Getting around
The homepage is a departures board. Modules are grouped into four gates, and each module is a boarding pass.
Route codeThe big letters, like WX → CLD. The first part is the gate's topic, the second is the module.
Now boardingThe module is live. Tap the pass to open it.
Class · 3DAn interactive 3D scene. Other passes are 2D tools, decoders or quizzes.
SeatA quick hint at what's inside, like "6 skies" or "5 legs".
Every module has ← All modules at the top left to get back to the homepage. The orange logo takes you to atkinsonaerial.com.
The Sectional Unfolded chart explorer is one larger app with its own tabs: 3D Explorer, Chart Lab, Weather & Load, Airport Ops and Chart Key. Several passes on the homepage open straight into one of those tabs.
3D controls
Every 3D scene works the same way.
ToMouseTouch
Orbit aroundDragDrag with one finger
ZoomScroll wheelPinch
Slide the viewRight-drag, arrow keys, or the pad's arrowsDrag with two fingers, or the pad's arrows
RecenterThe pad's orange ⊙ (or press C)The pad's orange ⊙
Move your droneClick the groundTap the ground
Jump to a viewCamera buttons at the top of the scene (Side, Orbit, Pilot view and so on)
The small pad in the lower right of every 3D scene slides (← ↑ → ↓), zooms (+ −) and recenters (⊙) the view. When the side panel is open, the scene automatically centers in the space to its left.
A click only moves the drone if you didn't drag. If the view spins instead, tap once without moving your finger.
Labels in the scene hide themselves when they'd overlap. Zoom in or change camera to bring more of them back.
Reading the panels
Next to each scene is a panel of controls and readouts. On narrow screens it sits below the scene.
GoEverything checked in that module is met.
CautionLegal, but there's a risk to manage. Read the ! lines.
No-goAt least one rule or minimum is broken. The ✕ line says which.
Under the verdict, every check gets its own line: ✓ passes, ! is a caution, ✕ fails. The chips along the top of the scene show the key numbers at a glance.
Each module ends with What you're seeing lesson cards. Every card has a Try it line that tells you exactly what to change. After those comes a short Check yourself quiz with an explanation for every answer.
CCharts
- Pick Los Angeles or Atlanta, then switch Flat → 3D to lift the airspace off the chart.
- Sectional / Clean shows or hides the chart image underneath. Top, Oblique, Profile change the camera.
- On the Airspace tab, tap an altitude label like
70/100 to highlight that exact shelf.
- Fly check: tap anywhere to drop a drone and see what airspace you're in and what you need.
- All 16 sectional excerpts from the FAA testing supplement.
- Tap the numbered markers to explain each symbol, then turn on quiz mode.
- Opens the explorer straight on the Lat/Long tab.
- Find an airport from its coordinates, then read coordinates off the chart one tick at a time.
- Every legend symbol, with what it means for a drone.
- Use it as a reference while you work in Chart Lab.
WWeather
- Start with a Scenario such as "Morning radiation fog", then move the sliders yourself.
- Drag the dew point toward the temperature and watch the cloud base drop.
- Tap the ground to move your drone near a cloud. The orange shells are the 500 ft below / 2,000 ft sideways clearance.
- Tap a sample or paste any METAR, then press Build.
- Tap a decoded group to light up that part of the sky.
- Try Pilot view on the fog sample to see what ¼ SM really looks like.
- Two air columns: yours and the standard atmosphere. The ghost drone flies at your density altitude.
- Compare "Atlanta summer" with "Leadville summer", then read the drone meters.
- Pick Cold, Warm or Stationary, then press ▶ to run the front across your site.
- Watch the wind shift, the METAR and the passage chart change as it goes by.
- Turn the three ingredients on and off, then run the clock or jump to a stage.
- In the mature stage, press Trigger a microburst.
- Slide your site's distance until the verdict turns green.
- Four scenes: Buildings, Ridge, Thermals and Inversion. Streaks run blue for smooth air and red for rough.
- Tap to drop your drone and read its turbulence, wind and rising or sinking air.
- Every sample report from the testing supplement, decoded group by group.
- Drag the bank angle and watch load factor and stall speed climb on the Figure 2 chart.
AAirport ops
- Set the wind and the active runway follows. Switch between left and right traffic.
- Use Chase plane and read the radio calls as the training plane flies each leg.
- Drop your drone under final, then under downwind, and compare the verdicts. Switch to Towered to see the Class D and LAANC check.
- Tap any part of a real Chart Supplement entry to see what it means.
- Set the wind and read the headwind and crosswind. Use Quiz: random wind to practice.
- The Figure 65 signs in their real colors. Turn on Quiz mode to hide the answers.
RRules
- Tap the ground beside the tower and raise the altitude past 400 ft to see the structure bubble.
- Slide the time past sunset with the lights off, try "No Remote ID", and push the speed past 100 mph.
- Each line cites its rule, like §107.51(b), so you can look up the exact wording.
A study path that works
Short sessions beat marathons. Take each step in one sitting and finish with its quizzes.
- Rules first. Operating Limits in 3D. Every other module assumes you know these limits.
- Airspace in 3D. Sectional Unfolded in 3D mode, plus the Chart Key. Tap every shelf around LAX and ATL.
- Reading charts. Chart Lab in quiz mode, then the Lat/Long Trainer. This is where most test questions live.
- At the airport. Traffic Pattern, Wind & Runways, Airport Signs and the Chart Supplement Decoder.
- How weather works. Clouds, Atmosphere, Fronts, Thunderstorms, Micrometeorology.
- Weather reports. METAR in 3D, then the METAR/TAF Decoder. Finish with Load Factor.
On your phone
- Turn your phone sideways for the 3D scenes. The controls panel moves below the scene on narrow screens.
- Open links in Safari or Chrome, not inside another app (Mail, Messages, Instagram). In-app browsers often struggle with 3D.
- Brave users: if a 3D area stays blank, turn Shields off for this site (the lion icon) and reload.
- Older phones: close other tabs before opening the chart explorer. Its chart images are large.
- If your device is set to reduce motion, animations hold still and the "Play" buttons jump straight to the end.
Troubleshooting
- The 3D area is empty or gray
- The browser couldn't start 3D (WebGL), or a blocker stopped the 3D library from loading. Try another browser, turn off blockers for this site, or update your browser. The readouts and quizzes still work without 3D.
- A red bar appeared at the bottom
- That's the site reporting a real error. Take a screenshot and send it to Atkinson Aerial. Tap × to close it.
- It's slow or jumpy
- Close other tabs, pick a simpler camera view, or try a laptop. Phones handle the weather scenes better than the full chart explorer.
- An old link went somewhere else
- Old links like
/#atl now forward to the chart explorer automatically.
107 Unfolded is a study aid, not a navigation or weather product. Airspace was traced from chart images, and every scene simplifies the real world. Before every flight, check current charts, NOTAMs, LAANC and an official weather briefing.