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AVIONICS FOR NEXTGEN
by Matt Thurber
Is business aviation ready for NextGen?
Lucky pilots who get to fly the company’s new business jet home will standards can improve the services available from ATC organizations.
find that their introduction to the aircraft includes some new avionics, Meanwhile, some NextGen services have already found their way
something to do with that oft-heard term “NextGen” (Next Generation into thousands of cockpits via ADS-B in, either delivered by installed
Air Transportation System). These products carry a confusing set of acro- avionics or displayed on electronic flight bags (EFBs) or more likely
nyms such as ADS-B, Fans, CPDLC, RNP and others, and some of what
using an inexpensive ADS-B in receiver connected to a tablet com-
this stuff does is completely invisible to the pilot, while other uses require
puter. Some pilots have even begun flying RNP approaches, another
active pilot participation as well as training.
The rest of the fleet of older business jets will need upgrades to NextGen capability that is becoming more ordinary.
meet upcoming NextGen mandates, and while these are steadily Despite continuing criticism of the FAA’s NextGen rollout and
becoming more available there are certification and availability issues delays in adding NextGen capabilities in Europe, implementation of
that might affect operators of some business aircraft. Not all NextGen future ATC systems and products is accelerating, and today’s pilots
features are mandatory, but equipping the aircraft to certain NextGen need to continue training and be prepared for what the future holds.
automatically broadcasts the aircraft’s and eventually others (Europe’s Gali-
Overview position, barometric altitude, identity and leo will likely be next). The GNSS must
For pilots and aircraft owners and
other information once per second. The meet certain accuracy standards, and
operators, the impetus to participate in
NextGen takes the form of equipage man- word “dependent” describes the system’s many aircraft with older GPS sensors
dates, and there are four broad areas that reliance on the aircraft’s own GPS-de- installed will need to upgrade to some-
need to be considered, helpfully explained rived position to broadcast the surveillance thing more modern to meet the ADS-B
in Ric Peri’s “The View from Washing- information to any capable receiver. (There out mandate. A Waas-compatible GPS,
ton” column in the April 2014 issue of the is also ADS-C for “contract,” where an air- incidentally, meets the ADS-B out
Aircraft Electronics Association maga- craft and ATC share information exclu- requirements, but older GPS receivers
zine, Avionics News. sively via satcom over the ocean where could be qualified to the new standard
there are no ground stations.) if someone were willing to pay for test-
Surveillance–The heart of NextGen ADS-B out equipment essentially ing. In most cases it will likely be less
is a modern GPS-based system that equips consists of an accurate position source expensive to upgrade to a Waas GPS,
aircraft to transmit an accurate posi- wired to an ADS-B-qualified tran- which also offers the benefit of being
tion to other aircraft and ground stations. sponder. The sensor is a global navi- able to fly Waas LPV approaches. Gen-
Named automatic dependent surveil- gation satellite system (GNSS) such as erally speaking, the GPS also needs
lance-broadcast (ADS-B) out, this system the U.S. Navstar GPS, Russia’s Glonass to be capable of using satellite-based
AVIATION INTERNATIONAL NEWS JANUARY 2015 1
AVIONICS FOR NEXTGEN
augmentation system (SBAS) signals,
which improve GPS accuracy.
Group and TrueNorth Avionics.
Other NextGen datalink-related terms PART 25
ADS-B above 18,000 feet in the U.S. include Data Comm and Link 2000+.
and elsewhere in the world at all altitudes Data Comm is the FAA’s overarching Accord Technology
works on a single frequency, 1090 MHz term for the switch from analog commu- Accord Technology, which manufactures
(known as 1090ES or “Extended Squit- nications (pilots and controllers talking high-precision, lightweight and low-cost Nex-
ter”). In the U.S., aircraft that will never on radios) to a datalinked future. Link Nav GPS sensors, plans to offer its GPS SBAS
fly above 18,000 feet can opt to broad- 2000+ is Europe’s version of Data Comm, circuit-card assembly “GPS engines” to help
cast ADS-B out on 978 MHz (known and this form of CPDLC is required
multi-mode receiver (MMR) manufacturers and
as 978UAT or “Universal Access Trans- above FL285 in European airspace (new
ceiver”), which is less expensive to install aircraft since 2011, retrofit installations
airlines meet ADS-B mandates. MMRs combine
and when coupled with an ADS-B in after February 2015).The FAA has yet various navigation sensors for delivery to FMSs.
