New Nationwide Squawk Code

SoaringNV is sponsoring a Minden Wave Camp this week. As part of our
camp we have invited the tower controllers from Reno TRACON to talk to
us about communication with them, something we do for every camp. We
learned, quite inadvertantly, that a nationwide transponder squawk
code has been assigned to gliders: 1201.

SO, from now on your transponder should be set to squawk 1201 anywhere
in the US (including the Reno airspace, where we have used a different
squawk code by agreement between PASCO and the controllers.)

Please use 1201 squawk code in your glider transponder.

Fred LaSor
SoaringNV
775 790-4314
Minden, NV

On Apr 2, 11:42*am, Fred wrote:
SoaringNV is sponsoring a Minden Wave Camp this week. *As part of our
camp we have invited the tower controllers from Reno TRACON to talk to
us about communication with them, something we do for every camp. *We
learned, quite inadvertantly, that a nationwide transponder squawk
code has been assigned to gliders: 1201.

SO, from now on your transponder should be set to squawk 1201 anywhere
in the US (including the Reno airspace, where we have used a different
squawk code by agreement between PASCO and the controllers.)

Please use 1201 squawk code in your glider transponder.

Fred LaSor
SoaringNV
775 790-4314
Minden, NV

Referenced here

http://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/m...110.66D%20.pdf

On 4/2/2010 10:52 AM, Frank Whiteley wrote:
On Apr 2, 11:42 am, wrote:
SoaringNV is sponsoring a Minden Wave Camp this week. As part of our
camp we have invited the tower controllers from Reno TRACON to talk to
us about communication with them, something we do for every camp. We
learned, quite inadvertantly, that a nationwide transponder squawk
code has been assigned to gliders: 1201.

SO, from now on your transponder should be set to squawk 1201 anywhere
in the US (including the Reno airspace, where we have used a different
squawk code by agreement between PASCO and the controllers.)

Please use 1201 squawk code in your glider transponder.

Fred LaSor
SoaringNV
775 790-4314
Minden, NV

Referenced here

http://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/m...110.66D%20.pdf


This has been the law since November, and no one has known about it?

On Apr 2, 11:56*am, Greg Arnold wrote:
On 4/2/2010 10:52 AM, Frank Whiteley wrote:



On Apr 2, 11:42 am, *wrote:
SoaringNV is sponsoring a Minden Wave Camp this week. *As part of our
camp we have invited the tower controllers from Reno TRACON to talk to
us about communication with them, something we do for every camp. *We
learned, quite inadvertantly, that a nationwide transponder squawk
code has been assigned to gliders: 1201.

SO, from now on your transponder should be set to squawk 1201 anywhere
in the US (including the Reno airspace, where we have used a different
squawk code by agreement between PASCO and the controllers.)

Please use 1201 squawk code in your glider transponder.

Fred LaSor
SoaringNV
775 790-4314
Minden, NV

Referenced here

http://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/m...110.66D%20.pdf

This has been the law since November, and no one has known about it?

Para 4 may give some indication as it cancels a long standing order.

I wonder if the discrete 440 was still being used out of Reno even
after this order appeared?

Maybe someone in the field finally used it. At least we now. It will
be interesting to see happens in centers when the 1201 code starts
appearing. Some will need to go to the bookshelf.

On 4/2/2010 11:09 AM, Frank Whiteley wrote:
On Apr 2, 11:56 am, Greg wrote:
On 4/2/2010 10:52 AM, Frank Whiteley wrote:



On Apr 2, 11:42 am, wrote:
SoaringNV is sponsoring a Minden Wave Camp this week. As part of our
camp we have invited the tower controllers from Reno TRACON to talk to
us about communication with them, something we do for every camp. We
learned, quite inadvertantly, that a nationwide transponder squawk
code has been assigned to gliders: 1201.

SO, from now on your transponder should be set to squawk 1201 anywhere
in the US (including the Reno airspace, where we have used a different
squawk code by agreement between PASCO and the controllers.)

Please use 1201 squawk code in your glider transponder.

Fred LaSor
SoaringNV
775 790-4314
Minden, NV

Referenced here

http://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/m...110.66D%20.pdf

This has been the law since November, and no one has known about it?

Para 4 may give some indication as it cancels a long standing order.

I wonder if the discrete 440 was still being used out of Reno even
after this order appeared?

Maybe someone in the field finally used it. At least we now. It will
be interesting to see happens in centers when the 1201 code starts
appearing. Some will need to go to the bookshelf.


Isn't the SSA in contact with the FAA about this type of thing?
Shouldn't the SSA have let us know?

On Apr 2, 12:14*pm, Greg Arnold wrote:
On 4/2/2010 11:09 AM, Frank Whiteley wrote:



On Apr 2, 11:56 am, Greg *wrote:
On 4/2/2010 10:52 AM, Frank Whiteley wrote:

On Apr 2, 11:42 am, * *wrote:
SoaringNV is sponsoring a Minden Wave Camp this week. *As part of our
camp we have invited the tower controllers from Reno TRACON to talk to
us about communication with them, something we do for every camp. *We
learned, quite inadvertantly, that a nationwide transponder squawk
code has been assigned to gliders: 1201.

