FreeFlight Systems and Becker Avionics have partnered to offer an ADS-B solution for business and commercial class aircraft.
Combining the Becker Avionics BXT6513 Mode S transponder with FreeFlight Systems 1203C SBAS/GNSS sensor and RANGR-RX ADS-B Receiver, these remote-mounted solutions provide turboprop and turbojet aircraft a way to equip with ADS-B In and Out for the January 2020 mandate, according to officials with both companies.
“With less than three years remaining to meet the ADS-B Rule, there is a lack of cost effective, high quality options for the business aircraft market,” said FreeFlight’s Pete Ring. “By partnering with Becker Avionics, we are offering aircraft operators a cost-effective option to equip without the need to completely overhaul their panel and avionics systems. This is an ideal solution for many of our customers where a non-disruptive remote mounted option is preferred.”
The 1203C SBAS/GNSS meets TSO-C145C as the dedicated position source required for ADS-B, while the BXT6513 transponder (pictured) meets the ESTO-C112d and TSO-C166b for ADS-B OUT compliance.
The complete system meets the requirements of AC20-165B for ADS-B rule compliance.
The diversity capable system is suitable for installation on TCAS I and TCAS II equipped aircraft. A non-diversity option is also available, company officials noted.
The system is compatible with a variety of common control heads and can be installed in either single or dual configurations.
From one on the bottom of the aviation food chain (single engine private) I think the comments above are accurate. The forces of big government ego coupled with big avionics have brought us to this point. The anticipated money pile at the end of the regulatory rainbow isn’t going to happen, not from the GA world anyway. Remember, we have just come through the worst downturn in economy in decades, housing bust, etc. Those aircraft owners who have been able to hang on to their planes through these times are in a poor financial position to spend $8000-10000 to upgrade a perfectly usable IFR certified aircraft with what amounts to an overpriced digital transponder, that could easily be an accessory to the existing mode c. Consider the plight of Navworx… Ahem, glad I don’t have to fly into towered airports anyway.
While ADS-A, ADS-B, and ADS-C are fundamentally good ideas, and will need to be part of any near term balanced C-N-S Air Traffic Separation Services effort, FAA’s version of massively over-specified ADS-B per FAR 91.225/91.227 is fatally flawed, hopelessly and unnecessarily expensive, and there isn’t a prayer aviation users are going to meet the 2020 deadline. Worst of all, FAA is utterly abusing the ADS-B concept, trying to use it for ineffective and obsolete “Pseudo-radar”, for which it was NEVER originally INTENDED. ADS-B was originally invented to be a very inexpensive air-air backup link, between air vehicles, and NOT the seriously flawed, complicated and over-expensive (due to excessive NIC and NAC), substitute for ANSP radars. Note that even with FAA’s ridiculous ADS-B version, they’ll STILL need new primary radars for both security and backup!
Instead, FAA should now simply rescind the 2020 deadline, and allow ANY ADS-B system, as presently used in Australia and other countries globally, where SBAS/WAAS is entirely UNNECESSARY, and stop trying to use ADS-B for what it was never intended to be used for (an FAA radar replacement). That would drive down the cost of ADS-B, down eventually to potentially ~$500 or less per vehicle (even handhelds would work just fine), and allow existing (e.g., airline and GA GPS based) systems to be used, then allowing for even some drones using the ADS-B system (which would also help solve the drone safety and integration issue). Then the aviation industry (NOT FAA), needs to re-design future NextGen to be a system that will actually work, and be affordable for all users, based on RNP based automated trajectory separation, with data links, and not the present FAA “Rube Goldberg” NextGen scheme, which will NEVER WORK, at any affordable price, utility, efficiency, or safety.
The conclusion from all that, is that Free Flight an Becker’s attempt is a worthy valiant effort, but the fundamental premise is wrong. Their system still does not address the fundamental issues at hand, and hence isn’t worth spending a dime on it, for a deadline that is never going to happen. Airlines already have relief to at least 2024, DoD will never comply (and for good reason), FAR129 operators are just thumbing their nose at FAA compliance, and GA has no hope whatsoever of equipping, either time wise, or cost wise.