CSLB General Building (B) — All Questions

A remote pilot plans to fly a small UAS at 250 ft AGL over open farmland. The sectional chart shows the site is not enclosed by any solid blue, segmented blue, segmented magenta, or dashed magenta line, and no shaded band covers the area. What airspace authorization does this operation require?

• a.A written waiver issued by an FAA Flight Standards District Office
• b.LAANC authorization obtained through an approved UAS service supplier
• c.Verbal approval from the overlying Air Route Traffic Control Center
• d.None, because the operation is in Class G airspace, which needs no ATC authorization✓

The absence of any airspace boundary line or shaded band means the surface airspace is Class G, and §107.41 requires prior ATC authorization only for Class B, C, D, and the lateral boundaries of surface-area Class E. LAANC and DroneZone requests apply to those controlled surface areas, not to Class G. A waiver is needed only to deviate from an operating rule such as §107.31 or §107.51, and ARTCC does not issue Part 107 authorizations.14 CFR §107.41

A sectional chart shows an airport enclosed by a segmented (dashed) blue line with a boxed number nearby. A remote pilot wants to operate at 200 ft AGL from a park located 1.5 SM inside that dashed blue boundary. What is required before the flight?

• a.Only a radio call to the control tower on the published CTAF before takeoff
• b.Prior authorization from ATC, obtained through LAANC or FAA DroneZone✓
• c.Nothing, because operations below 400 ft AGL are exempt from authorization
• d.Relocation of the operation to a point at least 3 NM from the airport

A segmented blue line depicts Class D airspace, and §107.41 requires prior ATC authorization before operating in Class D. That authorization is requested electronically through LAANC or through FAA DroneZone, not by making a radio call. There is no blanket exemption for flights below 400 ft AGL, and moving 3 NM away would not by itself guarantee the site is outside the Class D boundary.14 CFR §107.41

A remote pilot studying a sectional finds the intended launch site inside a dashed magenta line that surrounds a small non-towered airport. What does this depiction mean for the planned Part 107 flight?

• a.Class E airspace begins at the surface there, so prior ATC authorization is required✓
• b.The area is Class G to 1,200 ft AGL, so the flight may proceed without authorization
• c.Class E begins at 700 ft AGL, so no authorization is needed below that altitude
• d.The airport lies inside Class D airspace, so only a CTAF broadcast is required

A dashed magenta line marks a Class E surface area, which is controlled airspace from the ground up, so §107.41 requires ATC authorization before operating within its lateral boundaries. A magenta shaded band, not a dashed line, is what indicates Class E beginning at 700 ft AGL. Class D is drawn with a segmented blue line, and no radio call substitutes for an authorization.14 CFR §107.41

On a sectional chart, a rural area is covered by a wide faded magenta shaded band, and no dashed or segmented lines cross the site. At what altitude does controlled Class E airspace begin over this location?

• a.At the surface, because any magenta shading indicates a surface area
• b.At 1,200 ft AGL, the standard floor used across most of the country
• c.At 700 ft AGL, which is what the faded magenta shaded band depicts✓
• d.At 14,500 ft MSL, the floor of Class E over unmapped terrain

The soft magenta vignette on a sectional shows that the floor of Class E airspace is lowered to 700 ft AGL, usually to protect instrument approaches. A blue vignette is what marks a Class E floor of 1,200 ft AGL, and a dashed magenta line marks a Class E surface area. Because the Class E floor here is 700 ft AGL, the airspace below it is Class G and needs no authorization under §107.41.

While operating a small UAS at 300 ft AGL over an open field, the remote PIC and the visual observer see a crop-dusting airplane maneuvering toward the operating area at roughly the same altitude. What action is required?

• a.Hold the current altitude and heading, since manned aircraft must give way to a UAS
• b.Climb the aircraft above the airplane so that its pilot can see it more easily
• c.Broadcast the UAS position on the local CTAF and continue the planned flight
• d.Yield the right of way by maneuvering clear, descending, or landing so no collision hazard exists✓

Section 107.37 requires the small UAS to yield the right of way to all aircraft and prohibits operating so close to another aircraft as to create a collision hazard. Manned aircraft are never required to give way to a small UAS, so holding course is both unsafe and non-compliant. Climbing toward the airplane increases the hazard, and a radio broadcast does not relieve the remote PIC of the duty to yield.14 CFR §107.37

A remote pilot applicant is reviewing the vertical structure of the National Airspace System. Which statement correctly describes the vertical limits of Class A airspace?

