INSTRUCTOR FLEW WITH SPI WITHIN THE 30 MI VEIL; NOT WITHIN THE TCA; WITHOUT TRANSPONDER.

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MY STUDENT AND I MET TO BEGIN A LCL TRAINING FLT IN AN SMA. AS WE WERE PREFLTING THE ACFT; THE MECH CAME OUT AND BEGAN REMOVING THE TRANSPONDER. I ASKED HIM IF HE HAD A WAIVER FOR THE ACFT; SINCE WE ARE UNDER THE 30 NM VEIL OF THE STL TCA. THE CHIEF PLT; MR X; CAME OUT OF THE HANGAR AND INFORMED ME THAT NO WAIVER IS REQUIRED TO FLY WITH THE TRANSPONDER INOP OR REMOVED. HE SAID THE STL TWR PERSONNEL GAVE VERBAL PERMISSION; BUT REFUSED TO GRANT A WAIVER OR PUT ANYTHING IN WRITING TO THAT EFFECT. THE VERBAL MESSAGE FROM STL ATC IS TO FLY THE NO-TRANSPONDER- EQUIPPED ACFT WITHOUT BENEFIT OF A WAIVER OR A WRITTEN PERMISSION FORM. SINCE THE CHIEF PLT SAID IT WAS OK; I FLEW THE ACFT FOR THE TRAINING FLT. I BELIEVE THE ATC FOLKS SHOULD EITHER GRANT A WAIVER OR PUT SOMETHING DOWN IN WRITING WHEN THEY OK THE NO-TRANSPONDER TRAINING FLTS UNDER THE TCA VEIL. AS THINGS STAND NOW; I FEEL IT NECESSARY TO SUBMIT A NASA FORM JUST IN CASE THE LCL FSDO DECIDES THE VERBAL ATC PERMISSION TO FLY IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES THE ARPT FROM WHICH OPERATING IS APPROX 10 MI FROM THE PRIMARY ARPT OF THE TCA. THAT IS THE REASON FOR SUCH CONCERN. PREVIOUS TIMES WHEN SITUATION HAS OCCURRED; TWR HAS ISSUED AN IDENTIFYING NUMBER AND A DATE OF EXPIRATION OF WAIVER. PLT THEN HAS SOME RECORD TO REFER TO SHOULD ANY PROBLEM ARISE. IN THIS SITUATION INSTRUCTOR IS LEFT WITH ONLY VERBAL PERMISSION AND NO RECORD. BELIEVES STRONGLY THAT SOME POLICY SHOULD BE ESTABLISHED SO THAT SOME RECORD EXISTS THAT PROPER PROCS WERE FOLLOWED. OTHERWISE THE INSTRUCTOR PLT IS LEFT HANGING IN THE WIND. ONE PERSON'S WORD AGAINST ANOTHER.