Ask The Pilot

[mt63]

On a recent flight down the east coast the tops of the clouds were remarkably flat. It looked like an ice field in all directions. Is there a peculiar meteorological condition that would cause this and does it have any implications for flying? Turbulence was non-existent.

 

[markis10]

That would more than likely be an inversion layer where a layer of warm air has trapped a layer of cooler air beneath it, ie mer de nuages.

 

[Major]

At what stage is the transponder activated ?
Do you activate it manually or is it automatic when power is on ?
What are the regulations regarding it being on or off ?

 

[AviatorInsight]

At what stage is the transponder activated ?
Do you activate it manually or is it automatic when power is on ?
What are the regulations regarding it being on or off ?

Once we request the clearance the transponder code will be punched in and then activated.

When the flight is complete, we squawk the generic IFR code and put it back into standby mode for the next flight.

 

[markis10]

Once we request the clearance the transponder code will be punched in and then activated.

When the flight is complete, we squawk the generic IFR code and put it back into standby mode for the next flight.

Probably worth clarifying that we have ADSB transponders as well as SSR Mode c which are dinosaurs a bit like this ATCO