By CLIFTON STROUD, FAA
Tens of thousands of general aviation pilots are already enjoying added safety benefits, enhanced situational awareness and more peace of mind from Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) long before the 2020 deadline to equip.
To encourage more aircraft owners to equip soon and avoid long waits for installation at repair shops as the deadline nears, the FAA is offering — for a limited time — a $500 rebate for completed ADS-B installations in fixed-wing, single-engine piston aircraft.Owners can also claim the rebate for installing an integrated system that includes optional ADS-B In, which enables pilots to receive subscription-free traffic and weather information in the cockpit and see the location of nearby aircraft.
Many general aviation aircraft will require ADS-B Out, which transmits information about a plane’s altitude, speed and location to air traffic controllers and to nearby equipped aircraft.
Some general aviation aircraft owners may not recognize the consequences of waiting to install until they discover in 2020 that they cannot easily fly out of their home airport due to requirements that go into effect then.
To complete an ADS-B installation before the Jan. 1, 2020, deadline, aircraft owners should start to research available equipment and schedule an installation since appointments will become more difficult to obtain as the deadline approaches. Visit the Equip ADS-B website to research eligible equipment and learn more about the ADS-B Out rule.
By equipping now, GA pilots will be able to offset some of the cost.
Owners of U.S.-registered, fixed-wing, single-engine piston aircraft that are not currently equipped with Version 2 of ADS-B Out are eligible for a $500 rebate.
Rebates are still available and they are being issued on a first-come, first-served basis until 20,000 are claimed or until the end of the one-year program, whichever comes first.
Eligible aircraft owners can reserve a rebate until Sept. 18, 2017, the program’s last day to accept reservations, if any are still available.
Eligibility is limited to the purchase of new, TSO-certified ADS-B equipment that is compliant with the ADS-B Out rule. Software upgrades of existing equipment and installations in aircraft first registered after Jan. 1, 2016, are not eligible.
How Do I Get My Rebate?
Decide: Purchase TSO-certified avionics and schedule installation. Review and validate the aircraft owner and aircraft-specific information in the FAA’s Civil Aircraft Registry (CAR). The FAA will determine rebate program eligibility using the information submitted in the CAR, and all rebates will be mailed to the aircraft owner recorded in the CAR.
Reserve: Reserve a rebate from the FAA’s ADS-B Rebate website before avionics installation occurs. You will receive a rebate reservation code, which is required to claim the rebate.
Install: Install the TSO-certified ADS-B avionics.
Fly and Validate: Within 60 days of the scheduled installation date, fly the aircraft in “rule airspace” as defined in 14 CFR 91.225 for a minimum of 30 minutes with at least 10 aggregate minutes of maneuvering.
After the flight, validate that the equipment performed properly by requesting a Public ADS-B Performance Report and General Aviation Incentive Requirements Status report available on the FAA’s ADS-B Rebate website. If the equipment has performed correctly, you will receive an incentive code.
Claim: Within 60 days of the scheduled installation date, claim your rebate by using your reservation and incentive codes via FAA’s ADS-B Rebate website.
For more details about the rebate, visit the FAA’s ADS-B rebate website.