Will Be Required In Controlled Airspace

Make no mistake... ADS-B is coming, and it WILL be mandatory when flying in controlled airspace.

On Tuesday, the Federal Aviation Administration proposed all aircraft flying in the nation's busiest airspace to have satellite-based avionics by 2020, enabling air traffic controllers to track aircraft by satellites using Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast.

The FAA says ADS-B is 10 times more accurate than current radar technology. Aircraft not flying in controlled airspace will not be required to have ADS-B avionics, but may choose to do so in order to realize the safety benefits.

"Aviation must take the big step into the next generation of technology," said Acting FAA Administrator Bobby Sturgell. "It's safer and more accurate. Satellite technology is here to stay."

Such accuracy of satellite signals will allow air traffic controllers to reduce separation standards between aircraft, according to the FAA, significantly increasing the number of aircraft that can be safely managed. The technology also gives pilots greater situation awareness, by bringing real-time traffic, terrain, and weather information into the cockpit.

The FAA says air traffic is projected to grow from 740 million passengers last year to one billion in 2015, and double today’s levels by 2025.

As ANN reported, the contract to implement a series of ground stations for the new system was awarded to ITT Corporation last month. Those stations will initially be located in the East Coast, portions of the Midwest, Alaska and the Gulf of Mexico. Nationwide coverage is expected by 2013.

In an early ADS-B trial -- the Capstone program in Southwest Alaska -- the fatal accident rate for ADS-B-equipped aircraft dropped by 47 percent, according to the FAA.

The proposed rule is open to public comment for 90 days, and is scheduled to become final by late 2009. The proposed compliance date of 2020 will give the industry more than 10 years to properly equip aircraft with ADS-B avionics.

FMI: Read The Proposed Rule (.pdf)