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.

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

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

On Apr 2, 10:42*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


Thanks for breaking this news, Fred.

I’m also surprised the SSA wasn’t on top of this. Did the RNO
controllers mention any other changes to the PASCO procedures that we
have been using in the Reno area for the past few years?

Michael Mitton

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.

Please COORDINATE locally, to not make for any confusion in local
relationships.

An article has been posted to the SSA website, to further elaborate on
this
nice new development. Please consider fully the implications and
obligations
of using the glider code, and using see-and-avoid regardless. Having
a transponder
on and working, is not full protection from mid-airs.

Why didn't SSA 'know" about this coming active?
Because a few of us don't have the hours in the dark of night to read
ALL the
continuing flow of federal publications, and still be able to get to
work in daylight.
(Maybe I am qualified to be a congressional representative? ;-) )
And, the Feds didn't drop us a phone call to advise us.

Kind of like the same favorable change in data plate requirements.
SSA asked for it, repeatedly.
When it finally got shoveled off someone's desk, they were done
and no one told SSA about it.

Thanks for helping us find things as they enter the real world.

Cindy B
SSA Governmental Liaison Committee


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

Thanks for breaking this news, Fred.

I’m also surprised the SSA wasn’t on top of this. * Did the RNO
controllers mention any other changes to the PASCO procedures that we
have been using in the Reno area for the past few years?

Michael Mitton

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)