Part 107 Airspace Classes Explained: Class B, C, D, E, and G

Airspace is 15 to 20 percent of the Part 107 knowledge test. Five letter classes, a chart of colored lines, and a stack of altitude rules. The concept is simpler than it looks.

There are five airspace classes a Part 107 pilot needs to know. Each one stands for one type of place to fly. The rules for each follow the same logic.

The five classes at a glance

Class A

Class A starts at 18,000 feet MSL and runs up to flight level 600 (about 60,000 feet). It is the airspace where commercial jets cruise.

Part 107 caps your operations at 400 feet AGL, so a small UAS will never reach Class A. Class A test questions for Part 107 usually just check that you know it begins at 18,000 MSL.

Class B: the inverted wedding cake

Class B surrounds the busiest airports in the country. Think Atlanta (KATL), Los Angeles (KLAX), Chicago O'Hare (KORD), JFK (KJFK).

On a sectional chart, Class B is drawn with solid blue lines in stacked rings that look like an upside-down wedding cake. The smallest ring sits on the surface around the airport itself, and progressively larger rings sit higher up.

The shape exists to protect arriving and departing airliners as they descend and climb. The closer you are to the runway, the lower the floor of controlled airspace.

For Part 107, you need ATC authorization to operate inside Class B. The standard way is LAANC (Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability) through a third-party app like Aloft, AirMap, or Skyward.

For locations or altitudes not pre-approved in LAANC, submit a waiver through the FAA's DroneZone portal, which can take 30 to 90 days to process.

Class C: stepped shelves

Class C surrounds medium-traffic airports with an operating control tower and radar approach control. Examples: Albuquerque (KABQ), Reno (KRNO), El Paso (KELP).

On a sectional chart, Class C is drawn with solid magenta lines. Typically a 5-mile-radius inner circle from the surface, and a 10-mile-radius outer shelf from 1,200 feet AGL up to 4,000 feet AGL.

Authorization rules for Class C are identical to Class B. LAANC for routine operations, DroneZone waiver for everything else.

Class D: the cylinder

Class D surrounds airports with an operating control tower but no radar approach. The tower handles only local traffic. Most regional and small commercial airports fall here.

On a sectional chart, Class D is drawn with dashed blue lines as a single roughly cylindrical shape extending from the surface to a ceiling that is typically 2,500 feet AGL. The ceiling is shown in a dashed blue box on the chart, in hundreds of feet MSL.

A box reading "[28]" means the Class D ceiling is 2,800 feet MSL.

Class D is one of the most common authorization requests for Part 107 pilots because so many small towered airports have surrounding Class D. LAANC handles most requests in seconds.

When the tower closes for the night, the airspace usually reverts to Class E or Class G, which can change whether you need authorization. Always check the airport's remarks in the supplement.

Class E: the catch-all

Class E is all controlled airspace that is not Class A, B, C, or D. It exists to provide controlled airspace for instrument flight rules (IFR) traffic in transit between airports. Most of the country has Class E somewhere above it.

The trick for Part 107 is the floor of Class E, which varies by location.

• Class E surface area: starts at the surface around some non-towered airports with instrument approaches. Drawn with dashed magenta lines on a sectional. Authorization required.
• Class E starting at 700 feet AGL: shaded faded magenta on a sectional. No authorization required for Part 107 because you are limited to 400 feet AGL anyway.
• Class E starting at 1,200 feet AGL: shaded faded blue. Same logic as 700 feet: not relevant under your 400-foot ceiling.
• Class E starting at 14,500 feet MSL or other altitudes: not relevant for drone operations.

Class G: uncontrolled

Class G is uncontrolled airspace. ATC does not provide separation services in Class G, and you do not need authorization to operate there under Part 107.

This is where the majority of non-airport Part 107 operations take place: rural areas, small towns, properties miles from any airport.

Class G is what is left over after the other classes are drawn. On a chart, you identify it by the absence of any other airspace marking. There are no special lines for Class G because the entire chart is Class G unless something else overlays it.

Class G typically extends from the surface up to 700 or 1,200 feet AGL, where Class E takes over. Since Part 107 caps you at 400 feet AGL, you are almost always inside Class G when flying outside controlled airspace.

How do I request airspace authorization?

Whenever you need authorization to fly in B, C, D, or surface E, the workflow is the same:

• Open a LAANC-approved app (Aloft, AirMap, Skyward, AutoPylot; B4UFLY is read-only).
• Drop a pin at your planned location.
• Pick a date, start time, end time, and a maximum altitude.
• If your altitude is at or below the UAS Facility Map (UASFM) ceiling for that grid square, LAANC returns an automatic approval in seconds.
• If you are above the UASFM ceiling, the request is sent to the controlling tower for manual review (Further Coordination), which can take days.
• For altitudes the FAA does not pre-approve, file a waiver request through DroneZone. Plan for 30 to 90 days.

LAANC is free. DroneZone is free. Always carry a copy of your authorization (digital or paper) on the flight. An FAA inspector or law enforcement officer may ask to see it.

What are the common test traps on airspace questions?

• Color memory: solid blue is B, solid magenta is C, dashed blue is D, dashed magenta is E surface. Mixing up the dashed pair (D vs E surface) is an easy mistake to make.
• Altitude format: airspace floors and ceilings on a chart are shown in hundreds of feet MSL. "100/SFC" means a ceiling of 10,000 feet MSL with the floor at the surface.
• Authorization scope: LAANC approval is per location AND per altitude. A new pin requires a new request.
• Class E above 400 feet AGL is irrelevant to a Part 107 pilot under the standard altitude rule. Watch for questions that draw attention to Class E shading when the real answer is "you cannot legally fly that high anyway."
• Tower hours: a Class D airport whose tower closes overnight may revert to Class E or G after hours. Check the supplement.
• TFRs are not airspace classes. They overlay any airspace and prohibit operations during the active period regardless of which class you are in.

A sample airspace question

Question: You plan to operate a small UAS at 200 feet AGL inside the dashed blue boundary of an active Class D airport. Which of the following is required before you may fly?

• A. Nothing. You are below the Class D ceiling.
• B. ATC authorization through LAANC or DroneZone.
• C. A Certificate of Waiver under 14 CFR 107.200.
• D. Notification to the airport manager only.

Answer: B. Class D extends from the surface upward, and any operation inside Class D requires prior ATC authorization regardless of altitude. LAANC is the standard pathway.

A 107.200 waiver would only be needed if you wanted to deviate from a different Part 107 rule, not for routine airspace authorization. Notifying the airport manager does not substitute for authorization.

How do I drill airspace?

Airspace questions reward two things: pattern recognition and rule recall.

Pattern recognition is the colors and shapes on a chart. Rule recall is which class needs authorization. Both improve fastest with repetition.

Run airspace-only quizzes daily for a week before your test. Pull up a free sectional viewer like SkyVector when something does not click. The airspace around a familiar local airport is the fastest way to internalize what the colors mean.

Practice content on this page is derived from 14 CFR Part 107 and the FAA Aeronautical Information Manual. It is for educational purposes. Always verify current rules with the FAA before relying on them for a real flight.