PLT161: Airspace Classes
What code PLT161 covers, why the FAA tests it, and how to study Airspace Classes before your checkride.
Recall airspace classes - limits / requirements / restrictions / airspeeds / equipment
What this means for your checkride
This is the structure of controlled and uncontrolled airspace, Class A, B, C, D, E, and G, and what each demands: the equipment you must carry, the clearances or communications required to enter, and the visibility and cloud clearance minimums that apply. Higher-density airspace carries stricter entry and equipment rules.
Busting airspace is a common and serious violation, so the FAA tests whether you can identify a class from a chart and state its entry, equipment, and weather requirements before you fly into it.
Candidates confuse Class B and Class C entry. Class B requires an explicit clearance to enter (the words cleared into the Bravo); Class C requires only two-way radio communication with your call sign acknowledged.
Where to study it
Oral checkride defense
A code on your report is an area the examiner can revisit. Here is how an examiner might probe it, and how to explain it out loud.
You're planning to land at a Class C airport. What do you need before entering?
Establish two-way radio communication with the approach facility and have your call sign acknowledged. You also need a Mode C transponder and ADS-B Out. Contrast this with Class B, which requires an explicit clearance, the controller saying you are cleared into the Bravo.
What are the VFR weather minimums in Class E below 10,000 feet?
State 3 statute miles visibility with cloud clearance of 500 below, 1,000 above, and 2,000 horizontal. Show how you would read the airspace class and its floor off the sectional so you know which minimums apply where you are flying.
A code on your test report is an area of deficiency. An authorized instructor must review it with you and endorse that review before you take the practical test, and the examiner may revisit it during the oral. Study it until you can explain it out loud, not just recognize the answer.