receiver offers other benefits such as traf- to publish any Data Comm mandates. Accord also plans to serve military operators,
fic and weather information. Frequen- Generally, Fans-equipped business jets which field about 20,000 aircraft that will need
cies in the U.S. are split because there was already meet Link 2000+ requirements, upgrading if they are to continue flying in the
concern that the large number of aircraft so no additional equipage will be needed National Airspace System.
in the region would overwhelm the 1090 to fly in European airspace. Aircraft
MHz frequency, and the weather message equipped for Fans/CPDLC should even-
structures sent via ADS-B in are too large tually get better service from ATC in the
ACSS/L-3
to transmit on 1090 MHz. U.S. when Data Comm goes live. ACSS has been at the forefront of preparing for
One of the early implementations of NextGen mandates with its NXT series of transpon-
Communication–The communi- Data Comm in the U.S. will be pre-de- ders, which are FAA TSO approved. The NXT-600
cations element of NextGen revolves parture clearances (PDC). Instead of call- was selected as standard equipment for Bombar-
around datalink. This means that instead ing clearance delivery for a clearance and dier’s Q400 and ATR’s 42/72-600 and will begin
of keying a microphone and talking via then reading it back, the pilot will obtain flying on these aircraft in this year’s first quarter.
a VHF, HF or satcom radio to air traf- the clearance via onboard avionics. With The company’s SafeRoute applications are
fic controllers, pilots instead can send the right equipment the clearance will be
hosted on ACSS’s 3000SP Tcas or its T3CAS, which
and receive text-like messages, known as available to the FMS automatically, and
combines Tcas, Taws, transponder and ADS-B
controller-pilot datalink communications the pilot simply has to accept the clear-
(CPDLC), and communicate via exclu- ance and verify that the FMS has cor-
into one LRU.
sive ADS-C messaging (contracts). The rectly added it to the flight plan. Trials of SafeRoute ADS-B in features can be deliv-
messages are either structured messaging, this new PDC capability have been done ered on a variety of cockpit displays. The U.S.
which means exchanging information by at Memphis, Tenn., and Newark, N.J., Navy selected the Tcas 3000SP coupled to the
choosing from a set of pre-defined mes- and rollout is expected at 51 metropolitan P-3 cockpit’s primary flight displays, as part of
sages, such as a request for an altitude airports next year. a P-3C, EP-3E and P-3 SPA upgrade program
change, deviation and so on, or free tex- that is the first application of SafeRoute in a
ting, which allows exchange of non-struc- Navigation–New business jets and
tured messages. those getting upgraded with modern avi-
Future Air Navigation System (Fans) onics have high levels of required nav-
is part of NextGen communications, igation performance (RNP) capability
used for airborne CPDLC and ADS-C built in. “RNP is Rnav [area naviga-
messaging over remote and oceanic tion] with onboard navigation monitor-
areas. Airlines have been using Fans for ing and alerting,” according to the FAA.
decades, and now Fans is finally becom- Instead of routing aircraft on pre-defined
ing more available for business jets using airways, Rnav allows for more direct
lower-cost satcoms such as Iridium-based flights, saving time and fuel. RNP capa-
systems, just in time for upcoming Fans bility can make it possible for aircraft to
mandates over the North Atlantic. Irid- fly off airways, and the aircraft’s RNP
ium systems that meet Fans requirements “level” specifies the accuracy of the air-
are available from Gogo Business Avi- craft’s RNP system, the FAA explained,
ation, International Communications “as a distance in nautical miles from the
AVIATION INTERNATIONAL NEWS JANUARY 2015 2 ACSS SafeRoute application
AVIONICS FOR NEXTGEN
intended centerline of a procedure, route
or path.” In the U.S., for example, RNP PART 25 continued
approaches typically require RNP lev-
els of 0.1 to 1.0, depending on the type military aircraft. The P-3 application is also the
of approach. Many RNP approaches are first installation for SafeRoute displayed in the
“authorization required” (AR) and thus pilot’s forward field of view. All previous Safe-
require special approval and training. Route implementations were displayed on elec-
tronic flight bags, according to ACSS.
