Airport Operations and Traffic Patterns
Airport operations questions cover the traffic pattern, runway and taxiway markings, and the ground handling that is unique to a spinning rotor. The exam wants pattern discipline and a clear picture of how a gyroplane taxis, takes off, and lands.
Pattern basics
- Standard traffic is left-hand unless charted or published otherwise; rotorcraft sometimes use a separate pattern, so check the Chart Supplement and airport signage.
- The segmented circle, windsock, and tetrahedron show pattern direction and wind; landing strip indicators show which strips are in use.
- Enter on the 45° to the downwind leg at pattern altitude, announce position on CTAF, and fly a rectangular course with a descending base and final.
Markings
- Solid white threshold bars mark the landing threshold; a displaced threshold shifts the touchdown point, and pavement before it may be used only for taxi or takeoff roll.
- Aiming point markings are the large white rectangles; touchdown zone markings are pairs of stripes.
- A solid double yellow line with a dashed line means hold short of a runway; a solid line only marks the runway boundary. LAHSO requires a clearance and can be declined with unable.
Gyroplane ground operations
- A gyroplane cannot hover-taxi; it taxis on wheels with the rotor turning, keeping RPM up and the disc tilted into the wind to avoid blade flap.
- Takeoff: prerotate to the recommended RPM, release the brake, accelerate with the rotor loaded, and climb at Vx or Vy.
- Landing: fly a stabilized approach, flare to bleed forward speed while the rotor keeps turning, then roll out. Keep the rotor spinning until stopped; never use the rotor brake with a tailwind.
Worked example
A pilot on a 1,500 ft runway with a 10 kt tailwind is told to hold short. Correct response: read back hold short of runway 27, stop before the solid hold-short line, and reconsider the takeoff, because a 10 kt tailwind can add hundreds of feet to the ground roll.
Traps
Assuming a gyroplane may hover-taxi; turning downwind without announcing; crossing a hold-short line while reading back; and ignoring a displaced threshold when planning the approach.