Avionics News March 2021 - 28

ADS-B BEYOND THE STATES
Continued from page 27

Canada, Mexico and United States
Between these three nations, you can account for
the majority of private, business, general aviation and
commercial aviation aircraft in the world. And crossborder traffic is heavy between and among the three
nations and their neighbors in the Caribbean.
So we'll start our roundup of ADS-B requirements in
relatively familiar airspace - North America.
United States
By now, it's difficult to imagine an American pilot who
isn't aware of the 2010 rule mandating ADS-B Out avionics
by Jan. 1, 2020 - now more than a year past. As noted above,
the FAA gave operators a choice: the 978 MHz UAT, which
generally works with existing Mode C transponders; or the
1090 MHz Mode S transponder with extended squitter.
The 1090ES solution is a universal solution in the U.S.
and also complies with the majority of foreign requirements.
The 978 UAT satisfies the FAA mandate in all airspace
below 18,000 feet mean sea level, or Flight Level 180.
The FAA has a long list of equipment with the TSOs
necessary to earn acceptance as a valid solution, both
UAT and 1090ES. A flight test documenting compliance
and accuracy is required as part of the process to gain
operational approval.
Here, at 14 months since the FAA mandate's effective
date, avionics makers have developed solutions usable by
nearly every aircraft type: fixed- and rotary-wing; typeapproved, experimental and light-sport; turboprop singles
and twins; and jets of all sizes and capabilities.
Lacking an approved ADS-B system doesn't totally
ground an aircraft. But such a lack does mean the flight
crew must apply for a deviation waiver for every flight -
with approval by air traffic control on a case-by-case basis
dependent on the workload of the facilities involved.
For the same freedom to fly enjoyed prior to the ADS-B
mandate, the solution is simple: Install the hardware
required to meet the mandate. And where is ADS-B
required? Under the rule, ADS-B Out performance is
required to operate in:
1. Class A, B, and C airspace.
2. Class E airspace within the 48 contiguous states
and the District of Columbia at and above 10,000
feet mean sea level, excluding the airspace at and
below 2,500 feet above the surface.
3. Class E airspace at and above 3,000 feet mean sea
level over the Gulf of Mexico from the coastline
of the United States out to 12 nautical miles.
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2021

4. Around those airports identified in 14 CFR Part
91, Appendix D.
The ADS-B Out rule does not apply in the airspace
defined in items 1 and 2 above for any aircraft not
originally certificated with an electrical system or that
has not subsequently been certified with such a system
installed, including balloons and gliders. And if an
aircraft lacks ADS-B equipment, how can an operator
move the aircraft to an installation location?
The FAA provided such a mechanism and published
the policy in April 2019. The FAA's deviation option
allows a mechanism for pilots and operators without
ADS-B Out equipment installed to request ATC
authorization to deviate from the rule to access ADS-B
Out rule airspace. You can find the details about this
deviation authority at https://bit.ly/3ausxrM.

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Canada: The dawn of diversity
In November 2019, Nav Canada revealed its plans to
delay its 2021 ADS-B mandate. No new date has been
set yet. Although ADS-B will be used for surveillance
in Class A airspace (i.e. above FL180) from Feb. 25,
2021, onward, ADS-B won't be mandatory for aircraft
to be equipped. But for those who chose to proceed, the
ADS-B Out avionics performance standards required
to take advantage of space-based ADS-B separation
standards are DO 260, 260A, or 260B or equivalent,
which includes antennae able to broadcast out toward
space-based ADS-B receivers - what industry labeled
" diversity. "
In order for Canada's space-based ADS-B receivers to
acquire a reliable signal, an antenna is required to emit
the signal toward the satellites, which means a solution
with antennae on the top of the aircraft, as well as the
bottom.
ADS-B Out transponder solutions that meet Nav
Canada's performance requirements currently available
on the market include antenna diversity. Without this
reliability, reduced separation using space-based ADS-B
as surveillance would not be possible.
Aircraft that equip for compliance with the Canadian
ADS-B Out performance requirements mandate will also
be compliant with the U.S. and European ADS-B Out
mandates. However, U.S. and European aircraft that plan
to fly in Canadian mandated airspace will have to meet
the antenna-diversity performance requirements.
Mexico
Mexico's original ADS-B proposal would have
required 1090ES ADS-B Out beginning Jan. 1, 2020, in
Class A, B, C, E above 10,000 feet mean sea level, and

https://bit.ly/3ausxrM

Avionics News March 2021

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