• a.It extends from the surface up to and including 10,000 ft MSL nationwide
• b.It extends from 18,000 ft MSL up to and including FL600 over the contiguous states✓
• c.It extends from 14,500 ft MSL up to but not including 18,000 ft MSL
• d.It extends from 700 ft AGL up to but not including 18,000 ft MSL

Class A airspace begins at 18,000 ft MSL and continues up to and including FL600, and every operation inside it is flown under instrument flight rules. The block from 14,500 ft MSL to 18,000 ft MSL is generally Class E, not Class A. The 700 ft AGL and surface figures describe Class E floors and surface areas, and no airspace class uses a nationwide 10,000 ft MSL ceiling.

A remote pilot needs to fly inside Class D airspace tomorrow morning and wants the fastest lawful way to obtain approval. Which statement best describes the Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC)?

• a.It provides near real-time automated ATC authorization up to the UAS Facility Map grid ceilings✓
• b.It files an instrument flight plan with ATC on behalf of the remote pilot in command
• c.It grants an automatic waiver of the visual line of sight requirement found in §107.31
• d.It publishes temporary flight restrictions and national security notices to remote pilots

LAANC is an automated system reached through FAA-approved UAS service suppliers that issues ATC authorization for controlled airspace within seconds when the request is at or below the published UAS Facility Map grid ceiling. It does not file flight plans, because Part 107 flights are conducted under visual rules and need none. Waivers of operating rules such as §107.31 come only from the FAA through the waiver process, and TFRs are distributed through the NOTAM system.

A remote pilot checks the UAS Facility Map for a job site inside Class C airspace and finds that the grid square covering the site is marked 0, while the neighboring squares show 100, 200, and 400. What does the 0 mean for this operation?

• a.The site may be flown up to 400 ft AGL, since facility maps are advisory only
• b.The site may be flown up to 100 ft AGL by matching the nearest adjacent grid value
• c.No altitude is pre-approved there, so further coordination through FAA DroneZone is needed✓
• d.The site is actually Class G airspace, so no authorization request is required at all

A grid ceiling of 0 means the FAA has pre-approved no altitude for automatic LAANC authorization in that square, so an automated request will be denied and the pilot must apply for further coordination through FAA DroneZone. Facility map values are not advisory suggestions; they are the ceilings ATC has agreed to approve automatically. A pilot may not borrow a neighboring square's value, and the presence of a facility map grid confirms the airspace is controlled, not Class G.

Near a busy airport a sectional chart shows a solid magenta circle marking the outer shelf of Class C airspace, with a small boxed notation reading 45 above a line and 12 below it. How should a remote pilot interpret those two numbers?

• a.The ceiling is 4,500 ft AGL and the floor is 1,200 ft AGL above the reporting point
• b.The ceiling is 4,500 ft MSL and the floor of that airspace segment is 1,200 ft MSL✓
• c.The ceiling is 45,000 ft MSL and the floor of that airspace segment is 12,000 ft MSL
• d.The ceiling is 4,500 ft MSL and the airspace segment extends down to the surface

Numbers in an airspace box on a sectional are expressed in hundreds of feet MSL, so 45 over 12 means a ceiling of 4,500 ft MSL over a floor of 1,200 ft MSL for that outer shelf. The values are MSL, not AGL, so a pilot must add field or terrain elevation reasoning when comparing them to altitude above the ground. A floor reaching the ground would be printed as SFC rather than a number, and 45,000 ft would appear as 450.

A sectional chart shows a towered airport ringed by a segmented blue line, with a boxed bracketed notation printed as 25 next to the ring. What does that notation tell the remote pilot?

• a.The airport control tower remains in operation until 2,500 local time each day
• b.The controlled airspace around the airport tops out at 25,000 ft MSL
• c.The floor of the airspace is 2,500 ft MSL, with uncontrolled airspace below it
• d.The Class D airspace extends from the surface up to and including 2,500 ft MSL✓

A bracketed number beside a Class D ring is the ceiling of that airspace in hundreds of feet MSL, so 25 means the Class D extends from the surface up to and including 2,500 ft MSL. Class D areas always begin at the surface, so the notation cannot be describing a floor. It is an altitude, not a time of day, and 25,000 ft would be printed as 250.

