service terminated squawk 1200

I'm curious how important it really is to punch in 1200 as soon as the
controller instructs squawk 1200 as you approach for landing at an
uncontrolled field. I've always blown it off and just landed with my
original code. My thinking is 1) Of the things I need to do to
configure for landing, watch for traffic, get the plane slowed down,
etc this is way, way down on my important to-do list 2) What the heck
can ATC care anyway, are they going to reuse that code in the next 2
minutes 3) If something did happen to me, maybe they'd have a better
radar track if I'm still on the old code??

Im just curious from controllers how important is this change in code
before landing.

-Robert, CFI

Suppose you have to do a missed approach or just go around. What does
the controller want to see you as? You "own" the runway until you
terminate the code, so maybe the issue is when can the controller have
another plane start an approach.


Robert M. Gary wrote:
I'm curious how important it really is to punch in 1200 as soon as the
controller instructs squawk 1200 as you approach for landing at an
uncontrolled field. I've always blown it off and just landed with my
original code. My thinking is 1) Of the things I need to do to
configure for landing, watch for traffic, get the plane slowed down,
etc this is way, way down on my important to-do list 2) What the heck
can ATC care anyway, are they going to reuse that code in the next 2
minutes 3) If something did happen to me, maybe they'd have a better
radar track if I'm still on the old code??

Im just curious from controllers how important is this change in code
before landing.

-Robert, CFI

"Stubby" wrote in message
news
Suppose you have to do a missed approach or just go around. What does
the controller want to see you as? You "own" the runway until you
terminate the code, so maybe the issue is when can the controller have
another plane start an approach.

I think Robert was talking about VFR flight following, not an IFR approach.
If it were an IFR approach, you'd only be instructed to squawk 1200 if you'd
cancelled IFR--but in that case, you're now VFR and you no longer "own" the
runway (and if you have to go missed, you're still just VFR; if you re-enter
the clouds, you're VFR in IMC).

--Gary

Robert M. Gary wrote:
I'm curious how important it really is to punch in 1200 as soon as the
controller instructs squawk 1200 as you approach for landing at an
uncontrolled field. I've always blown it off and just landed with my
original code. My thinking is 1) Of the things I need to do to
configure for landing, watch for traffic, get the plane slowed down,
etc this is way, way down on my important to-do list 2) What the heck
can ATC care anyway, are they going to reuse that code in the next 2
minutes 3) If something did happen to me, maybe they'd have a better
radar track if I'm still on the old code??

Im just curious from controllers how important is this change in code
before landing.

-Robert, CFI

"Gary Drescher" wrote in message
. ..

I think Robert was talking about VFR flight following, not an IFR
approach. If it were an IFR approach, you'd only be instructed to squawk
1200 if you'd cancelled IFR--but in that case, you're now VFR and you no
longer "own" the runway (and if you have to go missed, you're still just
VFR; if you re-enter the clouds, you're VFR in IMC).


Being IFR or VFR has nothing to do with "owning" the runway.

IIRC flying IFR into an uncontrolled field is a one-in & one-out deal.
In essence you "own" the airspace (not the runway) until you've landed
& cancelled with ATC or flown somewhere else. Only then can ATC bring
in another aircraft for an approach (assuming IMC conditions exist). I
think a parallel to a controlled field would be the local controller
sterilizing the airspace of any special VFRs aircraft when IAPs are in
effect.

Steven P. McNicoll wrote:

Being IFR or VFR has nothing to do with "owning" the runway.

Kingfish wrote:
IIRC flying IFR into an uncontrolled field is a one-in & one-out deal.

Is the one-in, one-out deal a function of having a tower, or of radar
coverage? HPN becomes uncontrolled when the tower closes at 10:00 PM,
but there's radar coverage right down to the ground (NY Approach has a
radar sensor on the field). Does HPN become one-in, one-out when the
tower closes? I come in late at night once in a while, but not often
enough to notice how the IFR works.

In essence you "own" the airspace (not the runway) until you've landed
& cancelled with ATC or flown somewhere else.

The landing has nothing to do with it. The essential event is
cancelling IFR. You can cancel before you land, which releases the
airspace. On the other hand, if you land and don't cancel, ATC will
continue to protect the airspace until you do cancel (although, I
imagine there must be some timeout).

I had an experience a few years back on an IFR training flight into
BDR (Bridgeport, CT). We were holding at the FAF and I could see the
aircraft in front of us (a commuter flight) had already landed and
taxied off the runway. But they hadn't canceled yet, so ATC couldn't
clear us for the approach yet. It worked out fine, since my student
needed the holding practice :-)

Only then can ATC bring in another aircraft for an approach
(assuming IMC conditions exist).

IMC has nothing to do with it. In the BDR example above, it was
severe clear, but if we wanted an approach clearance, we had to wait
until the airspace was released by the flight in front of us
cancelling.

"Kingfish" wrote in message
ps.com...

IIRC flying IFR into an uncontrolled field is a one-in & one-out deal.
In essence you "own" the airspace (not the runway) until you've landed
& cancelled with ATC or flown somewhere else. Only then can ATC bring
in another aircraft for an approach (assuming IMC conditions exist). I
think a parallel to a controlled field would be the local controller
sterilizing the airspace of any special VFRs aircraft when IAPs are in
effect.


The surface area does not need to be "sterilized" of SVFR aircraft, they
just need to be separated from IFR or other SVFR aircraft.

Gary Drescher wrote:

"Stubby" wrote in message
news
Suppose you have to do a missed approach or just go around. What does
the controller want to see you as? You "own" the runway until you
terminate the code, so maybe the issue is when can the controller have
another plane start an approach.


I think Robert was talking about VFR flight following, not an IFR approach.
If it were an IFR approach, you'd only be instructed to squawk 1200 if you'd
cancelled IFR--but in that case, you're now VFR and you no longer "own" the
runway (and if you have to go missed, you're still just VFR; if you re-enter
the clouds, you're VFR in IMC).

You never owned it in the first place. A third scenario is when you are
practicing IFR approaches while VFR to an uncontrolled field. This just
came up at our place. One of the major college flight schools is based
at an airport 12 miles SW of here. They always do their last practice
approach into that airport. Since our facility over 15 years ago put
out a letter to airmen stating that we would provide separation services
to VFR aircraft on practice approaches we are required to provide that
service, traffic permitting, all the way to the airport. We used to
just terminate you and tell you to squawk VFR about 5-6 miles from the
airport. We can still do that but are on the hook for separation until
you tell us you have completed your approach. If you don't report the
completion we can take our best guess as to when you got to the missed
approach point as that is when separation would end anyways. Only then
can we allow a second aircraft to start the approach. Our other option
is to tell you that the approach is approved, maintain VFR, no
separation provided.

Stubby wrote:
Suppose you have to do a missed approach or just go around. What does
the controller want to see you as? You "own" the runway until you
terminate the code, so maybe the issue is when can the controller have
another plane start an approach.

This assumes VFR.

-Robert

"Stubby" wrote in message
news

Suppose you have to do a missed approach or just go around. What does
the controller want to see you as? You "own" the runway until you
terminate the code, so maybe the issue is when can the controller have
another plane start an approach.


The controller isn't going to tell you to squawk 1200 if you're still IFR
and your beacon code has nothing to do with "owning" the runway.