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It has nothing to do with birds—though that’s closer to the truth than you may think.
Despite what it may sound like, the term “squawk code” has nothing to do with parrots or chickens. But it is a term associated with another thing that flies: commercial airplanes.
“They’re four-digit numbers [used by] air traffic control to identify us,” explained flight attendant-turned-pilot Rachel Maxwell to Travel + Leisure. She added that squawk codes are entered into cockpit transponders before takeoff, which then broadcast a flight’s location, identity, and altitude to nearby radar stations.
Squawk codes were initially introduced during World War II with the “Identification Friend or Foe” system (code-named “Parrot” by the British), which was used to help fighter jets distinguish enemies from allies. By the 1960s, transponder codes became a part of standard operating procedures by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. Without them, the skies would simply look like a field of slow-moving dots to air traffic controllers.
While most squawk codes are randomly assigned by ATC (ranging from 0000 to 7777), there are three fixed, universally recognized values that represent emergency situations and scenarios. “Pilots will change their assigned code and swap it for one of these, if the circumstance calls for it,” Maxwell said.
This allows controllers to differentiate and prioritize planes in distress on radar screens. The codes include:
- 7500: The signal for “unlawful interference,” or what is commonly known as a hijacking. “Pilots can discreetly tip off ATC that they may lose control of the plane and/or need to make an emergency landing that will be met with law enforcement,” an anonymous American Airlines flight attendant told Travel + Leisure. In extreme situations, a flight may require a military aircraft to escort or intervene.
- 7600: This code implies that the aircraft has lost all verbal communication. “The pilot may be able to hear ATC and vice versa, but one end of the connection may not be working,” the source shared. In this instance, planes can actually land through light communication from towers, with different colors indicating different prompts, both in-air and while on the ground.
- 7700: This is the code for a general emergency, which can include medical or mechanical. “A pilot may even input a 7700 code after communicating with ATC, so that it notifies others as a plane requiring extra and special attention,” he said.
For aviation geeks or those who simply want to keep track of their plane’s unique flying data and route, squawk codes can be tracked on apps and websites like Flightradar24 and Flight Beacon. Interactive maps, as well as flight logs and activity, are updated in real time to allow everyday people to see where aircraft are headed at any given moment.
Read the original article on Travel & Leisure
