PLT040: Airspace Classes
What code PLT040 covers, why the FAA tests it, and how to study Airspace Classes before your checkride.
Interpret airspace classes - charts / diagrams
What this means for your checkride
This is reading airspace on a sectional chart: the class (B, C, D, E, or G), its floor and ceiling, and the boundary lines and shaded vignettes that mark each one.
The airspace you are in sets the equipment, clearances, and weather minimums that apply, so the FAA tests whether you can decode the chart depictions correctly.
The magenta and blue vignettes get swapped: a faded magenta edge is Class E starting at 700 feet AGL, a faded blue edge is Class E starting at 1,200 feet AGL.
Where to study it
A code on your test report is an area of deficiency. An authorized instructor must review it with you and endorse that review before you take the practical test, and the examiner may revisit it during the oral. Study it until you can explain it out loud, not just recognize the answer.