Sectional chart reference

Class E starting 1,200 ft AGL

Faded/soft blue shading (outer edge).

Drawn to the depiction described in the FAA Aeronautical Chart Users’ Guide, effective 9 July 2026. Illustrative, not to scale, and not for navigation.

What you are looking at

A FUZZY BLUE band = a Class E FLOOR at 1,200 ft AGL, the everyday 'blanket' of controlled airspace over open country. Cool blue = the HIGH floor.

Over open country IFR planes just cruise high, so the controlled floor only needs to come down to 1,200 ft AGL, leaving the low air below as uncontrolled Class G.

Floor1,200 ft AGL

Ceiling18,000 ft MSL

Part 107 at 400 ft No ATC authorization required

Source: depiction per the FAA Aeronautical Chart Users’ Guide, effective 9 July 2026 (PDF).

Reading the numbers

The floor = 1,200 ft AGL (AGL, so compare straight to 400 ft). Below it is Class G.

Where people get this wrong

Faded blue BAND (E floor 1,200) vs solid blue LINE (Class B): fuzz = a floor up high, line = a class boundary. Fuzzy blue is rarer: remote, open, mountainous country.

How it is tested

A faded blue band: what is the Class E floor there?

1,200 ft AGL
700 ft AGL
1,200 ft MSL

Show the answer

1,200 ft AGL

Cool blue = the high default floor, 1,200 ft AGL; below it is Class G.

Find one near you

Reading about a symbol is not the same as finding it. Open the live chart, put in your own address, and see what is actually there.

Open the live chart

Not for navigation. Study material, not authority. This page explains a chart symbol for study. It is not an authorization source and not a substitute for an official pre-flight check. Confirm on the FAA’s own chart viewer and through LAANC before you fly.

See all 19 symbols →