Squawk code · special
Squawk 1277: Search and rescue
Squawk 1277 is the US code for VFR aircraft conducting search and rescue operations.
Squawk 1277 identifies a VFR aircraft flying a search and rescue mission. The FAA's AIM (4-1-20) reserves it so controllers can tell a search aircraft apart from ordinary VFR traffic.
What 1277 means
Search aircraft fly in ways ordinary VFR flights do not: low, slow, back and forth over a grid, or in expanding squares around a last known position. Setting 1277 tells controllers that the pattern is deliberate and that the aircraft may linger in one area for hours.
Who flies search and rescue
- Civil Air Patrol, the US Air Force auxiliary, which flies volunteer missions in aircraft like the Cessna 172 and Cessna 182.
- US Coast Guard aircraft and helicopters over coastal and offshore waters (these often fly under their own military callsigns and codes).
- State and local agencies using helicopters for mountain and wilderness searches.
How 1277 appears on heywhatsflying
On the live map, a 1277 aircraft looks like a lawnmower pattern: parallel tracks a fraction of a mile apart, usually 500 to 2,000 ft above the ground. Search missions can also show up on helicopters now when a rotorcraft is involved. Tracks are best viewed on the airplanes.live globe, which draws the trail.
Why a dedicated code helps
A search aircraft may spend hours at low altitude in one area, sometimes near an airport's approach path or inside busy terminal airspace. Without a special code, it would look like any other VFR target and controllers would have to guess its intentions. With 1277 they can expect slow, repetitive manoeuvring and plan arrivals and departures around it. Search crews often still contact the local approach control to coordinate, but the code works even when they are on a separate mission frequency talking to search coordinators.
Related codes: 1255 (firefighting), 1200 (VFR) and 7700 (emergency). See the full squawk code index.
Questions
What does squawk 1277 mean?
It is the US code for VFR aircraft conducting search and rescue. It tells controllers the aircraft is flying a deliberate search pattern.
Who uses squawk 1277?
Civil Air Patrol volunteers are the most common users, along with state and local agencies. Coast Guard and military search aircraft often use their own assigned codes.