A sectional shows a large airport surrounded by several solid blue rings of increasing radius, forming an upside-down wedding cake. The innermost ring is labeled 70 above SFC. A remote pilot wants to fly at 150 ft AGL from a rooftop inside that innermost ring. What applies?

• a.The site is in Class B surface airspace, so ATC authorization is required before flight✓
• b.No authorization is needed because the operation stays below 400 ft AGL
• c.Authorization is needed only if the aircraft will climb above 1,200 ft AGL
• d.Part 107 operations are permanently prohibited anywhere inside Class B airspace

An inner segment labeled 70 over SFC is Class B airspace extending from the surface up to 7,000 ft MSL, so §107.41 requires ATC authorization before any Part 107 flight there. Staying low does not exempt the flight, because the controlled airspace reaches all the way to the ground in that ring. Class B is not closed to Part 107; authorization is routinely granted through LAANC or DroneZone where facility maps allow it.14 CFR §107.41

While comparing two airports on the same sectional chart, a remote pilot notices that one airport symbol is printed in blue and the other in magenta. What does the color difference indicate?

• a.Magenta airports have an operating control tower while blue airports do not
• b.Blue airports are restricted to military traffic and magenta airports to civil traffic
• c.Blue means the airport has an operating control tower and magenta means it does not✓
• d.The color shows whether fuel and maintenance services are available at the field

Sectional charts print airports with an operating control tower in blue and non-towered airports in magenta, which tells a remote pilot at a glance whether the field is likely to sit inside Class B, C, or D airspace. The convention is not reversed, and it says nothing about military versus civil use, which is shown by the airport name and other symbols. Fuel and services are indicated by tick marks and the airport data block, not by color.

The airport data block on a sectional lists the frequency 122.9 followed by a solid circle containing the letter C. What does that symbol tell a remote pilot planning to monitor local traffic?

• a.The listed frequency is the automated terminal information service broadcast
• b.The listed frequency is the common traffic advisory frequency, or CTAF✓
• c.The listed frequency is a control tower frequency staffed around the clock
• d.The listed frequency is the air route traffic control center frequency for the area

A solid circle enclosing the letter C marks the published CTAF, the frequency pilots use to self-announce position and intentions at a non-towered field or when a tower is closed. ATIS, tower, and center frequencies are each labeled separately in the data block or on the chart by name. Monitoring the CTAF helps a remote pilot build awareness of arriving and departing traffic, though listening does not replace the duty to yield the right of way.

An airport data block on a sectional chart reads: 1246 L 52. How should a remote pilot planning an operation nearby interpret this line?

• a.Field elevation 1,246 ft MSL, lighting available, longest runway 5,200 ft✓
• b.Field elevation 1,246 ft AGL, lighting available, longest runway 52 ft
• c.Field elevation 1,246 ft MSL, lighting available, and 52 aircraft based there
• d.Runway heading 124 degrees, lighting available, and pattern altitude 5,200 ft

In an airport data block the first figure is field elevation in feet MSL, the letter L means runway lighting is available at least part of the night, and the last figure is the length of the longest runway in hundreds of feet, so 52 is 5,200 ft. Field elevation is always given in MSL, never AGL, which matters when converting a planned MSL altitude to height above the ground. The number of based aircraft and the traffic pattern altitude are published in the Chart Supplement, not in this line.

A remote pilot is inspecting a roof about half a mile from the end of the only runway at a non-towered airport in Class G airspace, and light aircraft are actively flying the traffic pattern. What does Part 107 require in this situation?

• a.Nothing further, provided the small UAS remains below 400 ft AGL at all times
• b.A position report broadcast on the CTAF at least once every two minutes during the flight
• c.A NOTAM filed with the FAA at least 24 hours before the inspection begins
• d.That the operation not interfere with operations and traffic patterns at the airport✓

Section 107.43 prohibits operating a small UAS in a manner that interferes with operations and traffic patterns at any airport, heliport, or seaplane base, and that duty applies even in Class G airspace where no authorization is needed. Remaining below 400 ft AGL satisfies §107.51 but does not by itself satisfy §107.43 if the aircraft sits under the approach path. Part 107 does not require remote pilots to file NOTAMs or to make periodic CTAF broadcasts.14 CFR §107.43

A survey site falls inside an area outlined on the sectional with a blue hatched border and labeled R-2508. The chart panel lists the area as active during daylight hours with a using agency shown. What governs the planned Part 107 flight?

