The Jan. 1, 2020 ADS-B mandate has a lot of aircraft owners wringing their hands and seeing red. For those of us at the recreational end of the aviating spectrum (which represents a great many aircraft), plunking down the money it’ll take to equip our aircraft to meet the mandate is not something we care to think about.
So that got me to thinking who the ADS-B Out mandate applies to? Do you fly in airspace that requires a transponder? If not, you might not need to equip for the mandate.
But that question and answer might be overly simplistic, so here’s a few more questions for you:
- Do you fly at or above 10,000 feet MSL (or more than 2,500 feet AGL above 10,000 feet MSL)?
- Do you operate your plane over the Gulf of Mexico?
- Do you fly to or from or above Class C airspace?
- Do you fly within 30 nautical miles around Class B airport?
If you answered NO to each of those questions, as I read the ADS-B Out requirements, the mandate doesn’t apply to you.
In fact, from Garmin’s ADS-B website, “This [ADS-B airspace] includes Class A, B or C airspaces, Class E airspace at and above 10,000 ft MSL over the 48 contiguous United States and the District of Columbia, and Class E airspace over the Gulf of Mexico from the coastline of the U.S. out to 12 nm and above 3,000 feet MSL. Even if you don’t fall into one of these categories, you’ll still need an ADS-B Out solution if you find yourself flying from the surface up to 10,000 ft MSL within 30 miles of most primary Class B airports.”
What does this look like on a map? In the Pacific Northwest, where I live, my unequipped bug-smasher will not be welcome with 30 nm of Sea-Tac International (the only Class B airspace in Washington, Oregon, Idaho or Montana) or within the lateral limits (and above) of the Class C airspace at Spokane International/Fairchild AFB or Naval Air Base Whidbey Island in Washington, Portland International in Oregon, Boise Airport in Idaho, or Billings International in Montana. There is more than 400,000 square miles in those four states. If I rounded up, the ADS-B Out impacted airspace totals just 17,000 square miles, or 4%.
Obviously, things get much more complicated in California, Florida, the Northeast and other areas, to be sure, but that isn’t my point. There are thousands of aircraft owners, I believe, that rarely — if ever — operate in what will be ADS-B Out-required airspace. And because they believe the mandate will affect them, they are worrying about what to do.
And if you don’t operate in “Out” airspace, but plan to equip anyway, you have time on your side. Since the 2020 mandate doesn’t apply to the way you fly, you can wait for a better installation window at your avionics shop, for lower prices or new and better (hopefully portable) equipment options.
But watching the discussion surrounding the ADS-B mandate, I worry the average aircraft owner believes they must equip or ground their plane on Jan. 1, 2020. And that isn’t necessarily the case.
Stay tuned.
Related Article: Looking for an airspace refresher? Suggest you read The Logic Behind Class E Airspace (via BoldMethod).
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What is DOD planning? Will they really equip legacy aircraft with ADS when many still sport handheld GPS, or will they exempt themselves under sequestration? If so, what do we need to do to exempt the taxpayer?
What are the airlines planning? Other pubs say they are playing the waiting game too.
Radar vs national security: Any idea what Norad’s plan is? Will they really shut down all search radar – presently used and funded by both FAA and Norad? Cooperative systems are a smuggler’s wet dream. How’s HLS and DEA going to justify their existence without search radar?
@Tom… All excellent and valid questions, about the folly of FAA’s present flawed ADS-B, ….not even a start at being answered by FAA. Apparently fewer than 3% of airline aircraft qualified, with A4A [the Airline’s association] still with serious concerns, not a prayer of a solution for defense relative to security and primary radars, virtually no hope of efficient, economic, or affordable solutions for Vipers and Hornets and their cousins, ICAO and other countries ANSPs are definitely not aligned with FAA on this, and I’m sure any illegal cross-border ops or UAV ops will be the first to volunteer to step up to the FAA’s new expensive ADS-B equipage requirements. O:)
I’m a youngster, and plan on getting my private pilots license. How will this effect me while flying? I don’t understand when reading this article.
Ben,
Nice job on explaining how to operate post mandate. You can keep flying, just new rules.
Ben,
Nice article, thank you. I don’t know what is the appropriate forum is, but I would like to see the FAA lobbied regarding certification for ADS-B out equipment.
