Question

When operating under VFR below 18,000 feet MSL, unless otherwise authorized, What transponder code should be selected?

1) 1200
2) 7700
3) 7600

Answer 1

In VFR flight below 18,000 feet MSL, the standard transponder code to use is 1200, unless directed otherwise by ATC. Codes 7700, 7600, and 7500 are for emergencies.

Step-by-step explanation:

When operating under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) below 18,000 feet Mean Sea Level (MSL), the transponder code that should generally be selected unless otherwise authorized by Air Traffic Control (ATC) is 1200. The codes 7700, 7600, and 7500 are reserved for specific emergency situations: 7700 indicates a general emergency, 7600 indicates a communication failure, and 7500 indicates a hijacking situation. Therefore, for normal VFR flight operations without ATC instructions to use a different code, 1200 is the standard squawk code used in the United States.