• a.The flight is allowed below 400 ft AGL because restricted areas apply only to manned aircraft
• b.The flight is allowed as long as the aircraft remains at least 3 NM outside the boundary
• c.The flight may not enter the area unless permission of the controlling or using agency is obtained✓
• d.The flight is allowed once LAANC authorization for the underlying airspace is approved

Section 107.45 forbids operating a small UAS in a prohibited or restricted area unless the remote pilot has permission from the using or controlling agency, and the R prefix identifies a restricted area. Restricted areas contain hazards such as artillery or guided missiles and apply to unmanned as well as manned aircraft, so low altitude does not exempt the flight. Staying outside the boundary would be legal, but the question places the site inside, and LAANC addresses controlled airspace rather than special use areas.14 CFR §107.45

A remote pilot notices an area on the sectional outlined in blue hatching and labeled with a P prefix followed by a number. Which statement correctly describes how Part 107 treats this airspace?

• a.Flight there is prohibited unless the remote pilot has permission from the using agency✓
• b.The restriction takes effect only above 18,000 ft MSL, so low flights are unaffected
• c.Transiting the area is allowed while below 400 ft AGL and within visual line of sight
• d.The area is closed only during the published hours printed in the chart margin panel

A P prefix identifies a prohibited area established for security or national welfare reasons, and §107.45 bars small UAS operations in prohibited and restricted areas without permission from the using or controlling agency. Prohibited areas extend from the surface upward, so a low altitude or a visual line of sight operation gains no exemption. Unlike some restricted areas and MOAs, prohibited areas are continuously in effect rather than limited to published hours.14 CFR §107.45

A remote pilot is asked to shoot promotional footage outside a college football stadium that seats about 55,000 spectators. Which set of dimensions and times describes the standing sporting event flight restriction?

• a.1 NM radius, surface to 1,000 ft AGL, in effect only while the game is being played
• b.5 NM radius, surface to 5,000 ft AGL, beginning 2 hours before the scheduled start
• c.3 NM radius, surface to 1,000 ft AGL, beginning 30 minutes before the scheduled start
• d.3 NM radius, surface to 3,000 ft AGL, from 1 hour before until 1 hour after the event✓

The standing sporting event restriction covers a 3 NM radius from the center of a stadium seating 30,000 or more people, from the surface to 3,000 ft AGL, starting one hour before the scheduled event time and ending one hour after it ends. Section 107.47 requires remote pilots to comply with these notice-to-airmen flight restrictions. The other choices misstate the radius, the vertical limit, or the effective window, and none of them reflects the published restriction.14 CFR §107.47

A sectional shows a large area outlined with a magenta hatched border and labeled with a name followed by the letters MOA. What does this depiction mean for a Part 107 operation planned inside its lateral boundaries?

• a.Entry requires an ATC authorization request under §107.41 before the flight begins
• b.Flight is not prohibited, but military training may bring fast aircraft into the area✓
• c.Civil aircraft including small UAS are barred from the area whenever it is active
• d.The label identifies a Class E surface area that requires an ATC authorization

A Military Operations Area separates certain nonhazardous military training activities from IFR traffic, and Part 107 does not prohibit small UAS flight inside one, so no §107.41 authorization is triggered by the MOA itself. Because military aircraft may be maneuvering at high speed and low altitude, a remote pilot should check the chart panel for hours of use and stay especially alert. An MOA is special use airspace, not a Class E surface area.

A gray line on a sectional passes near a planned operating site and is labeled VR1207. What should a remote pilot understand from this label?

• a.It is a visual route used only by aircraft operating above 18,000 ft MSL
• b.It is an instrument route flown exclusively in instrument meteorological conditions
• c.It is a VFR military training route whose four-digit number means segments at or below 1,500 ft AGL✓
• d.It is a published Victor airway used by civil aircraft navigating between VOR stations

VR identifies a VFR military training route, and a four-digit identifier means the route has no segment above 1,500 ft AGL, which places fast military traffic squarely in the altitude band used by small UAS. A three-digit or shorter number would indicate one or more segments above 1,500 ft AGL. IR routes are the instrument version of the same program, and Victor airways are drawn as blue-tinted corridors labeled with a V and a number.

A news crew wants footage of a brush fire. A temporary flight restriction is in effect over the fire area with a 5 NM radius from the surface to 5,000 ft AGL for firefighting aircraft. The remote pilot proposes flying at 200 ft AGL inside the ring. Is the flight permitted?

