The FAA recently reported that Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) equipment is now on board 10,000 aircraft flying in the United States.
The FAA made the announcement at a recent Equip 2020 working group meeting that the milestone was reached in late February.
The Equip 2020 working group was established by FAA Deputy Administrator Michael Whitaker in October 2014 to encourage the adoption of ADS-B and address challenges to equipping airplanes. ADS-B is the linchpin of the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) in the United States, and is being used worldwide in support of air traffic modernization programs.
The FAA has estimated that 100,000 to 160,000 general aviation aircraft will need to be equipped with ADS-B Out before the FAA’s Jan. 1, 2020 mandate. The FAA put the mandate in place in 2010 after working for years with industry and operator groups on the equipage requirement, according to officials with the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA).
“This significant milestone shows that thousands of U.S. aircraft are already experiencing the many benefits that ADS-B equipage offers, including enhanced surveillance, especially at lower altitudes, better situational awareness, and free in-cockpit weather and traffic,” GAMA President and CEO Pete Bunce said. “With over a dozen products on the market and more on the way, the cost of equipment has dropped and operators have a choice of cost-effective solutions that meet the FAA’s mandate.
“ADS-B will be particularly important for general aviation operators as the FAA fully integrates Unmanned Aerial Systems into the National Airspace System, introducing thousands of UAS into a crowded airspace,” Bunce added. “By choosing to equip now, operators are investing in their safety; they are also ensuring they meet the 2020 deadline before installation lines grow long. We are very pleased with the positive growth in equipage, and manufacturers will continue to work with the FAA and operators to facilitate equipage as the 2020 deadline approaches.”
The FAA obviously loves tooting its own horn with data that is for all intents and purposes useless insofar as GA is concerned because you can bet that the vast majority of these 10,000 airplanes are commercial whence the customers of those operators are footing the bill, not the operator, unlike GA where the owner will be stuck with a big bill that will give him/her very little if any increase in safety. It’s smoke and mirrors time.
Hi everyone:
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Jeanie,
Unfortunately, the nextgenfund is just a PR ploy to appear as if upgrades are economically prudent. The minimum LOAN is $10K. With the median age of the GA fleet hovering near 35 years, and likely hull values only 2-5 times the proposed financed amount, the entire scheme is a scam. Sorry if that’s blunt. We need an affordable solution to the mandate, not unrecoverable consumer debt that does little for safety and nothing for operational efficiency of our aircraft.
My thoughts exactly as I was reading this , Mark.
I would almost put money on the idea that the majority of the 10,000 installations are in commercial aircraft.
I find it humorous and curious that the report conveniently leaves this information out of the mix
10,000 aircraft out of 224,000 with four years and 8 months to go. That means on average 4,000 aircraft PER MONTH need upgraded avionics to meet the deadline. At $5,000 per installation that will cost owners over a billion dollars total. Impressive. I hope the price comes down significantly.
Is that 10,000 General Aviation aircraft? or does that 10,000 aircraft include several thousand Commercial Airliners too?