Part 107 Chart Test Change (Oct 26, 2026)

We weren’t the first to cover this, and we’re not pretending to be — several other Part 107 sites reported it back in August 2026. What follows is the most precisely sourced version we could write: the FAA’s own advisory, word for word where it matters, plus both of the FAA’s own published sample questions worked end to end.

What actually changed, and when

Starting October 26, 2026, the Unmanned Aircraft General – Small (UAG) knowledge test — the Part 107 exam — adds image-based questions built directly from current FAA aeronautical charts, on top of the figures already in the printed testing supplement:

“Beginning October 26, 2026*, the Instrument Rating Airplane (IRA) and Unmanned Aircraft General-Small (UAG) tests will include image-based questions not found in the test supplements… This update enhances the tests by incorporating clearer, up-to-date images from the latest Sectional Charts, Instrument Approach Charts, and Low Altitude Enroute Charts.”

(September_2026_Special_Edition.pdf, p. 6 — FAA Airman Testing Community Advisory, September 2026 Special Edition.)

The date itself is worth double-checking your source on. The same sentence carries a footnote: “*Corrected date from the previous edition of this advisory” (same page). An earlier ATCA edition gave a different date; if a page you’re reading cites anything other than October 26, 2026, it’s quoting the superseded figure. The UAG-specific images are drawn from current VFR Sectional Charts — the IFR approach and low-altitude-enroute imagery in the same advisory is for the separate Instrument Rating Airplane (IRA) test, not Part 107.

Where the images come from, and why you can’t “study the images”

The source material is a live, current chart — not the 2018 testing supplement everything else on this site (and most study material in this niche) is built from. The FAA’s own sample questions cite the exact chart and edition: “Sectional: Washington, dated 12 JUN 2025 to 7 AUG 2025” and “Sectional: Las Vegas, dated 12 Jun 2025 to 7 Aug 2025” (September_2026_Special_Edition.pdf, pp. 9–10).

That also means the usual “memorize the figure” strategy stops working for this part of the test. The FAA is explicit that the specific images used in live questions are never released in advance:

“Once an image is embedded in a test question, it becomes an integral part of that question. Consequently, the specific images used in active test questions cannot be previewed, as doing so would compromise the exam’s integrity.”

(September_2026_Special_Edition.pdf, p. 6.)

In practice: you can’t find “the” chart excerpt that will be on your test, because it isn’t published anywhere — including here. What you can do is get fluent at reading any current sectional, which is exactly what how to read a sectional chart and the worked examples below are for.

The printed supplement isn’t going anywhere — yet

This is an addition to the test, not a replacement for the book handed out at the test center. The FAA has set no date for discontinuing it:

“The date for removing testing supplements from test centers has not yet been set. However, the public will receive ample notice before this change takes effect. Until the removal, candidates will continue to have access to the testing supplement for their exam.”

(August_2026_ATCA.pdf, p. 5 — identical wording appears in September_2026_Special_Edition.pdf, p. 5.)

So the sectional chart drill and the testing-supplement figures in the chart legend reference are still exactly as relevant as they were before October 26, 2026 — you now need both skill sets, not a replacement one.

Two worked examples — the FAA’s own published samples

These are the only two UAG sample questions the FAA has released for this change, reproduced with the FAA’s own chart excerpt image for each (September_2026_Special_Edition.pdf, pp. 9–10). Tap either chart to zoom in the same way you would at the test center.

What to actually do differently to prepare

1. Stop memorizing figure numbers. “Figure 20 means Norfolk, Figure 25 means DFW” was never a great strategy and now covers less of the test than it used to. Learn the symbols in the legend reference instead — they’re the same on every current chart.
2. Practice on charts you haven’t seen before. The sectional chart drill still uses real FAA-CT-8080-2H figures — treat each one as a cold read, not a memorized answer key.
3. Know where the two chart modes diverge. The printed supplement (figures 1–26-ish, extracted and zoomable in our drill) is still handed out at the test center. Image-based questions drawn from current charts are a separate, additional pool on top of it — you need both.
4. Don’t go looking for “the” leaked images. The FAA is explicit that live question images are never published in advance (above). Any site claiming to have “the actual October 2026 chart images” is not telling you something true.
5. Recheck the weighting while you’re here. Airspace — the ACS area these chart questions fall under — is 20% of the current test, not the 15–25% a lot of older study material still quotes; see what’s actually on the test for the full, current breakdown and why the old numbers are retired.

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Keep building the chart-reading skill in how to read a sectional chart and the legend reference, try the current-chart drill as it grows, or go back to the chart hub.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to memorize the exact chart images that will be on my test?

No — the FAA is explicit that once an image is used in a live question it is never published or previewable (September_2026_Special_Edition.pdf, p. 6). The skill being tested is reading any current chart, not recognizing a specific picture.

Is the printed testing supplement being discontinued?

Not yet, and no removal date has been set. Candidates keep using the supplement at the test center until the FAA announces otherwise, with advance notice (August_2026_ATCA.pdf, p. 5).

What part of the exam do these new chart questions count toward?

Airspace Classification and Operating Requirements (ACS Area II), which is 20% of the current UAG test specification (UAG_Information_Bulletin.pdf, p. 4) — not the 15–25% older study material still quotes from the retired ACS blueprint.

Are Millville and Grand Canyon the actual questions I'll get?

No — those are the two sample questions the FAA chose to publish alongside the announcement (September_2026_Special_Edition.pdf, pp. 9–10). They show the format and difficulty, not the live question pool.