Situational Awareness–ADS-B in SafeRoute applications include interval
enhances situational awareness in two management, in-trail procedures (ITP), cock-
ways. The first is by enabling reception
pit display of traffic information assisted visual CMA-5025
of traffic information–from other air-
separation (CAVS) and surface area movement
craft broadcasting their position via
ADS-B out–for aircraft equipped with management (SAMM). Airlines have already approach capability.
either a 1090ES or 978UAT receiver or certified and have been flying with these Saf- “Our [solution] is designed for easy retro-
both. (The 978UAT receivers can also eRoute applications on A330s, 757s and 767s. fit,” said John Studenny, Esterline CMC aviation
receive traffic broadcast from ADS-B Delta Air Lines uses ITP on three 767s, while GPS product manager, “whether it has an MMR
ground stations.) The second is by deliv- the former US Airways is flying CAVS into Phila- or not. With one receiver it can feed RNP, ADS-B
ery of free weather information to air- delphia International Airport on 20 A330s. The and GPS approaches.”
craft equipped with 978UAT receivers. P-3s are using another SafeRoute application, Studenny cited an example where airline
The 978UAT traffic element is called
enhanced visual acquisition (EVAcq), which “pro- Canadian North installed the CMA-5024 in one
Traffic Information Services (TIS-B) and
vides the crew traffic passive surveillance ranges of its Boeing 737s. Absence of ILS approaches
weather is Flight Information Services
(FIS-B); both are “broadcast” features,
beyond 100 nm,” according to ACSS. in the far north meant frequent flight cancella-
hence the “B” designation. ACSS sister company L-3 Aviation Products tions during bad weather, but once the 737 was
The availability of ADS-B in has led is also addressing the general aviation market able to fly LPV approaches with the CMA-5024,
avionics manufacturers to offer addi- with its Lynx MultiLink Surveillance System, a he said, “that airline’s business tripled. They
tional products that take advantage of one-box ADS-B out solution. Lynx has an ADS-B had been slaves to the weather.” By adding LPV
that information. For traffic, this is called rule-compliant GPS position source and it uses capability, the airline was able to stick to sched-
Cockpit Display of Traffic Informa- existing wiring and antennas to make installa- ules and customers soon took advantage and
tion. Gulfstream’s new G500/G600 will tion simpler. began traveling more frequently. “That’s a tre-
offer CDTI in the company’s Symmetry
mendous success story,” he said.
flight deck. ACSS, the L-3 Communica- Esterline CMC
tions/Thales joint venture, has developed One of the missing links in meeting Next- FreeFlight Systems
a suite of Safe-Route applications using Gen avionics requirements is the rule-compliant In the Part 25 business jet market, owners
so-called Universal-CDTI, which it devel- GPS receiver, and this is especially a problem in and operators of older jets are facing a serious
oped in partnership with Astronautics. In
the airline industry, where GPS was slow to take problem: with some business jet ADS-B upgrades
addition to CDTI SafeRoute apps include
merging and spacing, in-trail procedures,
hold. Most airliners are equipped with MMRs, but costing well into six figures, enthusiasm for
CDTI-assisted visual separation and sur- airlines have been slow to upgrade MMRs with upgrading a jet worth $1 million or less is dim.
face area movement management. The SBAS-quality GPS sensors, and this could compli- FreeFlight Systems has been at the forefront
latter enables pilots to view other aircraft cate compliance with ADS-B out mandates. of offering reasonably priced ADS-B upgrades
and ground vehicles while taxiing on the Esterline CMC has a solution for this prob- for Part 23 aircraft and is now developing low-
airport. The others enable tighter spac- lem, an SBAS/Waas-capable precision GPS cost ADS-B equipment for the Part 25 market,
ing of properly equipped aircraft where receiver, the IntegriFlight CMA-5024, which can specifically targeting lower-value business jets.
non-equipped aircraft are typically kept be installed with an optional CMA-5025 control The FreeFlight FTX-200 is a combined ADS-B
far apart because controllers don’t know
panel. The control panel allows pilots to select rule-compliant transponder and GPS in one box
their exact position. These apps also allow
LPV or SBAS approaches, if the FMS doesn’t that will sell for $30,000 to $40,000, including
for maneuvering while maintaining the
tighter spacing. have that capability. Ground-based augmen- the installation kit and antennas.
ADS-B in CDTI can be displayed on tation system (GBAS) capability will be added “A lot of avionics manufacturers are tying
soon. The CMA-5024 and -5025 thus offers FMS upgrades with glass cockpits. And own-
older aircraft an upgrade path to NextGen ers are facing $100,000 to $700,000 to
AVIATION INTERNATIONAL NEWS
JANUARY 2015 3
GPS requirements with the benefit of advanced upgrade the entire cockpit,” said Jessica Power,
AVIONICS FOR NEXTGEN
cockpit multifunction displays or on ded-
icated EFBs, such the Astronautics Nexis PART 25 continued
and Esterline CMC units.