We are already seeing a proliferation of ADS-B in equipment for $500 or less. If the FAA were to take a simplified/fast track approach to certifying ADS-B out equipment the barrier to entry for manufactures would be lowered and we would soon see the same price point for these devices.
Paul
One thing that I haven’t seen mentioned here is what will be the effect of all the UAV’s that are predicted to be operating in a few years. With their only concern is to look at what is on the ground, with no regard for other aircraft, will they be required to have an ADS? I believe that they are more of a hazard than someone without ADS. Just wondering.
UAS operating in the navigable space require “Sense and Avoid Systems.” The standards are tough. The Air Force has yet to meet them, having already spent millions they recently issued several multimillion dollars more in contracts for additional development. ADS-B will no doubt be included in these systems. However, this is not nearly enough for a human pilot or a UAS (or UAV) both are required to autonomously detect and avoid collision with other aircraft to the same standard 14 CFR 91.113(b) and/or 91.181(b)
FAA’s concept of “Detect – Sense and Avoid” for UAVs is a complete myth, that cannot now or ever work, forever, since it violates laws of both physics and economics, especially for much slower velocity (typical UAV) vehicles. That’s why bugs splat on your windshield, after detecting, sensing, rolling inverted, pulling 12+ gs, and still splatting only inches away from where they would have originally hit anyway. Even “Sully’s birds” found that out the hard way, before his A320 landing in the Hudson. So this ADS-B issue and concern is fundamental for UAVs, and is a big reason why FAA’s current ADS-B plan is pure folly, and completely doomed. Further, no foreign airplanes flying over US airspace will ever likely equip unless required by ICAO, UAVs can’t afford to equip (due to weight, size, power, and cost), nor can gliders, parachutists, LSAs, …and even the the Russian Bears have no interest whatsoever in FAA’s ADS-B, either in GOMEX, or off the KLAX, KBOS, KJFK, or PANC coastlines. So both FAR 91.225 and 91.227 are just nuts, as presently configured by FAA. The whole FAA ADS-B concept needs a major overhaul before it is ready for prime time. So spending a dime on FAA’s overblown ADS-B right now is nothing but utterly wasted time and money.
How does less electronics than a cell phone get to cost $6,000.00?
A no display device with a GPS a modem and a transmitter glued together with not much of a processor. That’s just about all I see required for ADS-B out.
The $1,500 TV of 5 yrs ago is $300 this year. Will the 6k ADS-B be 1.2k by 2020?
David your question is a valid one and there are some avionics manufacturers looking at production of a handheld type radio to meet the requirements. If nobody buys the 6k unit
the price will either go down or the sellers might have to start selling cell phones or TV’s
to eat. I agree with you and am not planning to put the unit in my bird even though I live
in Florida and will be very limited on where I can go. I live in an Airpark and will only fly to
other Airparks in the area. I will not only save the 6k think of all the $5-6 dollar a gallon
avgas I will not have to buy…
This seals it. I’m out of the flying game. Too bad, I will miss it, but the ‘Regulators’ have won.
I would recommend that all those “caught” under the class B airspace to think about moving their aircraft to an airport outside the airspace rather than pay through the nose to install equipment that is not needed. We will no longer patronize the fly in restaurants and other businesses (avionics & maintenance, etc.) in that zone. I would suggest that all those with transponders should remove the transponders from their aircraft rather than upgrading to ADSB. Additionally it would have been nice if the floor had been established at 12,500 rather than 10,000 as above 12,500 is the over 30 minute without oxygen altitude.
I’d recommend still using your mode C, if you have it, since it will show ATC your altitude and it will allow them to vector others around you.
I’m in northern California and I will have no problem flying around the few class C and B airspaces, and getting over the Sierras at 2,500 AGL
I answered ‘NO’ to Ben’s 4 questions and I’ve already decided that I will not be adding ADS-B out,. But I’ll miss Half Moon Bay and the SFO ‘bay tour’, both under the SFO class B.
The big question that I have is can I still get VFR flight-following without ADS-B out, while flying outside class C and B ? I’ve asked our FAASafety regional manager, and have not gotten an answer.
You can still get flight following as long as you are not in airspace that requires ADS-B. That means if your flight starts outside ADS-B airspace and then continues into ADS-B required airspace your flight following will be terminated (right after they get your N number so they can send you the fine).
