AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL (ATC) QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
What government agency is responsible for the United States Air Traffic Control System? - CORRECT
ANSWER✅✅The F.A.A. (Federal Aviation Administration)
What is class A airspace and where is it located? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Class A airspace is found from
FL180 - FL600.
In order to fly in Class A airspace, a flight must be on an IFR flight plan.
What is class B airspace and what are the requirements to fly there? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Class B
airspace is located around the nation's busiest airport (Chicago O'Hare, Dallas/ Fort Worth) which have
Terminal Radar Approah Control facilities (TRACONs) and generally goes from the surface to 10,000 feet.
In order to fly in Class B airspace, you must have two-way radio communications, a transponder with
Mode C (or S), A.T.C. clearance and a private pilot license.
What is class C airspace and what are the requirements to fly there? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Class C
airspace is found around medium busy airports in the United States (Albuquerque, New Orleans,
Portland OR) that have Terminal Radar Approach Control facilities (TRACONs) and goes from the surface
to 4000 feet. The requirements to fly in Class C airspace are two-way radio communications, and a
transponder with Mode C.
What is class D airspace and what are the requirements to fly there? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Class D
airspace is found around smaller American airports which have an operating air traffic Control tower. It
goes from surface to 2500 feet above the airport. The only requirement to fly in Class D airspace is two-
way radio communications.
What is Class E airspace? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Class E airspace is another controlled airspace, which
is not otherwise, classified as Class A, B, C, or D airspace.
What is Class G airspace? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Uncontrolled airspace.
Define and give an example of a Prohibited Area. - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅A Prohibited area is airspace
in which flight is absolutely forbidden. It is possible to sometimes fly over it. Examples would be the
White House, the Pentagon, and the U.S. Capitol building.
, What is a Restricted Area? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅A Restricted area is airspace where the United
States military performs war games, dog fight training, etc. Sometimes it is possible to get permission
from the controlling agency for that area to plan a flight through. It depends on whether the area is
active or not. Specific information on a Restricted area can be found on the side-panel of the High
Altitude IFR En-route charts.
What is a Warning Area? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅A Warning area is found off shore in international
waters. It is similar to a Restricted area because occasionally the United States military performs training
in these areas. The F.A.A. has no control of these areas since they are in international waters. If a
Warning area is NOTAM'D "hot" or "active", do not plan a flight through it. If you do, ATC will
automatically re-route the flight around it.
What does A.R.T.C.C. stand for and what is its function? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅A.R.T.C.C. stands for
Air Route Traffic Control Center.
There are 20 domestic centres in the United States. A.R.T.C.C.s use A.R.S.R. (Air Route Surveillance
Radar) to track en-route aircraft. A.R.S.R. is a long range radar, capable of picking up aircraft out to 150-
200 miles from the radar site. (There are 24 controlled by the US, 20 contiguous plus Hawaii, Alaska,
Puerto Rico, and Guam)
What does T.R.A.C.O.N. stand for and what is its function? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅TRACON stands for
Terminal Radar Approach Control facility. The Nation's busiest airports (Chicago O'Hare, Dallas/Fort
Worth) have TRACONs (sometimes called radar rooms), which are staffed by air traffic controllers. The
controllers use A.S.R. (Airport Surveillance Radar) to track departing and arriving aircraft. They use the
radar to identify the aircraft, then to sequence and separate them from other aircraft in the terminal
area.
What is a Transponder with Mode C? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅A transponder is a "black box" found in
the cockpit of an aircraft which helps to identify the aircraft to air traffic controllers. If an aircraft is
equipped with a transponder, the flight will appear on the air traffic controller's radar screen as an
alpha-numeric data block.
This block contains specific information about a flight, such as the aircraft's flight number, route of
flight, Altitude, and ground speed. It helps to positively identify the aircraft. Mode C (and mode S) is the
altitude reporting capability of the transponder, and some older transponder (Mode A) did not have
altitude reporting capability.
