Controllers or people who spend more time in "the system" than I.

DFH65

DFH65

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DFH65
I don't spend much time in "the system" just no need flying a TW with no electrical most of the time. Was listening to a local class C and there was a guy who just flew into the airspace and was doing some touch and goes in the pattern. I thought I heard(maybe I misheard it) the controller asked the guy how many more he was going to do, the guy replied two and then the controller said to squawk vfr.

Why would they do this in the controlled space? Or did I maybe mishear what was going on?

Just curious minds want to know.
 
So they know it's not mixing in with departure or other arriving traffic

I have my plane based in DAB sand used to instruct here many years ago. If you enter the airspace you'll get a squak code then in the pattern the tower will have you squak 1204 and then if you depart the pattern they'll give you a new squak on your way out

Sometimes I take my plane out just to do pattern work, you don't even call clearance even though it's a C (may be different at other airports that's just procedure at DAB) tell ground you want to stay in the pattern and ground will give you taxi instructions along with telling you to squak 1204 in the pattern.

Why exactly daytona uses 1204 and not 1200 I do not know, but I'm certain the reasoning is the same as the guy they told to squak 1200
 
I do touch and go's quite often at a class D, and it is common, however, I'm always on 1200. I'm guessing he flew in from somewhere else with FF and a code, and wanted to do some T&G's before he left, and tower didn't need him on a discrete code.
 
JustinD said:
Why exactly daytona uses 1204 and not 1200 I do not know, but I'm certain the reasoning is the same as the guy they told to squak 1200
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I worked a number of towers but they were Air Force towers, so we didn't have this procedure. But I think the FAA towers are assigned some squawk codes in the 1200s. And as mentioned, they only use them in the VFR pattern. I don't know the reason but I could guess it's to allow approach to know the plane is in the VFR pattern and not their traffic.
 
Sometimes done to declutter the radar screen. With overlapping tags and an aircraft not departing outside the surface area, no need to keep them on a discrete.

Probably hadn't reached their limit on local codes but going 1200 will free up that discrete for another aircraft. We would sometimes reach our limit but it was rare and a unique situation.
 
@Croomrider

The OP is talking about a Class C not a D, in the Delta it's pretty common to depart the airspace/arrive/transition/stay in the pattern with just VFR squak. In a C you'll always get a discreet code even if you're just transitioning the airspace
 
Velocity173 said:
Sometimes done to declutter the radar screen. With overlapping tags and an aircraft not departing outside the surface area, no need to keep them on a discrete.

Probably hadn't reached their limit on local codes but going 1200 will free up that discrete for another aircraft. We would sometimes reach our limit but it was rare and a unique situation.
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Yeah. Decluttering the scope and freeing up a code. The plane may have been at that airport just for practice approaches. After his last one he'd be all set up to continue back home. But once he decided to bounce around for awhile in the traffic pattern they 1200'd him.
 
FWIW, the Class C here typically gives a certain code for VFR aircraft remaining in closed traffic. 0200 is what they'll give a lot of times. As others have said, giving a discreet code such as this (0200), allows them to easily identify the target in the pattern.

I could be wrong, but this has been what I've experienced in the past.
 
Ryanb said:
FWIW, the Class C here typically gives a certain code for VFR aircraft remaining in closed traffic. 0200 is what they'll give a lot of times. As others have said, giving a discreet code such as this (0200), allows them to easily identify the target in the pattern.

I could be wrong, but this has been what I've experienced in the past.
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That happens. Things are different from place to place. That it is a "C" airport doesn't decide what procedure will be used. It's the ATC facilities controlling the airspace there. Some "C's" are what you might call stand alone. The Approach Control there pretty much just runs that airport. Some are run by an Approach Control that has a bunch of B's, C's and D's all being run off of one Radar System. Things are going to be different from place to place and time to time how they do things
 
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Ryanb said:
FWIW, the Class C here typically gives a certain code for VFR aircraft remaining in closed traffic. 0200 is what they'll give a lot of times. As others have said, giving a discreet code such as this (0200), allows them to easily identify the target in the pattern.

I could be wrong, but this has been what I've experienced in the past.
Click to expand...

Yeah I think they have a requirement. Where my brother works, it's in their SOP as well. Must type the aircraft in the ARTS and issue a code if remaining in the pattern.
 
jordane93 said:
The class C airport by me has the planes just squawk standby if they just doing touch and go's.
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That'll work to declutter as well. A lot of stuff is in facility memos / SOPs and such. Some also comes down to controller preference.

We would keep them on a 1200 for easier ID in the pattern and allow conflict alerts with IFRs. Only thing we used standby for was flight rejoins.
 
Thanks for the info this was helpful. If I ever get up to the big city again it may come in handy to at least know why they do it.
 
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