FAA Flight Instructor Airplane (FIA)Navigation and AirspaceHard
An instrument student is reviewing a sectional chart and notices an airport surrounded by a blue vignette that fades outward, with no magenta shading present. The CFI explains that the floor of Class E airspace in this vignetted area is:
- A14,500 feet MSL
- B1,200 feet AGL
- C700 feet AGL
- DThe surface
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: B. 1,200 feet AGL
A blue vignette (fading blue shading) on a sectional chart depicts Class E airspace with a floor of 1,200 feet AGL, in contrast to magenta vignette shading which depicts a 700-foot AGL floor.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. 14,500 feet MSL is the default Class E floor where no other floor is depicted, not what a blue vignette shows.
- C. 700 feet AGL is depicted by magenta vignette shading, not blue.
- D. Surface areas are shown with a dashed magenta line, not a blue vignette.
Class E Airspace Floor Depictions
Sectional charts use shading to depict the floor of Class E airspace: magenta vignette for 700 ft AGL, blue vignette for 1,200 ft AGL, and no shading (default) for 14,500 ft MSL.
- Magenta vignette = 700 ft AGL floor
- Blue vignette = 1,200 ft AGL floor
- Dashed magenta line = surface area (extends to ground)
- No shading = default floor of 14,500 ft MSL
Memory trick: 'Blue is Bigger number (1,200), Magenta is Modest (700)'