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FAA Private Pilot - Gyroplane (PRG) study materials
FAA Private Pilot - Gyroplane (PRG) study resources

FAA Private Pilot - Gyroplane (PRG): Airspace, ATC, and Radio Communications

FAA Private Pilot - Gyroplane (PRG) · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.

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Airspace, ATC, and Radio Communications

Airspace and communications questions test operational rules: which airspace requires a clearance, which requires only radio contact, what equipment is mandatory, and how to talk to ATC and other traffic. Gyroplanes use the same system as airplanes, so the rules are not relaxed for rotorcraft.

Classes at a glance

  • Class A: 18,000 ft MSL and above; IFR only.
  • Class B: ATC clearance required; Mode C transponder and ADS-B Out required.
  • Class C: two-way radio, Mode C, and ADS-B Out required; no explicit clearance.
  • Class D: two-way radio contact required; typically surface to 2,500 ft AGL.
  • Class E: controlled airspace with no radio requirement for VFR in most cases; surface-area Class E is charted with a dashed magenta line.
  • Class G: uncontrolled; the base of overlying Class E is charted.

Equipment rules

  • Mode C veil: 30 nm around the primary Class B airport; a Mode C transponder is required, and 91.225 requires ADS-B Out within the veil.
  • ADS-B Out is also required in Class A, B, and C, and in Class E above 10,000 ft MSL.
  • Special use airspace includes prohibited, restricted, warning, alert, and MOA areas plus TFRs. A TFR binds you even when it is not on the chart.

Communications

  • CTAF for non-towered airports, UNICOM for services, multicom 122.9, flight service for briefings, 121.5 for emergency.
  • Transponder codes: 7700 emergency, 7600 radio failure, 7500 hijacking.
  • Light gun signals: steady green cleared to land; flashing green return for landing; steady red stop; flashing red taxi clear of runway; flashing white return to starting point.

Worked example

You plan a gyroplane flight at 2,500 ft MSL, 12 nm from a Class B primary airport but under the outer shelf. The Mode C veil extends 30 nm, so a Mode C transponder and ADS-B Out are required even though you never enter Class B. Without them the flight is illegal unless an exception applies.

Traps

Believing Class D requires a clearance; assuming Class E always needs a radio; forgetting the Mode C veil applies at low altitude; and treating a TFR as advisory.