System wide information management FreeFlight director of sales and marketing. “We systems. TargetTrend shows relative motion of
(Swim) is part of the NextGen infra- were able to stop the bleeding for some folks fac- other traffic, while Surface Situation Awareness
structure, which “will enable cost-effec- ing six-plus figure [upgrades] and made it more displays traffic on the airport surface.
tive, real-time data exchange and sharing digestible for a $1 million airplane.” Garmin also offers a simple ADS-B solution for
among users of the [NAS],” according FreeFlight is working with partners to certify an older business jets, its GTX 3000 Mode 3 transpon-
to the FAA. One of Swim’s features will FTX-200 STC for the Hawker 400, 30-series Lear- der combined with the GDL 88 datalink and Flight
offer dissemination of aviation weather jets and 500-series Citations. The installation will Stream wireless gateway. The GDL 88 has a Waas/
products to ATC and aircraft operators.
use either an existing control head in the cockpit SBAS GPS receiver, thus eliminating the need to
Nav Canada and NATS Control Cen-
or add a FreeFlight control head. FreeFlight also upgrade existing FMSs and making the installation
tre (Prestwick, Scotland) have implemented
a precursor to Swim, the Gander Auto- offers the FRX-250, which includes a 978UAT much less complicated. The Flight Stream wireless
mated Air Traffic System (GAATS+), ADS-B in receiver, so these aircraft can benefit gateway facilitates display of ADS-B in weather
which allows Canadian controllers in Gan- from free FIS-B weather services. and traffic on the Garmin Pilot mobile app.
der to exchange messages “with advanced FreeFlight is also working with airlines in Garmin is working with dealers on STCs for
automation, allowing improved coordina- Europe for 737 and 757 ADS-B out upgrades. this upgrade, including Executive Aircraft Mainte-
tion between the centers,” including conflict “They don’t need to upgrade the FMS; they just nance (Citation V), Elliott Aviation (Hawker 750,
prediction and alerts. Eventually, Gan- need the transponder and GPS,” she said. 800A/XP, 850XP, 900XP, Beechjet 400A/Hawker
der and Prestwick will share information
400XP) and Butler National (Learjet 35A, 60).
about ADS-B-equipped aircraft. The Air-
eon satellite-based ADS-B service network Honeywell
is expected to be operational in 2018, thus Most ADS-B equipage for aircraft with Honey-
making it easier to track ADS-B targets well-based avionics is in newer aircraft, including
over the ocean and remote regions, which the Gulfstream G450/550/650, Dassault Fal-
are out of reception from ground-based
cons, Pilatus PC-12 and AgustaWestland AW139,
ADS-B stations.
according to Scott Miller, director of marketing and
FreeFlight FRX-250 product management for safety and information
Equipment management. “Honeywell now has more than
Mandates
ADS-B–The mandate that affects most
Garmin 700 aircraft certified with ADS-B that meets the
Aircraft equipped with Garmin G5000 Part 25 mandate for Europe and the FAA,” he said. “Where
aircraft operators in the U.S., Europe
and parts of the Asia-Pacific region is for
cockpits are already being delivered with Fans/ we see the lag is with legacy fleets.” These include
ADS-B out equipment. CPDLC and ADS-B capability, and the G1000, Cessna Citations, Hawker 800s and Learjets.
There are two key items that opera- G2000 and G3000 flight decks are easily upgrade- Certification of Honeywell’s transponder for
tors need to know about when consid- able for ADS-B out. Garmin’s ADS-B in solutions, ADS-B out for Airbus and Boeing aircraft is late,
ering ADS-B installations. First, two including TargetTrend traffic and Surface Situa- Miller admitted. While certification had been
different RTCA standards apply to tion Awareness, are available on its ADS-B-capable planned for last year, it has been pushed to
ADS-B transponders: DO-260A and
DO-260B. In some parts of the world
authorities want compliance with
DO-260A, but U.S. and European man-
dates require compliance with the more
stringent DO-260B standard. U.S. busi-
ness aircraft operators should plan to
meet the DO-260B standard. If the air-
craft has a DO-260A transponder, it
will need to be upgraded for operation
in U.S. and European airspace after the
mandates kick in. (DO-260A/B applies
AVIATION INTERNATIONAL NEWS Garmin G5000
JANUARY 2015 4
AVIONICS FOR NEXTGEN
to the 1090ES datalink, while DO-282B
applies to the 978UAT datalink.) PART 25 continued
The other key item is the need for a 2016. “That’s close to the European forward-fit we’ve been focused, as we approach the 2017
Letter of Authorization (LOA) from
mandate in June 2016, but plenty of time for [Fans] mandates, on the retrofit market,” he
the relevant regulatory authority. An
the retrofit market.” For business aviation, said. “We’re working with Gulfstream on the GIV
LOA is not required in the U.S.; the
LOA requirement stems from the Inter- equipment on Primus Epic and Primus 1000 and and GV, then with Dassault on the Falcon C and
national Civil Aviation Organization, 2000 cockpits is certified and available via man- EX [models].” Honeywell is also exploring Fans
and countries that have or are imple- ufacturer service bulletins. Some aircraft may STCs for earlier Falcons and Bombardier’s Chal-
menting ADS-B are hewing to ICAO need GPS upgrades, and Honeywell is working lenger 601 series. Fans upgrades are available
requirements that specify the need for an on options to help owners of older business jets from Dassault for the 7X, 900 EX EASy and 2000
LOA. Incidentally, no one understands keep costs down, he explained. EASy II models, and Western Aircraft is one MRO
why an LOA would be necessary for On the Fans side, said Darshan Ghandi, direc- that has completed several Falcon Fans upgrades.
