CindyB wrote:
Fred:

Thanks for posting, but don't everybody jump the gun.

SSA had started this request for a national code, about EIGHT YEARS
ago. Following the NTSB recommendations following the Hawker incident, the
FAA finally got off the dime. They had told usin Feb 2009 this was
underway - but NOT that it had been published and hit the streets.

Local soaring organizations should CONTACT their local ATC friends to
inquire as to what the local ATC would now like to do..... keep their current
agreement, or switch to using the nationally assigned VFR code. There may be
local advantages to having the local agreements continue.
The "Order" talks about code allocations, and states that 1201 is
_reserved_ for gliders, but doesn't seem to state what a glider pilot is
to do; for example, is it the glider pilot's choice to use 1200 or 1201
as desired, or is it required, or encouraged, or just available?

It's not at all obvious, as Cindy points out, that ATC everywhere is
now expecting all transpondered gliders to be on 1201 instead of 1200.
It could be they have not been informed, nor had any training in what to
expect from a 1201 coded aircraft, or how to respond to a 1201 code
aircraft that contacts them on the radio. It may cause them grief if
their radar display software hasn't been upgraded to treat 1201 as VFR,
and starts issuing collision alerts.

I'm staying with 1200 until I hear ATC is ready for 1201!

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (netto to net to email me)