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  #1  
Old 05-28-2015, 06:38 PM
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RV3bpilot RV3bpilot is offline
 
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Default Transponder is now to be on Alt at all airports

SAFO 15006
Subject: Transponder Use by Aircraft On Airport Movement Areas
Purpose: This SAFO advises all operators and pilots of the need to ensure that transponders are in the altitude reporting mode whenever their aircraft is on an airport movement area at all airports.
Background: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) uses airport surface surveillance capabilities at some of the busiest airports in the U.S. to determine aircraft and vehicle location when they are operating on an airport movement area. Runway safety systems, such as Airport Surface Detection Equipment-Model X (ASDE-X) and Advanced Surface Movement Guidance and Control System (A-SMGCS), use data from surface movement radar and aircraft transponders to obtain accurate aircraft and vehicle locations, thereby increasing airport surface safety and efficiency.
Discussion: As the FAA transitions to the Next Generation Air Transportation System, some Airport Surface Detection Equipment-Model 3 systems will be replaced with a multilateration (MLAT)1/Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast (ADS-B) system, called Airport Surface Surveillance Capability (ASSC). This capability fuses MLAT sensor data with ADS-B aircraft information on FAA certified airport tower controller displays, tracks surface vehicles and aircraft providing information for Air Traffic Control (ATC) services, and is capable of providing data to other external FAA systems,2 including compliance monitoring capabilities.
The effectiveness of ASSC and ASDE-X is dependent on operators equipping and operating cooperative surveillance capabilities (i.e., altitude reporting transponders). Nationwide, airports with ASDE-X report an average of twenty non-compliance transponder events per day, even with airport diagram or Automated Terminal Information Service (ATIS), or both, verbiage directing pilots to operate with transponders on. To proactively address these problems, aircraft operating on all airport movement areas at all airports, not just those that are ASDE-X equipped, must have their transponders on in the altitude
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  #2  
Old 05-28-2015, 06:53 PM
BobTurner BobTurner is offline
 
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This was published in the AIM some time ago, I think as a recommendation. To the best of my knowledge it has not yet made it to the FARs, leaving one branch of tbe FAA complaining about 'non compliance' while the legal branch has not yet told pilots that they have to comply!

Edit: in some ways this makes life easier. I just leave my transponder on ALT all the time, even in non movement areas.
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Old 05-29-2015, 06:35 AM
David-aviator David-aviator is offline
 
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Back in the good old days when there was a line up of 35 airplanes in the evening departure from JFK to Europe, ALT was off until just before take off.
Wondering how dozens of aircraft squawking ALT on the ground promotes safety. It sure will fill a controllers screen with useless info.
What am I missing here?
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  #4  
Old 05-29-2015, 07:31 AM
Timbeck2 Timbeck2 is offline
 
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As a controller I can see at least one big problem. If you squawk early the computers will start the clock so to speak, especially on IFR departures. When you get airborne it will confuse the system because it thinks you already took off. It can be fixed with just a few key strokes but when you multiply that by 35 as was mentioned, it can become a real problem.
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  #5  
Old 05-29-2015, 07:50 AM
Joness0154 Joness0154 is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by David-aviator View Post
Back in the good old days when there was a line up of 35 airplanes in the evening departure from JFK to Europe, ALT was off until just before take off.
Wondering how dozens of aircraft squawking ALT on the ground promotes safety. It sure will fill a controllers screen with useless info.
What am I missing here?
ASDE-X depends on the use of transponders.
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Old 05-29-2015, 07:57 AM
David-aviator David-aviator is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Joness0154 View Post
ASDE-X depends on the use of transponders.
Well that makes sense.
Will every airport with a control tower have such technology?
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  #7  
Old 05-29-2015, 08:07 AM
Joness0154 Joness0154 is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by David-aviator View Post
Well that makes sense.
Will every airport with a control tower have such technology?
They may.

ASDE-X requires its own separate (expensive) radar system, which makes it really only viable for large air carrier airports.

However, there's a new technology (ASSC) based on ADS-B that may make airport surveillance systems much cheaper for smaller airports.

As a pilot, there's no downside to having the transponder on ALT all the time, even on the ground. The only time I turn it off is before shutdown or when instructed to (flying into OSH, for example).
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Old 05-29-2015, 08:12 AM
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Many of us have gotten quite lazy with the newer transponders having automatic mode changing with altitude. I wonder if this means the manufacturers can make an easy software change or I will have to relearn setting my transponder.
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  #9  
Old 05-29-2015, 08:46 AM
Joness0154 Joness0154 is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MarkW View Post
Many of us have gotten quite lazy with the newer transponders having automatic mode changing with altitude. I wonder if this means the manufacturers can make an easy software change or I will have to relearn setting my transponder.
If you have a Mode-S transponder that automatically goes into GND mode, you don't have to do anything. It responds properly to ASDE/ASDE-X/ASSC interrogations.

All of the Dynon transponders and many of the Garmin transponders have that feature.
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  #10  
Old 05-29-2015, 11:13 AM
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MarkW MarkW is offline
 
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Well now that is cool.
So if we keep an eye on our transponder and it shows alt on the ground we know that we have been interrogated by the system.
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