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Class G airspace for drone pilots
Class G is uncontrolled airspace: everything not designated A, B, C, D or E. It runs from the surface up to the base of the overlying Class E, so a Part 107 flight at or below 400 ft AGL there needs no ATC authorization, although the other Part 107 rules still apply.
What is Class G airspace?
The AIM says Class G airspace is the portion of airspace that has not been designated as Class A, B, C, D or E. The study guide adds that it extends from the surface to the base of the overlying Class E airspace, and that a remote pilot does not need ATC authorization to operate in it. The Chart Users' Guide notes Class G within the United States extends up to 14,500 ft MSL where no lower Class E is designated, and at and above that altitude is Class E.
There is no special line for Class G. It shows up on a chart by absence: no solid or dashed airspace lines, no magenta or blue vignette.
Sources (checked 2026-11-14): AIM 3-3: Class G Airspace; FAA Remote Pilot sUAS Study Guide (FAA-G-8082-22); FAA Aeronautical Chart Users' Guide (effective 9 July 2026).
How high does Class G go over my site?
It stops where the Class E floor begins. That floor depends on what the chart shows around you.
| What the chart shows at your spot | Class G goes up to |
|---|---|
| Faded magenta band | 700 ft AGL, where Class E begins |
| A charted floor with a number (symbol and MSL or AGL value) | That charted altitude |
| Faded blue band | Where Class E begins at 1,200 ft AGL or higher; the Class G beside it extends higher |
| Nothing marked | The Chart Users' Guide says Class E exists at 1,200 ft AGL unless designated otherwise, so Class G generally tops out there |
The Chart Users' Guide also says Class G within the United States extends up to 14,500 ft MSL where no lower Class E is designated, and the study guide says Class E begins at 14,500 ft MSL where charts show no Class E base. For a drone, none of this changes the answer below 400 ft AGL: away from surface areas, the Class E floors you will meet are 700 ft AGL or higher.
Worked example
Cooperstown, North Dakota
On the free Devils Lake chart (Figure 26), a faded magenta ring around Cooperstown (field elevation 1,424 ft MSL) means Class E begins at 700 ft AGL. Standing on the ground there, Class G covers 0 to 700 ft AGL. A drone at 350 ft AGL has 350 ft of Class G above it. In MSL terms, 700 ft AGL over a 1,424 ft airport is about 2,124 ft MSL.
Sources (checked 2026-11-14): FAA Aeronautical Chart Users' Guide (effective 9 July 2026); FAA Remote Pilot sUAS Study Guide (FAA-G-8082-22).
What does a Part 107 pilot need in Class G?
No prior ATC authorization under 14 CFR 107.41, which only names Class B, C and D and the surface area of Class E. Everything else in Part 107 still applies, which is the part that candidates tend to miss.
- The 400 ft AGL cap, or within a 400 ft radius of a structure and no higher than 400 ft above its top, from 107.51.
- Visual line of sight, flight visibility of 3 statute miles and cloud clearance of 500 ft below and 2,000 ft horizontally, also in 107.51.
- Yielding right of way to manned aircraft under 107.37, and not interfering with airport traffic patterns under 107.43.
- Permission from the using or controlling agency to fly in a restricted or prohibited area under 107.45.
- Obeying any TFR or NOTAM restriction.
Sources (checked 2026-11-14): 14 CFR 107.41 (eCFR); 14 CFR 107.51 (eCFR); 14 CFR 107.43 (eCFR); 14 CFR 107.45 (eCFR).
Is Class G always safe to fly in?
No. Class G has the least structure. The AIM says rules for VFR flight are there to help the pilot meet the responsibility to see and avoid other aircraft. Your job is to give way. Class G near a non-towered airport is where you may share the sky with aircraft in the traffic pattern. At a field like Chesapeake Regional on the Norfolk chart (Figure 20), which has no tower, the chart notes right traffic for runway 23 and a CTAF of 123.075. Listening to that frequency, where you can, helps you notice aircraft you may not see.
Class G can also lie beside special use airspace. A restricted area such as R-5403 on Figure 26 is not Class G in the sense that matters: you need permission from the controlling agency. A MOA or an alert area does not require permission, but you should expect military traffic and yield.
Sources (checked 2026-11-14): AIM 3-3: Class G Airspace; 14 CFR 107.45 (eCFR).
How do I confirm a site is in Class G, step by step?
- Check for dashed blue, dashed magenta, solid blue or solid magenta lines around your site. Any of them means Class B, C, D or a Class E surface area, and authorization applies. None of them means you are outside those classes laterally.
- Check for shading. A faded magenta band means Class E from 700 ft AGL, so Class G fills 0 to 700 ft AGL there. A faded blue band marks a higher floor.
- Check the Chart Supplement for any airport within a few miles that has a part-time tower. At the hours you plan to fly, the airspace line may say "other times CLASS G".
- Check special use airspace and TFRs. Class G does not exempt you from a restricted area or a TFR.
- Check the numbers: your maximum altitude must be 400 ft AGL or less, unless you are within 400 ft of a structure.
