Squawk Ident

[DanWEC]

Question for the controllers- some pilots respond to a squawk ident coming into controlled (IE Centre) with a confirmation and an altitude, which could be good practice.
Personally, I've always done the method by the book, no verbal response, just hit the ident, and then acknowledging after the controller confirms altitude (X-checking to yourself that it's accurate) and any subsequent instructions. (And obv. a "Squawk ident and say passing" garners a response.)

So from an ATC standpoint, do you prefer knowing the indicated alt right off the bat with the ident or not?

Cheers.

[photofly]

Personally, I've always done the method by the book, no verbal response, just hit the ident,

Can't speak for controllers' personal preferences, but "squawk ident" is an instruction, and all instructions from ATC require both compliance and an acknowledgement (602.31(1)(a)) so "no verbal response" isn't by the book, as far as I can see. By the book would be to respond at a minimum with your call sign, no?

[RexKrammer]

If you don't acknowledge the instruction to squawk ident, then there's no real way to confirm that the ident seen flashing on the screen is actually yours. You therefore should at a minimum include your ident with the acknowledgement to ident.

[DanWEC]

Photo- Do you respond to a "Standby" as well then?

I've heard both ways on this, just looking for further clarification from ATC as to which is best, however multiple intrawebs searches come up with responses from controllers that state not to respond.

Thanks, RexKrammer. You're an IFR controller?

[Broken Slinky]

I've always done DanWEC's "the monkey pushes the button" method. Never been or heard some scolded for not responding to the ident instruction. Curious if I should be responding though.

[SuperchargedRS]

My ident is my response, never had ATC say anything

[digits_]

Photo- Do you respond to a "Standby" as well then?

Standby isn't an instruction, merely an indication the other party is busy. You can use "standby" as well to ATC, yet you are not giving them an instruction.

[hydro]

I have no preference if you say "Identing", and/or "Passing through 5,700", or say nothing at all and just press the button. If you say the altitude, it saves me a couple words. If you don't, you save a couple words and I say the altitude.

[RexKrammer]

Photo- Do you respond to a "Standby" as well then?

I've heard both ways on this, just looking for further clarification from ATC as to which is best, however multiple intrawebs searches come up with responses from controllers that state not to respond.

Thanks, RexKrammer. You're an IFR controller?

I'm a VFR controller but do have to identify aircraft before providing traffic or other information to them derived from radar. (Or technically "surveillance" to fall in line with new terminology)

[NAT2]

I got slapped on the pee pee a few months ago from a controller for doing just that. I hit the ident when asked and then was asked to "acknowledge their transmission". I said "IDENT *** 293" but didn't hit the ident button again. Was the controller not hugged enough as a child?

[digits_]

I got slapped on the pee pee a few months ago from a controller for doing just that. I hit the ident when asked and then was asked to "acknowledge their transmission". I said "IDENT *** 293" but didn't hit the ident button again. Was the controller not hugged enough as a child?

Imagine that, a controller sticking to the rules and regulations. What an amateur!

[NAT2]

I got slapped on the pee pee a few months ago from a controller for doing just that. I hit the ident when asked and then was asked to "acknowledge their transmission". I said "IDENT *** 293" but didn't hit the ident button again. Was the controller not hugged enough as a child?

Imagine that, a controller sticking to the rules and regulations. What an amateur!

[DanWEC]

I have no preference if you say "Identing", and/or "Passing through 5,700", or say nothing at all and just press the button. If you say the altitude, it saves me a couple words. If you don't, you save a couple words and I say the altitude.

Thanks, Hydro, 6 of one and half dozen of the other essentially.

[AirFrame]

I don't understand why you'd get slapped for that. They ask you to IDENT, you hit the button. Either they got the IDENT on their scope, in which case you've clearly received their instruction and responded to it, or they didn't, in which case you can start talking again and try to determine whose equipment didn't work right.

CAR's require acknowledgement of instructions. They don't require verbal acknowledgement of instructions.

[Braun]

I don't understand why you'd get slapped for that. They ask you to IDENT, you hit the button. Either they got the IDENT on their scope, in which case you've clearly received their instruction and responded to it, or they didn't, in which case you can start talking again and try to determine whose equipment didn't work right.

CAR's require acknowledgement of instructions. They don't require verbal acknowledgement of instructions.

As an IFR controller this is the way I see it, I may be wrong. I never expect a verbal confirmation of an instruction to ident...I want the ident. I'm not sure of the "rules" for us in this case but I have never heard a controller chew out a pilot because of this. Anyways controllers should never chew out anyone on the freq anyways but that's another story.

[DanWEC]

As an IFR controlle this is the way I see it, I may be wrong. I never expect a verbal confirmation of an instruction to ident...I want the ident.

Thanks Braun, so no preference upon hearing the alt initially though? If not I'll just carry on as I have been.

Cheers

[digits_]

CAR's require acknowledgement of instructions. They don't require verbal acknowledgement of instructions.

If you are instructed to climb, do you just climb or do you read back the instruction as well?

[CpnCrunch]

CAR's require acknowledgement of instructions. They don't require verbal acknowledgement of instructions.

If you are instructed to climb, do you just climb or do you read back the instruction as well?

The difference with climbing is that it takes a while for your altitude to actually change, whereas with ident it appears immediately (along with your callsign, I assume). So if the controllers already have your flashing callsign on their screen, what possible reason would there be to say anything?

[Braun]

As an IFR controlle this is the way I see it, I may be wrong. I never expect a verbal confirmation of an instruction to ident...I want the ident.

Thanks Braun, so no preference upon hearing the alt initially though? If not I'll just carry on as I have been.

Cheers

I'd definitely prefer to have the altitude, that way I don't have to ask you after. As to what is mandatory I don't know, it's one of those things that you do for so long a certain way that you sort of forget why.

[Braun]

If we are going to quote CAR's we need to quote the whole paragraph

602.31 (1) Subject to subsection (3), the pilot-in command of an aircraft shall

(a) comply with and acknowledge, to the appropriate air traffic control unit, all of the air traffic control instructions directed to and received by the pilot-in-command; and

(b) comply with all of the air traffic control clearances received and accepted by the pilot-in-command and

(i) subject to subsection (2), in the case of an IFR flight, read back to the appropriate air traffic control unit the text of any air traffic control clearance received, and

(ii) in the case of a VFR flight, read back to the appropriate air traffic control unit the text of any air traffic control clearance received, when so requested by the air traffic control unit.