What does the instruction 'Squawk Ident' require the pilot to do?

What does the instruction 'Squawk Ident' require the pilot to do?

• A. Set transponder to Mode C
• B. Set transponder to STANDBY
• C. Initiate a radio failure check
• D. Press the Ident button to flash radar target

Answer: (D)

Squawk Ident is about making ATC know which aircraft you are by radar identification. Pressing the Ident button on the transponder sends a special identification pulse that makes your radar target flash on ATC’s screen, so controllers can quickly correlate the radar target with the aircraft you’re flying. The code you’re squawking remains the same; Ident is just a temporary identification aid, not an altitude report or a change in mode. The other actions described wouldn’t identify you on radar: setting Mode C would enable altitude reporting, STANDBY would put the transponder in a non‑transmitting state, and initiating a radio failure check is unrelated to radar identification.

Squawk Ident is about making ATC know which aircraft you are by radar identification. Pressing the Ident button on the transponder sends a special identification pulse that makes your radar target flash on ATC’s screen, so controllers can quickly correlate the radar target with the aircraft you’re flying. The code you’re squawking remains the same; Ident is just a temporary identification aid, not an altitude report or a change in mode.

The other actions described wouldn’t identify you on radar: setting Mode C would enable altitude reporting, STANDBY would put the transponder in a non‑transmitting state, and initiating a radio failure check is unrelated to radar identification.