I think you missed the point. By removing the transponder it sends a clear message to the FAA that we don’t appreciate their overcontrol at our expense. Mid air collisions are extremely rare and the idea that mid air collisions by small planes are prevented by FAA actions is simply false. Don’t give them credit for safety in this matter. You give credit where credit is not due. The idea that they will “vector aircraft around us” is really somewhat amusing and reflects that you have bought into the false importance of overreaching governmental regulation.
Non electrical system aircraft are exempt. But will face the same issue then as we do now when flying into class C & B without a Transponder. We have to coordinate with center and they may or may not let us operate in the airspace depending on their workload. My open cockpit aircraft will never get anything more than it’s SL-40 COM radio & trusty old whiskey compass – I like it that way.
Ben, my understanding concerning Class B requirement is ’30 miles from Class B airport’ which is consistent with the Garmin site. Your explanation states ’30 miles around Class B airspace’. Quite a difference considering the distance the airspace extends from the airport. Which is correct? From my investigation, I believe it is, in fact, airspace, not just the airport but I could be wrong.
Nice article, as always.
Great catch Ron. I used “airspace” when I should have used “airport”. It has been updated. I was referring the 30-nm Mode-C ring around Class B airports…
As I see it, it could be a lot safer to have a system that you can see all the big and little planes all over you instead of just trying to watch over your window against the sun or in bad weather.
We all know that skies are filling up with lots of planes and to actually SEE them, their altitude and heading.
Also until the end of 2019 (5 more years !!!!) a system will be around $500 and will be the size of your cellphone.
So let’s not begin a war…….
@IHSO – The system which you describe, to use a simpler form of ADS-B (as already done in Australia and other places) that does not require FAA’s “WAAS/NIC/NAC Massive Overspecification”, yet addresses “more than adequate NextGen performance”, could eventually be available for an order of magnitude less cost than any current offerings. Further, small UAVs, many low end airspace users such as vintage aircraft, to globally based aircraft flying in or over US airspace, will NEVER have FAA’s flawed and overblown WAAS driven ADS-B.That’s why both GA and airline pushback on both the 91.225 and 91.227 faulty requirements is now critical.
Many,
Are you saying we must wait until Jan 2020 the drop dead date to see if we like it and have to have it?
Obama Healthcare comes to mind.
I that sure worked well. *snicker*
But hey, they had to pass it to find out what was in it.
What about my ’46 7-AC Champ with no electrical system? I live under a Class B, but I believe I’ll be exempt. Your thoughts?
I was wondering the same thing, I have a Luscombe 8E with no electrical, and I will probably be flying within 30 miles of class B airspace in a couple of years (I am planning on moving after I get out of college) and I don’t want to start cutting holes in my panel and adding a battery, I hope they either come up with a “hand held” version or have an exemption for non electrical aircraft
It’s already written that way, effectively the same as the transponder requirement. If your aircraft does not have, and has never had, an electrical system then you are exempt. Note the “engine-driven” part. You can have an electrical system to power lights and radio but if it doesn’t have a generator/alternator on the engine you are OK. It can be battery only, wind driven generator or even solar.
That was supposed to read “…an engine-driven electrical system then you are exempt.”
The “electrical requirement” is not the same as the “transponder requirement”. If you have electrical you can either have a transponder or not have a transponder. You only need a transponder if you are going into the Mode C veil at the Class B area or into a Class C airspace. If you are not going to be able to get into those areas with a transponder only at the year 2020 without ADSB then what good is the transponder alone? It no longer serves a purpose and I recommend removing it from the airplane unlike an electrical system that you can’t remove from the airplane. Why have a transponder that will not then get you where you want to go and have to pay money to have it certified every 2 years? It becomes an expensive worthless piece of equipment to the user.
Ignore the ADS-B 2020 mandate??? You bet !!! Many, in both GA and the airlines, will ignore it!!! ADS isn’t going to work as FAA has advertised anyway. FAA is simply going to have to change their position. As flawed as ADS presently is conceptually, FAA’s version of ADS isn’t going to deliver any substantive benefits. And so isn’t likely to ever happen the way FAA is claiming (remember MLS?). So to waste a pile of money now on ADS avionics that do not properly do what’s needed, and will already be largely functionally obsolete long before the 2020 deadline, and might even be substantially irrelevant for the real evolving criteria that will actually be needed for an effective future NextGen, with a better balance of C-N-and S (after NextGen’s inevitable redesign), would be just plain foolish.