ADS-B operations, as the basic control tor of marketing and product management, Operators that buy the new Gulfstream
pilots have over the system is the on-off
“We see a lot of interest from business and gen- G500/G600 and Falcon 5X will have cockpit
switch, similar to a transponder. FAA
regulations do require that ADS-B out
eral aviation operators, both with Epic as well as display of traffic information, including display
be switched on at all times during flight. some older Primus 1000/2000 systems.” Fans of surface traffic, built in.
ADS-B out is currently required in equipment has already been certified and is fly- A useful poster showing the status and
parts of Australia, Hong Kong, Singa- ing on modern Epic cockpits such as in newer availability of NextGen upgrades for busi-
pore, Vietnam and Taiwan. ADS-B is Gulfstreams and Falcons and is available for ness aircraft with Honeywell avionics is avail-
available in the Hudson Bay region of retrofit via manufacturer service bulletins. “Then able on the company’s mandates web page:
Canada, but is not mandatory, although http://aerospace.honeywell.com/news/
equipped aircraft will receive better ser- understanding-the-mandates-landscape.
vices in that area.
In Australia, all aircraft flying IFR at Rockwell Collins
or above 29,000 feet were required to be
“NextGen readiness is a huge focus [for Rock-
ADS-B out equipped beginning Dec. 12,
2013. Beginning Feb. 6, 2014, all new air-
well Collins] for all markets,” said Adam Evan-
craft were required to have ADS-B out schwartz, director of marketing for business and
capability. All aircraft will need ADS-B regional aviation. “We have solutions for [ADS-B,
out for Class A, B, C or E airspace in a Fans, CPDLC], either available today or soon, well
500-nm circle around Perth beginning ahead of when they’re needed.” Global 5000s
Feb. 4, 2016. Then from Feb. 2, 2017 all and 6000s and Gulfstream G280s–all with Pro
IFR aircraft flying in Australian airspace Line Fusion-based avionics–are flying now with
must be ADS-B out equipped. factory-installed Fans equipment.
Canada is already using ADS-B for
On the retrofit side, Evanschwartz encour-
surveillance of aircraft flying in 4 mil-
lion sq km of airspace over the Hud- Honeywell’s implementation of the ADS-B in ages business jet operators to look beyond the
son Bay and northeast Canada/oceanic cockpit display of traffic information. upcoming mandates for equipage needs, which
areas. Canada does not currently have an could mean upgrading a flight deck from cath-
ADS-B mandate but is encouraging oper- ode-ray tube-based displays to LCDs, not just
ators to equip to receive better services in upgrading to the necessary new transponder
ADS-B coverage areas. for ADS-B out capability. The Rockwell Collins
In Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam TDR-94D ADS-B out-compliant transponder is
and Taiwan certain routes above 29,000 certified and available today, he said. The com-
feet require ADS-B.
pany has fielded more than 34,000 TDR-94D
In Europe, the ADS-B mandate will
transponders, and these are upgradeable to the
apply to Eurocontrol airspace. Equip-
ment meeting the DO-260B standard will latest ADS-B configuration, although older units
be required for new aircraft beginning will require more work.
While older Pro Line 4 cockpits can be
upgraded to provide ADS-B out, this might not
AVIATION INTERNATIONAL NEWS
JANUARY 2015 5
be the optimum solution. Upgrading to Pro Line
AVIONICS FOR NEXTGEN
June 8, 2016, and for aircraft being retro-
fitted for ADS-B out operations the date PART 25 continued
is June 7, 2020. This applies only to air-
craft weighing more than 5,700 kg/12,566
pounds or with a cruise speed of more
than 250 knots.
