Regulations and Airman Privileges
Regulation questions for the private pilot gyroplane rating come from 14 CFR Parts 61 and 91, and they reward knowing which rule applies to a rotorcraft rather than an airplane. Expect certificate privileges, recent experience, documents and equipment, and the operating rules that differ for gyroplanes.
Certificate and privileges
- Under 61.113 a private pilot may not act as PIC for compensation or hire, but may share operating expenses pro rata with passengers and may fly in connection with a business if the flight is only incidental to that business.
- Eligibility in 61.109(d) for a private pilot gyroplane rating includes at least 40 hours total flight time, with 20 hours of dual instruction and 10 hours of solo flight, including solo cross-country work.
- A third-class medical is required for private privileges under 61.23; Sport Pilot privileges instead rely on a valid U.S. driver's license and self-certification.
Currency and documents
- 61.56 requires a flight review every 24 calendar months, with at least 1 hour ground and 1 hour flight.
- 61.57(a) requires three takeoffs and three landings within the preceding 90 days in a gyroplane to carry passengers; 61.57(b) adds night-specific takeoffs and landings for night passenger currency.
- 61.3 requires the pilot certificate, medical, and photo ID in your physical or electronic possession.
Operating rules that differ for rotorcraft
- 91.151(b) sets rotorcraft VFR fuel reserves at 20 minutes by day and 30 minutes by night, not the airplane values.
- 91.119: 1,000 feet above the highest obstacle within 2,000 feet over congested areas; 500 feet elsewhere, and never closer than 500 feet to any person, vessel, or structure.
- The ELT rule in 91.207 applies to civil airplanes; it does not require an ELT in a gyroplane.
- 91.409 annual inspection is 12 calendar months for a standard-category aircraft; an experimental gyroplane instead needs its condition inspection per its operating limitations.
Worked example
A private pilot offers to fly a friend to a fly-in 90 nm away; fuel will cost $180. Splitting it evenly at $90 each is legal under 61.113(c) because the flight has a bona fide common purpose and the pilot pays at least the pro rata share. If the friend's business pays the full $180, the flight becomes compensation or hire.
Traps
Reading airplane fuel reserves into a gyroplane question; assuming an ELT is required; crediting landings in another category toward the 90-day rule; and forgetting that an experimental gyroplane needs a condition inspection, not an annual.