A group of pilots has started a petition on Change.org asking the FAA to prohibit the use of ADS-B data for billing airport fees.
Led by Don Frano, the petition campaign, directed at Acting FAA Administrator Chris Rocheleau, notes that “as U.S. pilots, we were encouraged — and in many cases required — to invest in Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) technology to enhance aviation safety. Emphasizing that ADS-B was developed strictly for safety purposes, the FAA assured pilots that this data would not be used even to initiate enforcement actions.”
“However, we now find that third-party vendors, such as Vector Airport Systems, are using ADS-B data to track aircraft for billing purposes, including landing fees. This practice exceeds the intended scope of ADS-B and undermines trust in the system,” it continues.
According to Frano, who hosted a forum at the 2025 SUN ’n FUN Aerospace Expo to increase awareness about this issue, general aviation aircraft owners spent $500 million to equip their aircraft with ADS-B with promises from the FAA that it would only be used to increase safety.
“ADS-B was implemented to improve safety, not to serve as a financial tool,” according to the petition. “Using it for fee collection not only deviates from its intended purpose but also risks discouraging participation in safety-enhancing technologies. Pilots should not face unexpected financial burdens or privacy concerns from a system meant to improve airspace security.”
The petition asks the FAA to take “immediate action to prohibit the use of ADS-B data for billing purposes. This step is necessary to restore confidence in the system and ensure ADS-B remains dedicated solely to its original safety purpose.”
As of April 23, 2025, two months after the petition was put on the Change.org site, it had received 3,246 signatures.
Bait And Switch
Many of the pilots also left comments, including Tim, who noted: “when ADS-B was rolled out, pilots were told it was for safety and situational awareness — not a tool for billing. Using that same data now to charge landing fees feels like a bait and switch. It breaks the trust between the FAA and the aviation community and discourages pilots from equipping or complying. This kind of move goes completely against the spirit of general aviation and puts unnecessary pressure on an already struggling sector. It’s not what we signed up for.”
Other commenters, such as James, noted that “using ADS-B for billing discourages pilots from installing it, which undermines the real purpose of the system, which is to improve safety. ADS-B based billing should be illegal.”
John D. adds that “ADS-B was a tool to enhance safety, not FAA revenue. You will have pilots turning the systems off to avoid additional charges.”
You can see — and sign — the petition at Change.org/p/Calling-On-The-FAA-To-Halt-The-Use-Of-ADSB-Data-For-Billing.
Frano also has another website, StopADSBAbuse.com, which includes more information.
I’m an old and long since retired USCG Aviation/ground Safety Officer, Monterey trained by good folk. IF, you have the PERCEPTION (from Law Enforcement trng) then it’s real enough. IF we PERCEIVE that we are subject to a bill we don’t feel is fair, WE… will disable ADSB at every opportunity. The safety value we spent a lot of money to add, to play nicely with our fellow aviators will go right out the window.
Hang on to your hats!!!! As vector Systems is petitioning the FAA to also us ADSB for billing in route tracking also…….
Europe charges for everything……call for weather …get a bill…..talk to a tower ground and flight …….get a bill…….file an IFR flight plane and there is a bill……This company wants to do the same thing here ……..using FAA ADSB for billing….
I don’t know where you get your information from, but I fly in Europe every week (France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Zwitserland, Slovenia) and I mostly file a Flight Plan and I talk to ATC all the time. I never get a bill for these.
Landing fees, yes, but no ATC fees.
So, make sure your info is correct before posting such a generalized comment.
I remember being in Austria and renting a C182 and the CFI that went with us specifically said, we do not talk to that airport, if we do we will get billed. And it was withn a year of that(?) that AOPA mentioned something about how ATC worked in Europe on a pay as you go basis. And this was to keep that system from coming to the USofA. So I’d like to know when this came to an end.