What is an A.D.I.Z.? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅A.D.I.Z. stands for Air Defense Identification Zone and it is
located around the border of the United States. The United States military positively identifies all
What government agency is responsible for the United States Air Traffic Control System? - CORRECT
ANSWER✅✅The F.A.A. (Federal Aviation Administration)
What is class A airspace and where is it located? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Class A airspace is found from
FL180 - FL600.
In order to fly in Class A airspace, a flight must be on an IFR flight plan.
What is class B airspace and what are the requirements to fly there? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Class B
airspace is located around the nation's busiest airport (Chicago O'Hare, Dallas/ Fort Worth) which have
Terminal Radar Approah Control facilities (TRACONs) and generally goes from the surface to 10,000 feet.
In order to fly in Class B airspace, you must have two-way radio communications, a transponder with
Mode C (or S), A.T.C. clearance and a private pilot license.
What is class C airspace and what are the requirements to fly there? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Class C
airspace is found around medium busy airports in the United States (Albuquerque, New Orleans,
Portland OR) that have Terminal Radar Approach Control facilities (TRACONs) and goes from the surface
to 4000 feet. The requirements to fly in Class C airspace are two-way radio communications, and a
transponder with Mode C.
What is class D airspace and what are the requirements to fly there? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Class D
airspace is found around smaller American airports which have an operating air traffic Control tower. It
goes from surface to 2500 feet above the airport. The only requirement to fly in Class D airspace is two-
way radio communications.
What is Class E airspace? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Class E airspace is another controlled airspace, which
is not otherwise, classified as Class A, B, C, or D airspace.
What is Class G airspace? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Uncontrolled airspace.
Define and give an example of a Prohibited Area. - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅A Prohibited area is airspace
in which flight is absolutely forbidden. It is possible to sometimes fly over it. Examples would be the
White House, the Pentagon, and the U.S. Capitol building.
, What is a Restricted Area? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅A Restricted area is airspace where the United
States military performs war games, dog fight training, etc. Sometimes it is possible to get permission
from the controlling agency for that area to plan a flight through. It depends on whether the area is
active or not. Specific information on a Restricted area can be found on the side-panel of the High
Altitude IFR En-route charts.
What is a Warning Area? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅A Warning area is found off shore in international
waters. It is similar to a Restricted area because occasionally the United States military performs training
in these areas. The F.A.A. has no control of these areas since they are in international waters. If a
Warning area is NOTAM'D "hot" or "active", do not plan a flight through it. If you do, ATC will
automatically re-route the flight around it.
What does A.R.T.C.C. stand for and what is its function? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅A.R.T.C.C. stands for
Air Route Traffic Control Center.
There are 20 domestic centres in the United States. A.R.T.C.C.s use A.R.S.R. (Air Route Surveillance
Radar) to track en-route aircraft. A.R.S.R. is a long range radar, capable of picking up aircraft out to 150-
200 miles from the radar site. (There are 24 controlled by the US, 20 contiguous plus Hawaii, Alaska,
Puerto Rico, and Guam)
What does T.R.A.C.O.N. stand for and what is its function? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅TRACON stands for
Terminal Radar Approach Control facility. The Nation's busiest airports (Chicago O'Hare, Dallas/Fort
Worth) have TRACONs (sometimes called radar rooms), which are staffed by air traffic controllers. The
controllers use A.S.R. (Airport Surveillance Radar) to track departing and arriving aircraft. They use the
radar to identify the aircraft, then to sequence and separate them from other aircraft in the terminal
area.
What is a Transponder with Mode C? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅A transponder is a "black box" found in
the cockpit of an aircraft which helps to identify the aircraft to air traffic controllers. If an aircraft is
equipped with a transponder, the flight will appear on the air traffic controller's radar screen as an
alpha-numeric data block.
This block contains specific information about a flight, such as the aircraft's flight number, route of
flight, Altitude, and ground speed. It helps to positively identify the aircraft. Mode C (and mode S) is the
altitude reporting capability of the transponder, and some older transponder (Mode A) did not have
altitude reporting capability.
What is an A.D.I.Z.? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅A.D.I.Z. stands for Air Defense Identification Zone and it is
located around the border of the United States. The United States military positively identifies all
