A report in Aviation International News by Chad Trautvetter notes that just 46.2% of the U.S. aircraft fleet is projected to meet the ADS-B equipment mandate by the Jan. 1, 2020 deadline.
With only 411 days left, only 30.3% of airplanes are equipped, according to FAA data as of Nov. 1.
But the numbers on the general aviation side are bleaker: Just 22.2%, according to data compiled by JetNet and Duncan Aviation.
Business jet equipage was highest, with 7,477, or 52.5%, of these 14,320 aircraft now compliant. This is followed by turboprops, at 29.6% (3,591 of 12,149); pistons, 17.5% (35,791 of 204,191); and helicopters, 14.2% (1,968 of 13,866).
You can read the full story here.
Many helicopters will never need to be equipped, but no surprise they are dead last either. For many operators there’s probably nothing left in the budget for avionics after maintenance and inspections.
This is really a test of how many GA airplanes are used for transportation. Without ADS-B capability, a GA airplane is not transportation-capable.
I agree with Sarah about hangar queens, except that she spelled “hangar” wrong, and also that most of those planes are not in hangars at all, but rather tied down at the far end of a row with peeling paint, glazed over windows, flat tires, and collapsed landing gear struts.
Whether or not EAB aircraft are included in FAA’s statistics is a good point. Anyone know the answer?
“Realistically not many GA aircraft will be able to operate past the deadline without ADS-B….”
It occurs to me that there are surely lots of folks who live in areas where they can fly out for lunch or take a fall foliage sight-seeing flight with their main squeeze without ever having to deal with a Class C tower, or fly into the Mode C veil of Class B airspace as long as they remain below 10,000 ft MSL. These gals and guys do not need ADS-B Out, and probably only fly when it it is clear and relatively calm, and so don’t care about getting real time weather “In” either. For me the best thing about the “In” part is the traffic, as the airspace here in the Northeast can be crowded. But you can get that with an iPad or android tablet and the proper compatible App and receiver without having to comply with ADSB Out. Us recreational pilots who fly out of airports that are inside a Class B Mode C veil or at a Class C airport really have no practical choice but to meet the 2020 mandate, but many, perhaps even most, can continue to fly without changing their habits at all. BTW, any aircraft that meets the requirements of the present “no engine driven electrical system” exemption also is exempt under the January 1, 2020 rules even though they FAA originally left out the “engine driven” part of the phrase. Also, in response to a petition by AOPA and EAA, FAA decreed that any aircraft certificated before the end of December, 1941, is automatically exempt, no matter what sort of electrical system it originally came with, so there is another group that will not feel any pressure to comply.
So, realistically, in my opinion, the amount of GA aircraft owners who either do not have to comply, or are not at all interested in meeting the 2020 ADS-B mandate, may actually be greater than one might think.
So what is the take from this bit of information? It could be that the desire to wait and see what comes up that is cheaper and/easier to install gone too far now and aircraft owners are about to be faced with waiting too long to make their decision. Of course it could be that they waited just long enough for those easy ad-on’s to come around such as the unit that replaces a navigation light and requires only minimal change to the aircrafts wiring. I think some information on how well these newer and easier to install units are being ordered would be of value for this audience. I read the full article and it was clear they were targeting their comments to the jet crowd and not GA. One thing that might be apparent on Jan 1, 2020 is how many of the registered GA aircraft have become hanger queens that do not actually get flown anymore but are still on the books. Realistically not many GA aircraft will be able to operate past the deadline without ADS-B so maybe provide some information on how well the GA fleet is progressing. Keep in mind that GA includes an increasingly large fraction of aircraft in the EAB category and the owner/builder can do their own installation except maybe some form of simple function test by a licensed avionics shop.
Bottom line is it would be of better use to the readership if something was included on top of this short clip that would give us some useful perspectives on how badly GA might miss the 2020 mandate. The piston engine percentage of compliance does look bad but how fast is it rising or might reach by 2020?