Avionics News July 2015 - 4

Letting innovation
work on ADS-B

Meeting the
ADS-B mandate

lmost every aircraft owner I know is a
fellow gadget geek. We love innovation and
new technology, even if it will be used in our 50-,
60- or 75-year-old airplanes. It's one of the major
reasons aviators flock to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh
each year. We look for advancements that will make
our flying better, safer and more fun.
ADS-B shows great promise as one of the
next horizons in aviation technology. We see the
possibilities and are enthusiastic about them.
That's why we are pleased
to see the prices of ADS-B Out
equipment fall during the last
year. The Experimental Aircraft
Association and our friends at
the Aircraft Owners and Pilots
Association were solitary voices
in the early days of the Federal
Jack J. Pelton
Aviation Administration's
Equip 2020 group meetings.
We reminded everyone that if the FAA's Year 2020
mandate for equipping with ADS-B Out was to be
effective, there had to be a price point that made
sense for the average owner of a small aircraft who
was required to install such equipment. Part of
successful innovation is creating products that are
within reach of the average user.
Those operating corporate aircraft fleets and
larger GA aircraft have different flexibility than the
individual owner of a Piper Cub, a Cessna 152 or a
Pietenpol. People will balk if the cost of equipment
and installation equals 20 to 25 percent of the total
value of their airplanes. We were fearful that these

t's no secret that we at the Aircraft Owners
and Pilots Association believe price has been a
major obstacle when it comes to getting the general
aviation fleet equipped to meet the Federal Aviation
Administration's 2020 ADS-B Out mandate. In fact,
we've shouted it from the rooftops.
The good news is that we're not alone. Others
in the general aviation community, and most
important the FAA and manufacturers, have not only
heard what we've had to say, they've listened and
responded.
Fourteen general aviation
groups, including AOPA and
EAA, recently wrote a letter
to the FAA administrator. In it,
we explained not only that we
want to see universal equipage
for ADS-B, but also our very
Mark Baker
real need for more affordable
solutions.
Since then, manufacturers have announced
mandate-compliant ADS-B Out solutions for
less than $2,000 - that's less than half the cost
of anything that was available before. Other
manufacturers say they, too, have lower-cost options
in the works. At the same time, the FAA and the
manufacturers have taken steps to simplify the
certification process, thus reducing time and costs
associated with the installation.
We're also taking an active role in the FAA's
Equip 2020 process designed to identify and
overcome obstacles to equipping the fleet in time
to meet the mandate. And at each and every step

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JULY
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Avionics News July 2015
