WASHINGTON, DC – The FAA will hold a “Call to Action” summit to engage the aviation industry in meeting the Jan. 1, 2020 deadline to equip aircraft with new avionics technology. The all-day session will be held Oct. 28.
The FAA and the aviation industry will discuss how they can work together to resolve barriers and address potential challenges to meeting the mandate to equip tens of thousands of aircraft with Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast (ADS-B) Out avionics in the next five years.
ADS-B is a core NextGen technology that will revolutionize the national airspace system, according to FAA officials. ADS-B will move aviation technology from a ground radar system to satellite-based GPS technology, increasing safety and efficiency by providing a more accurate view of aircraft location.
“The FAA has met its commitment and built the foundation for ADS-B,” said FAA Deputy Administrator Mike Whitaker. “It is time for all users of the national airspace – avionics suppliers, aircraft integrators, operators and installers – to work together to ensure that all aircraft flying in controlled airspace are equipped with these NextGen avionics. The full benefits of increased safety and efficiency of the national airspace depend on 100 percent equipage.”
The FAA published a final rule in May 2010, with industry input, that requires all aircraft flying in specific, controlled airspace, to equip with ADS-B Out avionics by 2020.
ADS-B will use GPS technology to transform the national airspace system by providing more precision and reliability than the current radar system. With ADS-B Out, controllers get an update of the aircraft position almost continuously, compared to five seconds or longer with radar. This, in turn, allows more efficient spacing of aircraft and better use of our busy airspace, FAA officials said. Aircraft equipped with ADS-B Out broadcast their flight position to controllers on the ground and to other pilots who are properly equipped with ADS-B, increasing safety and situational awareness.
The FAA recently completed the baseline ADS-B ground infrastructure with the deployment of 634 radio stations. This infrastructure is the building block for NextGen. Aircraft that equip with ADS-B avionics enjoy the benefits of improved safety and efficiency today, FAA officials note.
The FAA first deployed ADS-B in Alaska in remote areas with no radar coverage and equipped more than 300 aircraft in Alaska with ADS-B systems. The improved situational awareness for pilots and extended coverage for controllers resulted in a 47% drop in the fatal accident rate for equipped aircraft in the southwest area of the state.
In the Gulf of Mexico, the FAA worked with oil and natural gas companies and helicopter operators to install a network of ADS-B ground stations on oil platforms to bring satellite surveillance to that busy airspace and improve efficiency. This enables helicopters to continue operations even in inclement weather and saves fuel.
“We are pleased that FAA is taking an inclusive approach to addressing the substantial challenges associated with ADS-B equipage,” said Mark Baker, president of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, who was asked to serve on the steering group for the summit. “The costs associated with purchasing and installing the required avionics are prohibitive for many pilots and aircraft owners, especially in light of the limited benefits they will receive. At the same time, we understand the FAA is facing its own structural challenges and potential delays in implementing the mandate.”
ADSB is actually enforced flight following. Just imagine yourself with having to pay for cameras in your car focused on your speedometer to catch you if you are speeding. ADSB out shows the FAA your A/C number and you better watch out if you make a mistake……………..
Once again, calling to action will result in no action on my part (and I’m pretty sure that I’m not the only one taking this position). I will not equip until 11:59 on 12/31/19. Why? Because I get to spend about $4,000 to install a box that does absolutely nothing for me except to allow me to continue to fly where I do today. I have a day VFR only steam gauge homebuilt (and yes, I do fly in the vicinity of Class B and C airspace as well as above 10,000′ MSL) that has no room for fancy displays.
How about a “Call to Action” on removing the Third Class Medical? How about a “Call to Action” concerning the the obscene cost of fuel, only to go higher when the “New” unleaded goes on the market… I guess it was just wishful thinking.
The FAA can call all the “Call to Action” summits they want, …but if the plan for NextGen is seriously flawed from the start, as it most certainly still is, and will not work at any price to solve either the cost reduction, access assurance, capability, capacity, shared airspace, or safety issues at hand, …and expected traffic growth of UAVs, air transport, and military/security cannot be appropriately accommodated, ….then GA users (as well as other airspace users) will be reluctant to equip, regardless of the price. NextGen and FAA both need a “Reset”, before it is too late. NextGen is presently heading straight for a $40B failure at this point.