M2 Airspace and sectional charts

Controlled vs uncontrolled

• Class B, C, D, and E: controlled. Part 107 needs ATC authorization in B, C, D, and surface-area E only; Class E that begins aloft needs none
• Class G: uncontrolled; no authorization needed
• Class A starts at 18,000 MSL, irrelevant to drones beyond knowing it exists

Class B

• Busiest airports (DTW locally)
• Solid blue lines, upside-down wedding cake
• Numbers like 100/SFC or 100/30: ceiling/floor in hundreds of feet MSL

Class C

• Solid magenta lines
• Typically: inner ring surface to 4,000 ft above airport elevation, outer shelf from 1,200 ft above airport elevation
• Altitudes on chart still shown in hundreds of feet MSL

Class D

• Dashed blue line, towered airport
• Number in a dashed box (e.g., [30]) is the ceiling in hundreds of feet MSL
• Minus sign before it means "up to but not including"

Class E

• Dashed magenta: Class E starts at the surface
• Magenta shaded vignette: E begins at 700 ft AGL
• Blue shaded vignette: E begins at 1,200 ft AGL
• Below those floors is Class G

Getting authorization

• LAANC: near-real-time approval through an FAA-approved app, up to the UAS Facility Map altitude
• FAADroneZone: for anything LAANC cannot grant
• Authorization is not a waiver

Reading altitudes

• Chart elevations and airspace altitudes are MSL
• AGL = MSL minus ground elevation
• Obstacle: bold number MSL, number in parentheses AGL
• MEF: big and small digits in each grid, thousands and hundreds of feet MSL

Airport data block

• Name, identifier, elevation, runway length, lighting
• Tower frequency after "CT"; star means part-time tower
• C in a solid circle marks the CTAF

Special use airspace

• Prohibited (P) and restricted (R): stay out unless authorized
• Warning (W), MOA, alert (A), controlled firing areas: check before you fly

Military training routes

• IR and VR routes, gray lines on the chart
• 4 digits: at or below 1,500 ft AGL; 3 digits: segments above 1,500 ft AGL

TFRs, NOTAMs, Chart Supplement

• TFR: temporary restriction, check before every flight
• Stadium TFR: 3 NM radius, 3,000 ft AGL, 1 hr before to 1 hr after the event
• Chart Supplement: airport details not on the sectional

Lat/long

• Latitude lines run east-west, numbers increase north (in the US)
• Longitude lines run north-south, numbers increase west (in the US)
• Each degree is 60 minutes; tick marks on the chart every minute

Check for understanding

1. Dashed blue line around an airport: what class, and do you need authorization?

   Reveal answer

   Class D. Yes, through LAANC or FAADroneZone.

2. Obstacle shows 1,249 with (402) below. How tall is it above the ground?

   Reveal answer

   402 ft AGL. The top is 1,249 ft MSL.

3. An MTR labeled VR1667: below or above 1,500 ft AGL?

   Reveal answer

   Four digits, so at or below 1,500 ft AGL.