• a.Yes, because 200 ft AGL keeps the aircraft well beneath the firefighting airplanes
• b.Yes, provided the operation is coordinated with the local fire department in advance
• c.Yes, if the remote pilot holds a current waiver of the altitude limit in §107.51
• d.No, because no operation may take place inside the TFR unless the notice authorizes it✓

Section 107.47 requires remote pilots to comply with temporary flight restrictions, so no small UAS may operate inside the described ring unless the notice to air missions itself authorizes that operation. A firefighting TFR starts at the surface, so a low altitude places the aircraft squarely inside the restricted volume rather than beneath it. Local agency permission and a §107.51 altitude waiver are unrelated to TFR compliance, and drones near wildfires routinely ground aerial firefighting.14 CFR §107.47

A client asks a remote pilot to photograph a rooftop located roughly 10 NM from Reagan National Airport, well inside the innermost ring of the Washington DC Special Flight Rules Area. What is the correct assessment?

• a.The site lies in the Flight Restricted Zone, where UAS flight is banned without specific authorization✓
• b.The flight is allowed under 400 ft AGL once LAANC issues an automated authorization
• c.The flight is allowed if the remote pilot obtains a waiver of the daylight rule in §107.29
• d.The restriction covers only aircraft weighing more than 55 lb, so the flight may proceed

The inner roughly 15 NM ring of the Washington DC Special Flight Rules Area is the Flight Restricted Zone, and unmanned aircraft may not fly there without specific FAA and security agency authorization, which is rarely granted. LAANC does not process requests inside the FRZ, so an automated approval is not available. A §107.29 waiver concerns night operations and has nothing to do with national security restrictions, and the FRZ applies regardless of aircraft weight.

Before a commercial mapping flight, a remote pilot must confirm that no temporary flight restriction or airspace closure affects the operating area. Which source should be consulted for this information?

• a.The legend printed in the margin of the current sectional aeronautical chart
• b.The UAS Facility Map grid values published for the surrounding airspace
• c.Current notices to air missions obtained through official FAA notice sources✓
• d.The airport data block and Chart Supplement entry for the nearest airport

Temporary flight restrictions, airspace closures, and other short-notice changes are distributed as notices to air missions, so the remote pilot must check current FAA notice sources before every flight. A sectional legend explains chart symbols and a Chart Supplement entry lists permanent field data, but neither reflects a restriction issued yesterday. UAS Facility Maps show pre-approved altitude ceilings for LAANC and do not publish temporary restrictions.

On a sectional chart a horizontal line is labeled 47 degrees 00 minutes N, and tick marks along the adjacent meridian each represent 1 minute of latitude. An airport symbol sits four tick marks north of that labeled line. What is the airport's latitude?

• a.47 degrees 00 minutes N, since the airport sits on the labeled parallel itself
• b.47 degrees 04 minutes N, four minutes north of the labeled parallel of latitude✓
• c.47 degrees 40 minutes N, because four ticks represent ten minutes each
• d.46 degrees 56 minutes N, four minutes south of the labeled parallel of latitude

Each tick mark along a meridian equals one minute of latitude, so counting four ticks north of the 47 degrees 00 minutes N parallel places the airport at 47 degrees 04 minutes N. Latitude increases toward the north in the Northern Hemisphere, which rules out the value south of the labeled line. Ticks on sectionals are one-minute increments, not ten, and the airport is clearly offset from the labeled parallel.

A remote pilot plans an operation near a non-towered airport whose Chart Supplement entry shows no RP notation for any runway. What traffic pattern should the pilot expect arriving airplanes to fly?

• a.Right-hand turns, with arriving airplanes joining directly on a straight-in final
• b.Left-hand turns, with arriving airplanes joining the base leg at a 90 degree angle
• c.Right-hand turns, with arriving airplanes joining the downwind leg at a 45 degree angle
• d.Left-hand turns, with arriving airplanes joining the downwind leg at a 45 degree angle✓

The standard traffic pattern uses left-hand turns, and the recommended entry is a 45 degree intercept to the downwind leg at pattern altitude. An RP notation, meaning right pattern, is published only where terrain or noise abatement requires right-hand turns, and none appears here. Knowing where arriving airplanes will be helps the remote pilot avoid interfering with airport operations and remain ready to yield the right of way.