AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2014 - 4

PRESIDENT'S POSITION

Meeting the mandate

MARK BAKER
AOPA President and CEO

Confusion and uncertainty around ADS-B

AOPA PRESIDENT

Mark Baker is an
active general
aviation pilot who
has logged more
than 7,500 flight
hours.

THIS YEAR HAS not yet come to a close, but my mind
is on January 1, 2020. That's when the FAA has mandated that aircraft must be equipped for ADS-B Out
in order to operate in airspace where a Mode C transponder is required today.
If you own an airplane, you've probably been following this issue pretty closely. And if you're like most of the
aviation community, you're wondering just what equipment you need, when you should buy it, and whether it
will be worth the cost to purchase and install.
The Department of Transportation's Inspector
General recently released a follow-up report citing big
problems with the implementation of ADS-B, including
cost overruns, delays, and lack of benefits.
The findings in the report mirror many of the issues
AOPA has raised from day one. We've said that the benefits need to be clear if we want the general aviation
community to invest the minimum $5,000 to $6,000 per
aircraft to buy and install required equipment.
The good news is that the report can serve as a
springboard for some collaborative problem solving.
The FAA announced an October 28 summit to discuss the challenges around ADS-B implementation,
and AOPA is among the organizations that have been
invited. It's clear from the Inspector General's report
that changes to the implementation process are badly
needed, and I, for one, look forward to working with
the FAA to come up with solutions that address issues
like cost to equip and portability, which would offer
greater flexibility in addressing ADS-B equipage. In
parts of the country where ADS-B is up and running
and participation levels are high, it can offer pilots situational awareness.
Unfortunately, that's not in most places. Although
the FAA has deployed 634 ground-based radio stations
in support of ADS-B, it has identified coverage gaps
that could require another 200 radio stations. And the
FAA continues to experience technical glitches and
hazards that were identified in previous tests of the
system but haven't been resolved. In addition, the FAA
must upgrade automation systems at more than 230 air
traffic control facilities before the ADS-B ground infrastructure will provide benefits. Those upgrades will
not be completed before 2019 at the earliest, according to the report.
For the time being, at least, ADS-B In-the element
of the system with the potential to offer direct benefits

4 | AOPA PILOT November 2014

to pilots by bringing weather and traffic information
into the cockpit-can be used for "advisory purposes
only," severely limiting its usefulness.
AOPA has concerns about the integrity of ADS-B
data collection. We reported one incident where a pilot
using ADS-B information was cited for airspace violations-a fact that was noted in the Inspector General's
report, which identified eight incidents of problems
with ADS-B In data. The problems cited in the report
are not with the ADS-B per se. Nor are they with the
equipment used in the cockpit. The problems lie in the
implementation process. We need the FAA to pause, listen carefully to what users need from the system, and
work with the user community to put it all together.
AOPA has supported the move from ground-based
to satellite-based navigation. That's the promise of
NextGen modernization, and ADS-B is an integral
part of that effort. But making it work means giving
end users-pilots like us-clear benefits, cost-effective
solutions, and the flexibility to meet the realities of the
way we fly. As the situation stands, installing mandated
ADS-B Out equipment will allow you to fly in exactly
the same way in exactly the same airspace you use today.
If you add ADS-B In capabilities, which are not part of
the mandate, you'll get traffic and weather information
in the cockpit, but the requirements for ADS-B In are
still evolving, and no one can say for certain what the
FAA ultimately will demand. So it's really no surprise
that pilots and aircraft owners aren't rushing to equip.
Even so, the GA community is ahead of the airlines.
The FAA estimates only about 3 percent of major air
carriers and 10 percent of the general aviation fleet will
be equipped for ADS-B Out by the end of the 2014 fiscal year. Those low numbers are a result of factors that
include the FAA's inability to provide advanced services
and the high cost to equip aircraft, the report suggests.
If you're more confused than ever, you're not alone.
AOPA members often ask us exactly when and how they
should equip to meet the mandate. There's no one-sizefits-all solution. Where, how, why, and what you fly all
play a role in that decision. We will work with the FAA
and the aviation community to push for more flexible
solutions that let pilots and aircraft owners match their
needs with the needs of a modernized air traffic system
at the lowest cost we can help develop.
AOPA
EMAIL mark@aopa.org

AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2014

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