Rotorcraft Report: FAA Proposes Rule For ADS-B Equipment

PRODUCTS/AVIONICS

The FAA on Oct. 2 issued a long-anticipated notice of proposed rulemaking setting out performance requirements for the avionics needed to operate in an Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) flight regime.

The 100-page proposal says only ADS-B "Out" broadcast capability is required, deferring a mandate for ADS-B "In" capability at this time. Aircraft position accuracy would be provided by the GPS Wide-Area Augmentation System (WAAS). The proposal also provides estimated ADS-B equipment and installation costs, ranging from a low of $4,328 for GA aircraft to a high of $463,706 for turboprops.

The proposed rule is open to public comment for 90 days after publication in the Federal Register, and is scheduled to become final by late 2009. It proposes a compliance date of 2020, giving aircraft operators 10 years to equip.

Under the proposal, aircraft must be equipped with either 1090ES (extended squitter) transponders or universal access transceivers (UATs) conforming to Technical Standard Order C166a and C154b, respectively. Aircraft flying at or above FL240 (24,000 feet) must use the 1090ES transponder; aircraft operating below that level can have either the 1090ES or UAT broadcast units. — Bill Carey, Avionics Magazine