet AGL inside the ring; below that the airspace is Class G.
C Class G airspace that extends up to 1,200 feet AGL inside the ring.
Show the answer
Answer: B. Controlled Class E airspace that begins at 700 feet AGL inside the ring; below that the airspace is Class G.
The Chart Users Guide says controlled airspace floors of 700 feet above the ground are defined by a magenta vignette. Where there is no vignette or other floor shown, Class E begins at 1,200 feet AGL. So inside the faded ring Class E starts at 700 feet AGL, and the airspace below that is Class G.
Do the Class G cloud and visibility minimums in the manned VFR table apply to my drone?
Part 107 sets its own minimums for a small drone: 3 statute miles of visibility and 500 feet below and 2,000 feet horizontally from clouds, the same in every airspace class. The Class G column in the 14 CFR 91.155 table is the manned VFR table.
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