jetcareers - View Single Post

icephalt24 · September 2nd, 2007, 03:09

Well let me try to put it another way. There are only so many usable codes and only one central database. Lets say you allow controllers to assign codes as the first 4 numbers off the top of their heads. Lets imagine AAL 129 is assigned to squwak 4280 (the controller just turned 42 and his favorite team just scored 80 points that day so the number is fresh in their mind) for a flight from BNA to LAX. 20 minutes later a King Air (call it N12345) is assigned the same code (they just totalled their car to the tune of $4,280 and so that number is the only one they can think of) from another controller for a flight from some midwestern strip to MCI. The central database isn't going to know if it should display the flight plan and aircraft data for AAL 120 or N12345 for either aircraft on a controller's scope. Because of that, controllers cannot assign squawks at their discretion. Memphis center is going to wonder how a King Air is tooling along at 420 knots, likewise ZKC is going to wonder why an LAX bound ALL 737 is heading east at 240 knots.

The only solution is give facilities codes to use for flights starting in their airspace. There are still only so many codes and they need to further break them up. Lets say we let codes be used for the duration of a flight. You could possibly get a situation where higher than usual departures from one facility result in a situation where that facility has no more codes left that aren't in use because all the aircraft with the codes assigned to that facility are still airborne. That was what I meant by "stealing" a code. If the plane is still airborne and locked into a code, it can't be used again until that plane lands.

Hope that clarifies. The system isn't smart enough to track aircraft squwaking 4280 westbound and know it is AAL 129 as opposed to eastbound N12345.

September 2nd, 2007, 03:09	#7
icephalt24 Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 30	Re: Squawking and VFR/IFR codes Well let me try to put it another way. There are only so many usable codes and only one central database. Lets say you allow controllers to assign codes as the first 4 numbers off the top of their heads. Lets imagine AAL 129 is assigned to squwak 4280 (the controller just turned 42 and his favorite team just scored 80 points that day so the number is fresh in their mind) for a flight from BNA to LAX. 20 minutes later a King Air (call it N12345) is assigned the same code (they just totalled their car to the tune of $4,280 and so that number is the only one they can think of) from another controller for a flight from some midwestern strip to MCI. The central database isn't going to know if it should display the flight plan and aircraft data for AAL 120 or N12345 for either aircraft on a controller's scope. Because of that, controllers cannot assign squawks at their discretion. Memphis center is going to wonder how a King Air is tooling along at 420 knots, likewise ZKC is going to wonder why an LAX bound ALL 737 is heading east at 240 knots. The only solution is give facilities codes to use for flights starting in their airspace. There are still only so many codes and they need to further break them up. Lets say we let codes be used for the duration of a flight. You could possibly get a situation where higher than usual departures from one facility result in a situation where that facility has no more codes left that aren't in use because all the aircraft with the codes assigned to that facility are still airborne. That was what I meant by "stealing" a code. If the plane is still airborne and locked into a code, it can't be used again until that plane lands. Hope that clarifies. The system isn't smart enough to track aircraft squwaking 4280 westbound and know it is AAL 129 as opposed to eastbound N12345.