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Where are all the squawk codes?

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Airspace

Someone must have asked this by now, but I havent been able to to find the answer on the internet or from any other flight instructor.

There are obviously many more aircraft under ATC control at any one time than there are available transponder 4 digit codes (0000 - 77xx).  Does anyone know how ATC handle this problem?  My only guess is codes are reused for flights in different parts of the country that are sufficiently separated.  

 

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1 Answers



  1. John D Collins on Feb 29, 2020

    Your assumption is correct. If you have done any amount of IFR flying, you will have encountered cases where you have been requested to change your squawk code, particularly on a longer flight. I wonder why.

    Also with ADS-B Out, pilots are asked to include the CODE value in their flight plan. This is the hexadecimal 6 character unique aircraft ID that your ADS-B Out system uses. This value is broadcast by your ADS-B Out system to uniquely identify the aircraft and is related to your N number via an algorithm. It can supplement the squawk code, in some instances not requiring a code change enroute when you enter a sector that has another aircraft assigned the same squawk code. You can look up the hex CODE value in the FAA aircraft registry found online.

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