In the U.S., aircraft without ADS-B
out will not be able to fly in airspace that
currently requires a transponder after mid-
night on Dec. 31, 2019. Airspace where
ADS-B out will be required is as follows:
Class B and Class C airspace; within
30 nm of major airports from the sur-
face upward to 10,000 feet msl; above
the ceiling and within the lateral bound-
aries of a Class B or Class C airspace
area designated for an airport upward to
10,000 feet msl; Class E airspace within Rockwell Collins NextGen-equipped
the 48 contiguous states and the District Vision flight deck in the new
of Columbia at and above 10,000 feet Bombardier Challenger 650.
msl, excluding the airspace at and below
2,500 feet above the surface; Class E air-
space at and above 3,000 feet msl over
21 can incorporate not only ADS-B but also Universal Avionics
the Gulf of Mexico from the coastline
Fans, LPV approaches and radius-to-fix legs “Operators need to think about more than
of the U.S. to 12 nm. The rule doesn’t for RNP approaches, as well as synthetic vision. just ADS-B compliance,” said Carey Miller, man-
apply to aircraft lacking an electrical sys- That doesn’t mean, however, that Pro Line 4 ager of business development for Universal Avi-
tem and balloons and gliders, but they can’t be upgraded for most of those capabili- onics. Along with its avionics dealer partners
are restricted to remaining outside Class ties. Rockwell Collins and Jet Aviation are devel- such as Chicago Jet, Universal has been at the
B and C airspace and below the altitude oping a Pro Line 4 Fans, ADS-B, LPV solution for forefront of the Fans retrofit market, offering
of the ceiling of a Class B or C airspace the Challenger 604 that will be available this both equipment and expertise that makes Fans
area designated for an airport or 10,000 year. Older Falcons will have a Fans solution possible for a variety of business jets. Universal
feet msl, whichever is lower.
available this year, according to Evanschwartz. manufactures not only the Fans-capable SBAS
Future Air Navigation System– For ADS-B out, Safran Engineering Ser- FMS with ADS-B out-compliant GPS receiver but
Fans was developed in the 1980s as a way vices and Duncan Aviation are developing an also the UniLink CL-800/-801 communications
to improve air traffic management using approved model list STC using the TDR-94D for management unit (datalink) and data-capable
digital communications, navigation and the Challenger 601-3A/3R, Learjet 60, Gulfst- cockpit voice recorder.
surveillance techniques. Boeing devel- ream G100, G200 and the Hawker 800 series. Universal is modifying its FMS data-loading
oped its own solution, known as Fans 1,
and Airbus’s solution is known as Fans
A, thus the current term Fans 1/A.
The lucky pilots mentioned at the
beginning of this report are those who are
flying newer aircraft coming out of the PART 23
factory already Fans 1/A equipped–not The key NextGen mandate for Part 23 aircraft is for ADS-B, and there are plenty of avion-
only because these pilots can fly in areas ics manufacturers serving this need with transmitters, receivers and transponders–among them
where Fans is required but also because Aspen Avionics, Avidyne, BendixKing, FreeFlight Systems, Garmin, L-3 Aviation, NavWorx and
Fans equipage easily accommodates or Trig Avionics. Their solutions range from the simplest–ADS-B out on 978UAT–to the more com-
includes other NextGen technologies plex such as ADS-B in on 978UAT and in and out on 1090ES. The latter allows the pilot to receive
such as the highly accurate GPS source traffic information not only via TIS-B but also directly from ADS-B out-equipped aircraft broad-
and ADS-B out capability. casting either on 978 or 1090 MHz.
Most of these systems are certified and available today. A typical installation of a Part 23
ADS-B in and out system takes about 20 hours, according to FreeFlight director of sales and
AVIATION INTERNATIONAL NEWS marketing Jessica Power, and that would include configuring the system to the transponder and
JANUARY 2015 6 control head and installing a Waas/GPS antenna on the top of the fuselage and an antenna on
the bottom to receive the “in” signals from ground stations. –M.T.
AVIONICS FOR NEXTGEN
Starting in 2013, Fans was required
for aircraft flying the two center North
While Miller would like to see the
FAA change tactics and allow simple PART 25
Atlantic Track Organized Track System operations such as Fans to be addressed continued
(NAT-OTS) routes between FL360 and as part of practical test standards during
system to facilitate automatic loading of pre-de-
FL390. Come next month that expands a check ride, this is not likely to hap-
to FL350 to FL390 for the entire OTS, pen soon, and operators will have to
parture clearances, according to Miller. “A lot
then in 2017 to the entire NAT region. get the LOA. For those planning a Fans of FMSs don’t do that today,” he said. “We’re
In 2020 this expands even further, down upgrade, he suggested getting the instal- working on it.”