SO, from now on your transponder should be set to squawk 1201 anywhere
in the US (including the Reno airspace, where we have used a different
squawk code by agreement between PASCO and the controllers.)

Please use 1201 squawk code in your glider transponder.

Fred LaSor
SoaringNV
775 790-4314
Minden, NV

Referenced here

http://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/m...110.66D%20.pdf

This has been the law since November, and no one has known about it?

Para 4 may give some indication as it cancels a long standing order.

I wonder if the discrete 440 was still being used out of Reno even
after this order appeared?

Maybe someone in the field finally used it. *At least we now. *It will
be interesting to see happens in centers when the 1201 code starts
appearing. *Some will need to go to the bookshelf.

Isn't the SSA in contact with the FAA about this type of thing?
Shouldn't the SSA have let us know?

The SSA was tracking this with the expectation that code 0000 might be
assigned in February as was announced. SSA later announced that 0000
would not be used and that 1201 was being considered, but that was the
latest word, which was after the date of this order. If you've ever
been in the federal government or the military you might understand
that the new order replaced the old order, but no one was particularly
screening such orders for niche changes, despite the fact this
particular item was bolded in the order. At the SSB seminar,
transponders were discussed at length and a surprising number of
attendees raised their hands when asked if they flew with
transponders. None commented about this assignment and several are
high time commercial pilots. Not clear where the conversation broke
down, but the word's out now. Thanks Fred.

Frank Whiteley

Man! Talk about keeping things under the radar! Why did the FAA not
let the glider community know about this??

-John

On Apr 2, 12:52 pm, Frank Whiteley wrote:
Referenced here

http://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/m...110.66D%20.pdf

Frank Whiteley wrote:
On Apr 2, 11:42*am, Fred wrote:
SoaringNV is sponsoring a Minden Wave Camp this week. *As part of our
camp we have invited the tower controllers from Reno TRACON to talk to
us about communication with them, something we do for every camp. *We
learned, quite inadvertantly, that a nationwide transponder squawk
code has been assigned to gliders: 1201.

SO, from now on your transponder should be set to squawk 1201 anywhere
in the US (including the Reno airspace, where we have used a different
squawk code by agreement between PASCO and the controllers.)

Please use 1201 squawk code in your glider transponder.

Fred LaSor
SoaringNV
775 790-4314
Minden, NV

Referenced here

http://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/m...110.66D%20.pdf

Wait-a-minute!

But isn't the quoted document an FAA internal order to its ATO service
units? The section labeled "Audience" no where indicates this is a
regulatory requirement to gliders having transponders. If there is a
regulatory document where this is made clear, that would be helpful and
more convincing.

In fact the following order, dated February 11, 2010, doesn't list 1201 or
any special treatment of gliders with transponders:

http://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publi...C/atc0502.html

While gliders with transponders in the Reno Nevada area may now be required
to use 1201, I can find no official publication by the FAA to support the
assertion that VFR glider pilots in the rest of the nation are now required
(or even allowed or advised) to use 1201 on an installed transponder.

In fact while searching I found that 1201 was recently used as one of the
beacon codes in the TFR of the 2010 Winter Olympics.

(Unless the FAA is now relying on Web viral postings and blogs as its new
means of publishing regulations? Very hip of them!)

I'm not sure that squawk code 1201 will ever be required for "VFR
gliders out of contact with ATC", the way 1200 is for aircraft flying
VFR and not in radio contact with ATC. But 1201 is now officially
reserved for gliders in that condition, and thus ATC facilities are
alerted that 1201 has a specific meaning.

Your point of who is responsible to start US gliders using 1201 is a
good one, though. In previous posts on this thread it was stated that
this should be decided locally, and it seems that remains the best way
forward for now. I agree it would be nice for clearer advice from the
FAA.

-John

On Apr 5, 10:58 pm, Jim Logajan wrote:
Wait-a-minute!

But isn't the quoted document an FAA internal order to its ATO service
units? The section labeled "Audience" no where indicates this is a
regulatory requirement to gliders having transponders. If there is a
regulatory document where this is made clear, that would be helpful and
more convincing.

In fact the following order, dated February 11, 2010, doesn't list 1201 or
any special treatment of gliders with transponders:

http://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publi...C/atc0502.html

While gliders with transponders in the Reno Nevada area may now be required
to use 1201, I can find no official publication by the FAA to support the
assertion that VFR glider pilots in the rest of the nation are now required
(or even allowed or advised) to use 1201 on an installed transponder.

In fact while searching I found that 1201 was recently used as one of the
beacon codes in the TFR of the 2010 Winter Olympics.

(Unless the FAA is now relying on Web viral postings and blogs as its new
means of publishing regulations? Very hip of them!)

Ah, confusion rains supreme. Squawk this.......no squawk
that........don't squawk anything? What we have here is the makings of
a good cluster-fuxx. The unskilled led by the untrained, green troops
led by yellow leaders.......wait a minute, have I been recalled to
active duty? That must be it........New orders men.........Continue to
disregard the new squawking procedure until such time as Hq gets an
extraction tool to remove head from butt.
:) JJ