MODE S Operation while airborne
Join Date: May 2000
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Are you able to reselect your MODE S identification during the flight? And how do you do it?( is it enough if you retype your Flight number in your FMS or there's other way to achieve this?)
Join Date: Mar 2001
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As posted above on the 737 it depends on variant and transponder retrofit. On the classic we had some retrofits where the ID had to be entered into the transponder directy. On others we had the same method we use on NGs, the ID is entered into route page 1. Both methods allow easy change inflight.
ATC callsigns are usually different than the commercial flight number, therefore we always check out the callsign info on our LIDO flight plan or on our crew briefing sheet, not the flight number.
ATC callsigns are usually different than the commercial flight number, therefore we always check out the callsign info on our LIDO flight plan or on our crew briefing sheet, not the flight number.
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Join Date: Mar 2007
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EEngr, I'm spotting it and dealing with it when they are at their cruising levels ...of course i wouldn't bother them during climb or descend preparations ... 
I would say there are no immediate consequences on other systems ... although in certain situations the correct mode s id setting would become handy ... if for example our data processing system on ground crashes for one reason or another(it happened a few times) the first consequence is that all the correlation on the radar screens is lost ... meanning .. i won't see a callsign next to your aircraft bleep but only Squawk A figures for all the flights except those who have Mode S(they would retain corresponding callsings) ... if there were a lot of aicraft in the sector at such times retaining identification is more time consuming compared to the one when system authomatically correlates flights displaying their callsings next to little dots on the screen
The second reason I question the pilots of such flights is : if that ident feature of Mode S is there for a reason, then it should be correct . Its the foremost for their own safety sake and my peace of mind as well.
Chain of events is a curious thing, often leading to disasters - and you never know when such feature is going to take a part in an incident or thus preventing one.
Fly safe
1999
I would say there are no immediate consequences on other systems ... although in certain situations the correct mode s id setting would become handy ... if for example our data processing system on ground crashes for one reason or another(it happened a few times) the first consequence is that all the correlation on the radar screens is lost ... meanning .. i won't see a callsign next to your aircraft bleep but only Squawk A figures for all the flights except those who have Mode S(they would retain corresponding callsings) ... if there were a lot of aicraft in the sector at such times retaining identification is more time consuming compared to the one when system authomatically correlates flights displaying their callsings next to little dots on the screen
The second reason I question the pilots of such flights is : if that ident feature of Mode S is there for a reason, then it should be correct . Its the foremost for their own safety sake and my peace of mind as well.
Chain of events is a curious thing, often leading to disasters - and you never know when such feature is going to take a part in an incident or thus preventing one.
Fly safe
1999
Last edited by 1999; 24th Mar 2012 at 10:45.
Thanks 1999.
I'm approaching this problem not as a professional pilot, but as an engineer who is often involved in issues of man-machine interfaces, usability, etc. We're the people who hide all those important functions in obscure menus and make you reboot your Windows PC every time you change some trivial parameter.
I'm approaching this problem not as a professional pilot, but as an engineer who is often involved in issues of man-machine interfaces, usability, etc. We're the people who hide all those important functions in obscure menus and make you reboot your Windows PC every time you change some trivial parameter.
