Unknown pilots, unknown types of aircraft, unknown ID numbers. Who/what is using PDK now?
These aircraft are identified by the airport’s noise and operations monitoring system as unknowns because they are operating under visual flight rules and have not filed a flight plan with the FAA. They are primarily recreational and are smaller in size. Federal Aviation Regulations do not require aircraft flying under visual flight rules to file a flight plan. (See explanation of flight rules and plans above.) However, in today’s increased security environment, all aircraft flying within the Atlanta metropolitan airspace must set the aircraft’s transponder (an airborne radar beacon on the aircraft) to display a four-digit code. The four-digit code assigned to all visual flight rule aircraft is the same–1200. These are the unknowns referred to in general conversation. It is important to note that even aircraft flying under visual flight rules and not filing a flight plan must communicate with any local air traffic control tower. It is routine for a pilot in a highly congested metropol
