Saudia Airlines False Distress Call

Stingray Don

Stingray Don

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Stingray Don
Many GA transponders have "1200" buttons, it would make sense for some aircraft to have "7500" buttons (or something similar) like the panic buttons for silent alarms in jewelry stores and banks. In fact, I'd be surprised if they didn't.

Now standby for some airline pilot to show up and tell us this is all a big secret and we've endangered the world of air travel by discussing it....
 
Nope, ya gotta dial it in just like everyone else. No big red handle either. :D
 
I was once changing from 1200 to 7xxx code. Old school AT50 type, with twist knobs. Set 7. Then started moving 2nd number and stopped at 7 in order to re grip twist knob. So fir about 2 seconds I was squawking 7700.

Always made sure to change the 00 part of the code after that.
 
They might have such a button because the area of the world they operate. EL Al has equipment that the rest of us don't know about and don't have.
 
ChemGuy said:
I was once changing from 1200 to 7xxx code. Old school AT50 type, with twist knobs. Set 7. Then started moving 2nd number and stopped at 7 in order to re grip twist knob. So fir about 2 seconds I was squawking 7700.

Always made sure to change the 00 part of the code after that.
Click to expand...

I always told students to dial in the code backwards to prevent any cycle through the 7s.
 
ChemGuy said:
I was once changing from 1200 to 7xxx code. Old school AT50 type, with twist knobs. Set 7. Then started moving 2nd number and stopped at 7 in order to re grip twist knob. So fir about 2 seconds I was squawking 7700.

Always made sure to change the 00 part of the code after that.
Click to expand...

Set transponder to "standby"

Enter SQ code

Set transponder to "Mode C"
 
How does one squawk 7500 twice on a modern airliner, then confirm it by mistake? I am assuming it was confirmed, considering the warm welcome.
 
I'm guessing what probably happened is that they inadvertently put 7500 in, and when ATC asked them to "confirm squawk" they confirmed it with ATC before they looked to see what they had punched in.
 
What happened is captain pushed the coffee button and nothing appeared. He called the cabin to check on everyone. No one answered. So naturally he concluded they were being hijacked. Once the coffe appeared he realized it was a mistake.

Why is this difficult to understand :arf:
 
Maybe they dialed in 7500 rather than 0750 and then hit the ident button? Big assumptions, I know. I'm just trying to make some sense out of it.
 
Tarheelpilot said:
What happened is captain pushed the coffee button and nothing appeared. He called the cabin to check on everyone. No one answered. So naturally he concluded they were being hijacked. Once the coffe appeared he realized it was a mistake.

Why is this difficult to understand :arf:
Click to expand...
'Cause no coffee is 7700, not 7500.
 
Maybe they were passing through 7500 ft. and the controller said "squawk altitude"...

Rod Machado has a great story about this.
 
They needed the memory aid:

"Hi, Jack!"
"Can't talk right now."
"I'm on fire!"
 
Don't forget the coffee (or martini depending on which version of the joke you've heard).
 
Artimas said:
Maybe they were passing through 7500 ft. and the controller said "squawk altitude"...

Rod Machado has a great story about this.
Click to expand...

That was probably at VNY back around 1990 or so. No Mode C reply. Controller says "Squawk altitude." Yup, he was at 7500 feet and Yup, he does it. Controller does what he is supposed to do which is work the words "seven five zero zero" and "verify" discreetly into some transmission. Pilot verifies. The drama begins. It ends with the pilot spread eagle on the ramp surrounded by cops, guns out, beads drawn. It was a small GA airplane. Yup, the controller and the supervisors got so wrapped up in the excitement of a bug smasher being hijacked to Van Nuys that no one had the bright idea to have him "Squawk altitude" again after he had begun his descent.
 
Wondering if I should buy a plane with the N number...... 7500V.....
 
Can anyone other than Chuck Norris have a permanent squawk?
 
A friend of mine after moving to the Bay Area rented a Citabria out of Palo Alto to do his first Bay Tour. All went well until he finished the Oakland transition on the way back and was told to squawk VFR (I'm pretty sure they usually let you keep your code now). He confirmed and in some brain-fart (his words!) punched in 7500 instead of 1200 for VFR. Tower: "Is everything OK up there?" Citabria: "Yep all good." Tower: "Is everything *really* OK up there?" Citabria: "Yeah. Oh. Oops."
 
ChemGuy said:
I was once changing from 1200 to 7xxx code. Old school AT50 type, with twist knobs. Set 7. Then started moving 2nd number and stopped at 7 in order to re grip twist knob. So fir about 2 seconds I was squawking 7700.

Always made sure to change the 00 part of the code after that.
Click to expand...

It would be odd that you'd be doing that, since most facilities will never ever assign a 7xxx code at all. Where were you that did?
 
It's not the case that all 7xxx is blocked from normal use. I've certainly gotten those codes. While there are indeed some additional "special" ones for the FAA and the DOD in the 7600-7777 range, there are regular ATC assignable numbers including the entire block from 7000-7477, plus 7610-7676 and 7710-7776.

See the appendices to this document: http://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Order/JO_7110.66D_.pdf.
 
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