ADS-B In and Out - UPS disconnects the In function - Curt Lewis

Early Technology Adopter UPS Disconnects ADS-B 'In' Avionics

Fifteen years after it helped to introduce the technology, UPS is removing traffic information displays from its Boeing 757 and 767 flight decks because the equipment is obsolete and there is no Federal Aviation Administration mandate to use it, the cargo carrier said. It expects to remove the automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) "In" capability by next spring.

Responding to an AIN inquiry, the carrier said ADS-B In avionics developed by its former UPS Aviation Technologies subsidiary are no longer supported by Garmin International, which acquired the subsidiary in 2003. That reason, and the lack of an FAA mandate to equip aircraft for ADS-B In capability, led to UPS's decision to remove the equipment, reportedly announced in October in an internal company memo. 

While it is removing avionics that support ADS-B In-the capability to display nearby air traffic targets in the cockpit-UPS said it is committed to equipping for ADS-B "Out," the capability of an aircraft to regularly broadcast its GPS-derived position to the ground for use by controllers in separating aircraft. The FAA has mandated that all operators equip for ADS-B Out by 2020, but it deferred requiring ADS-B In.

"It's important to understand UPS remains an early adopter of ADS-B Out," the carrier said. "Our 747, MD-11, 767 and A300 fleets already have ADS-B Out, and we are installing it on our 757 fleet as they cycle through C checks. UPS will be equipped well in advance of the FAA's 2020 mandate for ADS-B Out." 

UPS, FedEx Express and the former Airborne Express (now DHL) started evaluating ADS-B in 1999 under the FAA's Safe Flight 21 program. In October 2000, UPS hosted an operational evaluation at its Louisville, Ken., hub, using several Boeing 727s. The trial focused on using ADS-B with a cockpit display of traffic information (CDTI) for approach spacing, departure spacing and airport surface operations.

UPS's Aviation Technologies subsidiary based in Salem, Oregon, provided an ADS-B system for the evaluation that included a CDTI, display processing unit and datalink connection. In August 2003, Garmin acquired the subsidiary for $38 million and renamed it Garmin AT. "The company is known for its leadership in the development of ADS-B technology and has participated in the development of innovative equipment to enhance flight safety as part of the Federal Aviation Administration Safe Flight 21 and Alaskan Capstone projects," Garmin said at the time.

Despite disconnecting ADS-B In, UPS said that it "remains an advocate for ADS-B" and the FAA's broader NextGen program to modernize the nation's ATC system. As evidence of its commitment, the carrier cited its participation in the FAA's Data Comm program to implement text-based communications between pilots and controllers. UPS started testing that capability in 2013 at Newark Liberty International Airport.