to FL290. lation done and then applying right away Operators considering an upgrade to meet
Fans equipage must include an for the LOA. “Otherwise you could be ADS-B out mandates and who travel to Europe
approved means of communication, gen- waiting a long, long time before getting can realize other benefits from a Fans upgrade,
erally Inmarsat or Iridium satcom, for operational approval. If you can’t use including the ability to fly Waas LPV approaches
remote and oceanic operations. The FMS the North Atlantic tracks you’re going and meeting the European Link 2000+ require-
needs an accurate position source–a GPS to have to make another tech stop.” ments. “With a datalink, in general,” said Miller,
with satellite-based augmentation sys- AIN asked the FAA to outline its strat-
tem (SBAS) capability. Also required are “you get traditional Acars functionality as well.
egy for handling the influx of Fans LOA
a communications management unit, You can send messages back and forth to the
applications, but as of Mid-December the
annunciator capability (either external or airplane, track on-off times and get graphical
agency had not provided a response.
on flight displays), aural alerting and a weather to the cockpit. There is quite a bit of addi-
cockpit voice recorder capable of storing tional capability and easier ADS-B compliance.” n
data (Fans messaging). Roadblocks
There is one wrinkle in Fans equi- and Delays
page, and that is an FAA requirement for Much discussion within the avia- The following are some of the NextGen retrofits
operators of Fans-equipped aircraft to tion industry recently has focused on that are available or currently under develop-
obtain an LOA. There are plenty of Fans ADS-B mandates and on whether the ment using Universal Avionics equipment. Each
training opportunities for pilots, such as FAA will delay the 2020 deadline. While
one is for DO-260B-compliant ADS-B out, Fans
Kobev International (co-founded by Chi- there is some speculation that multi-
cago Jet), Rockwell Collins’s ArincDi-
1/A and Link 2000+.
mode receiver-equipped airliners will be
rect and training organizations such as allowed to push past the deadline in cer- Boeing
FlightSafety. But once the Fans equip- tain cases (for example, with GPS receiv-
ment is installed and pilots complete
727, Duncan Aviation
ers that do not comply), the FAA has
training, there could be major delays in clearly stated that there will be no relief
737 (BBJ), Chicago Jet
obtaining the LOA from the FAA. for general aviation. Bombardier
According to Carey Miller, manager The FAA’s network of more than 650 Challenger 600 through 604, Comlux America
of business development for Univer- ADS-B ground stations is complete and Challenger 600/601, Chicago Jet
sal Avionics Systems, in 2013 the FAA the agency is busy bringing ATC equip-
processed seven LOA requests for Fans. ment up to speed so controllers can view Dassault Falcon
That number jumped to 107 between and manage ADS-B traffic on their dis- 900B, Duncan Aviation, Chicago Jet
January and March 2014. Currently, plays. The network is clearly necessary for 50, 50EX, 2000, Chicago Jet
the FAA is taking between six and nine air traffic controllers to see ADS-B traf-
Gulfstream
months to process Fans LOAs. fic, but a side benefit is that the ground
Miller has compiled a list of busi-
G100, G200, Chicago Jet
stations also broadcast the free FIS-B
ness jets that are candidates for Fans weather and TIS-B traffic for 978UAT
GII through GIII, Chicago Jet
upgrades–those that operators will ADS-B in-equipped aircraft. GIV through GV, Chicago Jet, Clay Lacy
likely want to fly across the North One of the issues most often heard Aviation, Kaiser Air
Atlantic. The list of candidate jets is is the absence of benefit to aircraft
about 3,000 strong, he said, and with equipped for ADS-B out. The real ben-
more Fans STCs being approved, the efit, the wider common good, is that
pace of installations is going to accel- ADS-B makes aircraft visible to control-
erate quickly. “There’s no way the FAA lers where there is no radar coverage; also,
can keep up with the number of LOA the data is updated every second instead
requests coming in,” he warned. of every 12 seconds–the time it takes for
AVIATION INTERNATIONAL NEWS JANUARY 2015 7
Universal Avionics UNS-1Fw FMS
AVIONICS FOR NEXTGEN
a radar antenna to make one sweep of the GA operators,” AOPA president Mark What Adams would like to see as
sky. This benefit often allows an airplane Baker wrote in a letter to the FAA, “espe- a result of the Equip 2020 group is the
to fly an instrument approach in an area cially given that the general aviation fleet FAA reaching out to the aviation indus-
where radar isn’t available. includes at least 81,564 certified, pis- try “with a concise, cogent message that
On October 28 the FAA held a “call to ton-powered, fixed-wing aircraft that are would energize the buying community:
action” meeting with the aviation indus- valued at $40,000 or less, and that GA ADS-B/NextGen is a real benefit to par-
try to discuss issues that are preventing owners have no way to recoup their costs. ticipate [in].”
