Formation in a Class C airspace?

Question

How does one go about doing that?

I saw two pipers over my house yesterday.

I know in Class C, you need a transponder.

So, did one piper have it in mode C, and the other on standby?

Answer 1

yah u may be right that would be my guess

Answer 2

Depends on what ATC tells you to do, over the radio I've heard different things in different situations ie: low/heavy traffic, different controllers.  Don't know the FAA regs off the top of my head though.

Answer 3

If it is a declared formation, normally the lead squawks assigned code and other elements squawk stby.  If the formation is non-standard, then the trail could squawk subset (ie. first two digits of lead then two zeros, or 4000).  Of course, there is no standard separation for VFR to VFR aircraft in Class C, so they both could be talking to ATC, and both squawking assigned codes, and fly as close as they deem safe and prudent according to the FARs as long as they maintain visual separation from each other.