AEA Encourages Public To Weigh In

The FAA has opted to reopen the comment period on a controversial plan to require all aircraft be equipped with so-called "ADS-B Out" equipment by 2020.

On October 5, 2007, the Federal Aviation Administration published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) proposing performance requirements for certain avionics equipment on aircraft operating in specified classes of airspace within the United States National Airspace System.

The FAA chartered the Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) on July 15, 2007, to provide a forum for the US aviation community to discuss and review an NPRM for ADS-B; formulate recommendations on presenting and structuring an ADS-B mandate; and consider additional actions that could be necessary to implement those recommendations.

The comment period closed March 3, 2008... and by an overwhelming majority, pilots and operators said the potential benefits of requiring ADS-B equipment on all aircraft operating in the National Airspace System were not worth the substantial costs to equip all those planes.

The ARC reviewed 1,423 comments submitted to the docket by 165 entities, categorized the comments for further analysis, and studied the issues underlying 1,101 of the 1,423 comments on the docket. The agency recorded just over 101 positive comments; the rest of the comments noted faults with at least part of the FAA's plan.

The ARC has since made 36 summary recommendations regarding the ADS-B link strategy, program, business case, required equipment, security and privacy. The ARC divided the recommendations into two broad categories: recommendations to be resolved before any rule is adopted, and recommendations for future action.

The FAA recently opted to reopen the comment period for an additional 30 days, to give the public an opportunity to comment on recommendations received from the ARC. Comments must be received before November 3, 2008.

The Aircraft Electronics Association says it is reviewing the ARC report, and will submit comments to the FAA. The AEA encourages its membership to review the ADS-B report and submit comments to the FAA as well.

FMI: www.aea.net, Read The ARC Notice (.pdf)