VFR · Lesson 38 · 7 min · ACS PA.III.A · ACS PA.I.E
Transponder Codes and Flight Following
Summary
Squawk 1200 VFR. Reserve 7500 (hijack), 7600 (lost comm), and 7700 (emergency). Flight following adds traffic advisories but never replaces see-and-avoid.
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Transponder codes · Topic mastery: Not started
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What transponder code should a VFR aircraft squawk when not assigned a discrete code?
Why this matters in flight
The transponder is how radar sees and identifies you, and its emergency codes broadcast a silent message to every controller watching. Flight following adds an extra set of eyes on your route. Both are simple tools that dramatically improve safety when used correctly.
The transponder replies to radar interrogations with a four-digit code. A VFR aircraft without an assigned discrete code squawks 1200. Three codes are reserved for emergencies and must never be dialed carelessly, because rolling through them can trigger a real response: 7500 means unlawful interference or hijacking, 7600 means a two-way radio failure, and 7700 means a general emergency. The rhyme "seventy-five taken alive, seventy-six radio fix, seventy-seven going to heaven" helps keep them straight. Flight following, formally VFR radar traffic advisories, is a service where ATC points out nearby traffic and issues safety alerts. It is provided on a workload-permitting basis, so a busy controller may decline, and it never removes your own responsibility to see and avoid other aircraft.
Key terms
- Squawk 1200
- The standard VFR transponder code when no discrete code is assigned.
- Emergency codes
- 7500 hijack, 7600 lost comm, 7700 general emergency.
- Flight following
- VFR radar traffic advisories provided on a workload-permitting basis.
Sources & references · 2 · 2 linked
Every claim traces to a source — paraphrased knowledge elements pointing at the governing FAA publication. Items marked verified have been checked against the retrieved source text; the rest are pending verification. Where the exact page or regulation has been located in a retrieved document, the source links straight to it.
- AIM 4-1-20 / 6-2-2 / 6-3-4 / 6-4-2 — Aeronautical Information Manual verifiedAIM 4-1-20 (p. 43)
- AIM 4-1-18 — Aeronautical Information Manual verifiedAIM 4-1-18 (p. 43)
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