FAA Private Pilot - Gyroplane (PRG)

You may act as pilot in command of a gyroplane, carry passengers, and fly for personal travel or recreation. You cannot fly for compensation or hire, and you must hold the appropriate medical or BasicMed qualification and remain current. The rating is added to a private pilot certificate; if you already hold one for airplanes, you add a category and class rating.

It is computer-administered at FAA-approved testing centers. You register through the testing provider, bring identification, and answer multiple-choice questions on a workstation. You receive a knowledge test report with your score and the subject areas you missed, which you should take to your instructor before the practical test.

Those figures are set by the FAA and change over time, so this page deliberately does not quote them. Check the current FAA Airman Knowledge Testing Matrix and the testing supplement on the FAA website, or ask your flight instructor, for the authoritative question count and time allowance before you schedule.

The passing score is established by the FAA and is published in its testing materials; confirm the current value on the FAA site rather than trusting a number you heard at the airport. Your goal should be well above the minimum, because the same subject areas reappear on the oral portion of the practical test.

Most of the content is standard private pilot knowledge, so the difficulty comes from volume and from gyroplane-specific material such as rotor aerodynamics, prerotation, flap-back, and autorotation. Candidates with fixed-wing experience underestimate rotor topics; candidates without aviation background underestimate weather and navigation. Both groups need deliberate study.

Yes, retesting is permitted, but the FAA requires you to receive additional instruction and an endorsement from an authorized instructor before you take the test again after a failure. The exact waiting and endorsement rules are published by the FAA, so verify current requirements before rescheduling.

A passing knowledge test report is valid for a limited period for the purpose of taking the practical test, and the FAA publishes that period. If it expires, you must retest. Confirm the current validity window on the FAA website and plan your practical test so the two do not drift apart.

Start with regulations and privileges and aerodynamics, because everything else builds on them. Then take performance and weight and balance, followed by weather, navigation, and airspace. Finish with systems, emergencies, and decision making, and integrate the Airman Certification Standards tasks as you go so ground study matches what the examiner will ask.

Three patterns dominate: memorizing answers instead of understanding concepts, neglecting gyroplane-specific rotor topics in favor of generic airplane knowledge, and skipping chart and weather-product practice. A fourth is ignoring the knowledge test report after a weak pass; the missed subject areas usually resurface in the oral exam.

No. This is independent study material and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced by the FAA. Always confirm regulations, testing logistics, and standards against current FAA publications, including the Airman Certification Standards and the Airman Knowledge Testing Matrix, and rely on your instructor for sign-offs.