Garmin, Olathe, Kan., equipped six Kansas City, Mo.-area law enforcement and news helicopters with Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) avionics. The Kansas City Police Department equipped three OH-6s (military surplus Hughes 500), and the news organizations are flying Bell 206 models, Garmin said. “When a breaking news story or accident occurs, news and law enforcement helicopter pilots must fly in the exact same airspace. Previously, they relied on visual contact and progressive radio calls to maintain in-flight separation but now they can see each other using the ADS-B equipment, which we believe will significantly increase the overall safety,“ said Gary Kelley, Garmin’s vice president of marketing. Garmin’s avionics equipment includes the GDL 90, an ADS-B Universal Access Transceiver and the GTX 330 and GTX 33 transponders with 1090 MHz extended squitter capabilities.