Worked example
Class G with real chart cues
On Figure 26, area 3 near Courtenay has no dashed lines and no magenta shading around it. An obstruction nearby is labeled 1,843 ft MSL and 299 ft above ground, so the ground there is about 1,544 ft MSL. A drone at 350 ft AGL is at about 1,894 ft MSL, in Class G, and needs no ATC authorization. It still has to stay at or below 400 ft AGL, which is about 1,944 ft MSL at that spot.
Sources (checked 2026-11-14): FAA Aeronautical Chart Users' Guide (effective 9 July 2026); AIM 3-3: Class G Airspace.
What is different about special use airspace inside Class G?
Special use airspace is a separate category, and several types can lie over otherwise uncontrolled ground. The two cases worth keeping straight for the test follow.
| Airspace | Chart look | Part 107 rule |
|---|---|---|
| Restricted area | Blue hatched boundary with an R number | You need permission from the using or controlling agency (14 CFR 107.45) |
| Military operations area (MOA) | Magenta hatched boundary | No permission required; check whether active and watch for military aircraft |
| Alert area | Alert area label (A-number) | No permission required; expect concentrated training and give way |
The MOA and alert area rows come from the cues on the free charts: the Devils Lake East MOA on Figure 26, and Alert Area A-632C on Figure 69, a student jet training area. Prohibited areas share the permission rule with restricted areas in 107.45.
Sources (checked 2026-11-14): 14 CFR 107.45 (eCFR); FAA Aeronautical Chart Users' Guide (effective 9 July 2026).
How does Class G relate to the other classes?
Class G is the bottom layer and the others sit on or above it. The shape of the boundary is the key:
- Under a Class E floor (the shaded bands), Class G fills the space below.
- Around a part-time Class D, the airport entry can say "other times CLASS G". Then the surface area becomes Class G up to the overlying controlled airspace while the tower is closed, and the arrival extensions change at the same time.
- Under the shelf of Class C or Class B, the airspace at the low altitudes you fly is usually Class E or Class G, so no authorization is needed, as long as you stay below the shelf floor.
Sources (checked 2026-11-14): AIM 3-2: Controlled Airspace; FAA Aeronautical Chart Users' Guide (effective 9 July 2026).
What are the common test traps for Class G?
- "Uncontrolled means unregulated." The 400 ft limit, VLOS, visibility, cloud and yield rules all still apply.
- Thinking Class G needs a chart marking. It does not. It is the space where the chart shows no controlled airspace.
- Forgetting the part-time exception. A tower that is closed may turn the surface area into Class G, but only the Chart Supplement says so.
- Assuming a restricted area is Class G. Special use airspace rules still apply. Restricted areas need permission under 107.45.
- Skipping the 14,500 ft MSL fact. It marks where Class E begins in the absence of a lower charted base. It is a recall question more than a flight-planning one.
Try the Figure 26 question about the flight near Courtenay in the practice set below. For more charts, use the Devils Lake lesson.
Free practice questions on this topic
1 original questions from the Sectional Cue bank. Try each one, then open the answer.
Uncontrolled airspace
1. In Figure 26, a remote pilot plans a 350 ft AGL flight at area 3, near Courtenay. Which statement is correct? (uses Figure 26, open the free chart lesson)
- No ATC authorization is needed, because no surface area or 700 ft shading is charted there and the airspace near the ground is Class G
- Permission is needed because area 3 lies inside Restricted Area R-5403
- Authorization is needed because area 3 lies inside the Jamestown Class E surface area
Show answer and explanation
A. No ATC authorization is needed, because no surface area or 700 ft shading is charted there and the airspace near the ground is Class G
Area 3 has no dashed lines and no magenta shading, so the airspace near the ground is Class G and Part 107 needs no ATC authorization. The southern edge of the R-5403 hatched boundary runs north of area 3. The Jamestown Class E surface area is the dashed magenta outline well to the south around the airport.
Source: FAA-CT-8080-2H, Figure 26; Chart Users' Guide; 14 CFR 107.41
Related guides
- Class E airspace for drone pilots
- Class D airspace for drone pilots
- How to read airspace classes on a sectional chart
- Part 107 operating rules: altitude, speed, visibility and clouds
- Free sectional chart practice
- All Part 107 guides
Study the charts on your phone
Sectional Cue has 1150+ original questions with explanations, 27 FAA figures you can tap to read, and timed 60-question rehearsals. About 152 questions and three chart lessons are free.
Sources
- AIM 3-3: Class G Airspace, checked 2026-11-14
- AIM 3-2: Controlled Airspace, checked 2026-11-14
- FAA Aeronautical Chart Users' Guide (effective 9 July 2026), checked 2026-11-14
- FAA Remote Pilot sUAS Study Guide (FAA-G-8082-22), checked 2026-11-14
- 14 CFR 107.41 (eCFR), checked 2026-11-14
- 14 CFR 107.51 (eCFR), checked 2026-11-14
- 14 CFR 107.45 (eCFR), checked 2026-11-14
How this page was made: written by Certloom Learning from the sources above, with the rules checked against the current regulation text. Practice items are original questions from the app's reviewed bank. Spot an error? certloomlearning@gmail.com.