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National security area prohibitions

Remote Pilot (Part 107) practice question 24 of 31 on Airspace / Operational Requirements. ACS element UA.II.B.K5 · difficulty: standard. Want to answer it in a timed quiz? Use the Remote Pilot (Part 107) practice mode.

Question bank updated 2026-09-22

QUESTIONA remote pilot's planned site lies inside a charted national security area (NSA). How would the pilot learn that flight in that NSA has been temporarily prohibited?

  1. AThrough a NOTAM issued under 14 CFR part 99
  2. BBy a permanent hatched boundary printed on the sectional chart for the area
  3. CBy a telephone call from the using agency to each operator
Show the answer and explanation

Correct answer: A. Through a NOTAM issued under 14 CFR part 99

  • A — correct The study guide states that flight in NSAs may be temporarily prohibited by regulation under 14 CFR part 99 and that such prohibitions are disseminated via NOTAM.
  • B — incorrect The chart shows where the NSA is, but a temporary prohibition is time-critical information that is announced by NOTAM, not by the printed chart.
  • C — incorrect No such direct-notification duty appears in the guide; NSA prohibitions are disseminated through the NOTAM system.

BACKGROUND

National security areas (NSAs) are airspace of defined vertical and lateral dimensions established where there is a requirement for increased security and safety of ground facilities. The Remote Pilot Study Guide explains that pilots are requested to voluntarily avoid flying through these depicted areas, and that flight in NSAs may be temporarily prohibited by regulation under the provisions of 14 CFR part 99. When that happens, the prohibitions are disseminated via Notice to Airmen (NOTAM). Because part 107 § 107.47 makes § 99.7 binding on remote pilots in command, a NOTAM prohibition over an NSA applies to small unmanned aircraft as well. A NOTAM check before flight is the only way to learn whether the normally voluntary avoidance has become mandatory.

STUDY TIP

Distinguish the two NSA states: voluntary avoidance by default, and a mandatory prohibition when a part 99 NOTAM is in effect.

KEY POINTS

  • NSA flight prohibitions are issued under 14 CFR part 99 and disseminated via NOTAM.
  • Absent a prohibition, pilots are asked to voluntarily avoid NSAs.
  • § 107.47 makes § 99.7 restrictions binding on remote pilots.

SOURCES

  • remote_pilot_study_guide.txt ch2 "National Security Areas (NSAs)"
  • 14 CFR 107.47
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SkyDrill is not affiliated with the FAA. This is an original practice item based on 14 CFR part 107, 14 CFR part 89, and the FAA Remote Pilot – Small UAS Study Guide (FAA-G-8082-22). Regulations and handbooks are revised; confirm details against the current edition.