AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2019 - 92

P&E

ADS-B

Answering your
ADS-B questions
What does that report mean, anyway?
BY MIKE COLLINS

same airspace where an attitude-encoding transponder is required today.
Can ADS-B at some point replace
the need for a transponder? Probably.
However, for the foreseeable future, transponders will be required for traffic alert
and collision avoidance system (TCAS)
compatibility, cross-border operations,
and to transit most TFRs.
What is the best ADS-B system for
my aircraft? Because ADS-B can touch
so many systems aboard an aircraft,
there's no one-size-fits-all solution-and
no way to answer without knowing more
about the aircraft and how it's used. But

Although the ADS-B
final rule was published
in May 2010, aircraft
owners still have a lot
of questions.

THE FAA HAS MANDATED Automatic
Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADSB) Out capability for flights after January
1, 2020, in airspace where a transponder is
required today. And although the ADS-B
final rule was published in May 2010-
and right now, let's call it 12 months to
go before January 2-aircraft owners still
have a lot of questions.
ADS-B uses GPS satellites instead
of ground-based radar to determine
aircraft location and is a key technology
behind the FAA's Next Generation Air
Transportation System. ADS-B In-
which provides the ability to display
weather, notams, and other data on
cockpit displays or wirelessly on a tablet-
is optional.
Today's frequently asked questions
are those asked most recently of the
technicians in AOPA's Pilot Information
92 | AOPA PILOT January 2019

Center, who field hundreds of ADSB-related phone calls and emails each
month.
ADS-B TECHNOLOGY

What type of airspace will require
ADS-B Out? If aircraft owners are still
asking, we must not have said it enough:
* Class A, B, and C airspace.
* Mode C veil around Class B primary
airports.
* Above the ceiling and within the lateral
boundaries of Class B or Class C.
* Class E airspace at and above 10,000 feet
msl over the continental United States, excluding airspace at and below 2,500 feet agl.
* Class E airspace over the Gulf of Mexico
at and above 3,000 feet msl within 12 nm
of the U.S. coast.
Except for the Gulf of Mexico, ADS-B
airspace-defined in FAR 91.225-is the

you'll find good information in "ADS-B:
Questions to Ask" (November 2016 AOPA
Pilot) and "ADS-B: Case Studies" (July
2018 AOPA Pilot).
Can I fly outside the United States
with 978UAT only? It depends. If the
country has not implemented an ADS-B
Out mandate, you can fly there with
978UAT. However, you must comply with
any mandates, and 1090-MHz Extended
Squitter (1090ES) is the only international
standard; today 978UAT is supported only
in the United States.
When will Canada require ADS-B
out? We don't yet know, but Canada is
working toward an ADS-B Out mandate,
and we do expect that it will be for the
1090ES international standard.
ADS-B PERFORMANCE

My ADS-B performance report indicates my equipment failed. What do the
flight test results mean? Anything highlighted in red on an FAA Public ADS-B
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2019
