The long-standing promise – and impending mandate – of ADS-B might remind aviators of the mediocre sci-fi movie “2010: The Year We Make Contact.” The 1984 sequel to “2001: A Space Odyssey” featured our hero “Dave” vaguely and repeatedly uttering, “Something wonderful is going to happen.”
Pilots and operators have heard for years about the promise of ADS-B for improved air traffic communication, navigation and surveillance. It all sounds, well, wonderful. But any wonderfulness or compliance with the FAA’s 2020 mandatory equipage deadline has been stymied by the absence of the necessary TSO’d avionics for ADS-B “In” (receiving datalink traffic and weather data on cockpit displays.), and ADS-B “Out” (transmitting highly accurate aircraft positions to ATC and other aircraft).
Operators are discovering that 2012 is the year that they are making first contact with real, practical TSO’d and STC’d systems for ADS-B Out. FreeFlight Systems recently issued two news releases showing this.
First, Skywest Airlines in Australia is deploying FreeFlight Systems’ 1203C WAAS/GPS sensor in ADS-B systems for its fleet of Fokker 100s. SkyWest operates in the very busy yet radar-scarce skies over Western Australian’s mining region. The wonderful part of ADS-B Out for SkyWest is far more efficient routing, lower fuel burn and other benefits. And as a bonus, the 1203C GPS/WAAS sensors fulfills a prerequisite for flying RNP (0.3) procedures.
The second piece of news was Chevron and FreeFlight Systems developing an STC for the first rule-compliant ADS-B solution for Gulf of Mexico (GOMEX) helicopter operators. FreeFlight Systems RANGR FDL-978TX ADS-B Out system is going into Chevron’s AW139s.
GOMEX is busy airspace with hundreds of helicopters flying an average of 3,400+ flights daily. That’s in good weather. Now picture those aircraft flying extended-range, over-water missions in hard IFR using SATCOM to manually report their positions and flight paths within a vast grid of 15nm squares that ATC uses to maintain separation without radar. Routes can be complex and a single out-and-back to a deepwater platform can consume one long, stressful day.
The ADS-B infrastructure already covers GOMEX. But like a satisfying ending to “2010,” you just couldn’t get the necessary helicopter avionics with the required approvals. To fill the gap and develop operational know-how, the FAA allowed operators to install early versions of ADS-B that do not meet the final rule. To their credit, the largest and most experienced operators there, including PHI and Era Helicopters, did so and realize the practical benefits daily. Finally closing the gap between availability of rule-compliant systems and the equipage deadline is the gratifying ending for which all operators have waited.
ADS-B Out is here. It’s not sci-fi, it’s not a movie and it is as real as the looming FAA mandate. We may at times be filled with skeptical wonder about complying with such regulations. But actually seeing the benefits of ADS-B Out in use makes it possible to say that something wonderful is happening. And maybe Dave was right after all
Pilots and operators have heard for years about the promise of ADS-B for improved air traffic communication, navigation and surveillance. It all sounds, well, wonderful. But any wonderfulness or compliance with the FAA’s 2020 mandatory equipage deadline has been stymied by the absence of the necessary TSO’d avionics for ADS-B “In” (receiving datalink traffic and weather data on cockpit displays.), and ADS-B “Out” (transmitting highly accurate aircraft positions to ATC and other aircraft).
Operators are discovering that 2012 is the year that they are making first contact with real, practical TSO’d and STC’d systems for ADS-B Out. FreeFlight Systems recently issued two news releases showing this.
First, Skywest Airlines in Australia is deploying FreeFlight Systems’ 1203C WAAS/GPS sensor in ADS-B systems for its fleet of Fokker 100s. SkyWest operates in the very busy yet radar-scarce skies over Western Australian’s mining region. The wonderful part of ADS-B Out for SkyWest is far more efficient routing, lower fuel burn and other benefits. And as a bonus, the 1203C GPS/WAAS sensors fulfills a prerequisite for flying RNP (0.3) procedures.
The second piece of news was Chevron and FreeFlight Systems developing an STC for the first rule-compliant ADS-B solution for Gulf of Mexico (GOMEX) helicopter operators. FreeFlight Systems RANGR FDL-978TX ADS-B Out system is going into Chevron’s AW139s.
GOMEX is busy airspace with hundreds of helicopters flying an average of 3,400+ flights daily. That’s in good weather. Now picture those aircraft flying extended-range, over-water missions in hard IFR using SATCOM to manually report their positions and flight paths within a vast grid of 15nm squares that ATC uses to maintain separation without radar. Routes can be complex and a single out-and-back to a deepwater platform can consume one long, stressful day.
The ADS-B infrastructure already covers GOMEX. But like a satisfying ending to “2010,” you just couldn’t get the necessary helicopter avionics with the required approvals. To fill the gap and develop operational know-how, the FAA allowed operators to install early versions of ADS-B that do not meet the final rule. To their credit, the largest and most experienced operators there, including PHI and Era Helicopters, did so and realize the practical benefits daily. Finally closing the gap between availability of rule-compliant systems and the equipage deadline is the gratifying ending for which all operators have waited.
ADS-B Out is here. It’s not sci-fi, it’s not a movie and it is as real as the looming FAA mandate. We may at times be filled with skeptical wonder about complying with such regulations. But actually seeing the benefits of ADS-B Out in use makes it possible to say that something wonderful is happening. And maybe Dave was right after all
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