more widespread adoption of ADS-B out “We strongly believe there are alterna- The ADS-B in benefit of free weather
equipment. Last September the Depart- tive means to ensuring that plans for a sat- information is exclusively a U.S. feature,
ment of Transportation inspector gen- ellite-based air traffic management system and in a recent study conducted by the
eral released an audit of the program that can be implemented with the widespread Massachusetts Institute of Technology
found the initial benefits of ADS-B out participation of the general aviation com- International Center for Air Transporta-
will be limited and that only a fragment of munity,” Baker wrote. tion, pilots showed appreciation for ADS-B
in traffic and weather.
the industry–3 percent of major air car- Not all agree with Baker. It has been
riers and 10 percent of general aviation pointed out that the FAA-mandated The study drew responses from 1,407
users–have thus far equipped. A result of installation of mode-C transponders, pilots, 56 percent of whom reported hav-
ing used ADS-B in. Of those, 85 per-
that meeting was formation of the Equip which then cost about $1,000, faced a
cent used portable systems, such as an
2020 group, designed to allow the FAA similar argument about lack of benefits
ADS-B in receiver providing data to a
and industry to work together to resolve to aircraft owners. The current cost of
tablet computer.
issues that are delaying ADS-B equipage. basic ADS-B out equipment is roughly
It should be noted that not all traf-
NBAA vice president of regulatory the same as that transponder when infla-
fic information will be received by an
and international affairs Doug Carr, tion is taken into account.
aircraft equipped with 978UAT ADS-B
who attended the call to action, raised The pressing problem now is getting
in (whether portable or installed) unless
the issue of low-cost loans to help own- the fleet equipped in time for the 2020 that aircraft also broadcasts an ADS-B
ers and operators equip for NextGen. The mandate. In testimony before the House out signal to “wake up” the ground sta-
congressionally authorized NextGen GA of Representatives Committee on Small tion, which then sends the TIS-B traf-
Fund is designed to provide loans with Business last June, Tim Taylor, president fic information. The study found that
low interest rates to help pay for NextGen and CEO of FreeFlight Systems, outlined pilots with ADS-B out benefitted more
upgrades. Paula Derks, president of the this issue. “With approximately 2,000 than pilots of ADS-B in traffic. “A full
Aircraft Electronics Association, pointed days between now and January 1, 2020, 51 percent of respondents with both
out that AEA members are ready to we need to equip 60 to 70 aircraft per day– ADS-B in and ADS-B out reported that
install ADS-B out avionics, but “the FAA including weekends and holidays–or 85 to ADS-B traffic had helped them avoid a
is dragging its feet on the incentive pro- 100 aircraft per work day.” midair collision, while only 19 percent of
gram by not approving the loan guarantee Commenting on this issue, Hal respondents without ADS-B out agreed.
certificates for the NextGen GA Fund.” Adams, co-founder and COO of Accord This, along with other responses, sug-
According to an FAA spokesman, Technology, told AIN, “Waiting on low- gested a safety benefit from improved
however, any progress on these loans er-cost avionics is a myth. Avionics have traffic avoidance for respondents who
remains Congress’s purview: “While the a minimum threshold of costs (non-re- also fly with ADS-B out installed in their
2012 FAA Reauthorization included a curring engineering) to accommodate aircraft. While this issue is anticipated to
provision intended to allow the FAA to [and] meet all the FAA requirements. dissipate as a greater percentage of the
enter into public-private partnerships As an industry, there may be one or two general aviation fleet equips with ADS-B
including loan guarantees, the FAA entries that will be somewhat marginally out, the coverage limitations clearly limit
requires specific language in an appro- less in cost, but new solutions are not the usefulness of ADS-B traffic informa-
priation act before it can issue such likely. This is not consumer electronics tion as currently implemented.”
guarantees.” wherein AOPA thinks the price will just For pilots who have used ADS-B in,
AOPA is more concerned about the keep going down. If we had a market weather services ranked highest in factors
price of ADS-B installations, espe- consisting of billions of potential buyers, influencing their choice of equipment, fol-
cially for owners of older general avia- we would still be unable to make drastic lowed closely by traffic services. Regard-
tion aircraft. “The minimum investment price drops because of the overhead of ing the value of available FIS-B services,
of $5,000 to $6,000 to install ADS-B- development and ongoing overhead that weather radar ranked highest, followed by
out equipment is ‘far too high’ for many comes with certified avionics.” Metars and TFRs. o
AVIATION INTERNATIONAL NEWS JANUARY 2015 8
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