FAA and Alaska Aviation Groups Agree on ADS-B Equipage Plan

The FAA and various Alaskan aviation groups have agreed on a plan that would facilitate the equipage of ADS-B (automatic dependent surveillance- broadcast) avionics equipage on as many as 4,000 aircraft in that state.

According to a report in the Alaska Journal of Commerce, written by Rob Stapleton, a group of Alaskan aviation leaders, plus Frontier Flying Service and Peninsula Airways, signed an agreement on August 8 which will allow the FAA's surveillance and broadcast services program office to approach internal funding committees to back a statewide equipage program.

Dee Hanson, the executive director of the Alaska Airmen's Association, said the agreement could bring a $200 million investment by the FAA to Alaska in the form of additional ADS-B ground-based UATs (universal access transceivers).  As for airborne equipment, the agreement will "require aircraft owners to put up some part of the expense for installation with grants from the state and federal government," said Hanson, who added, "It's inevitable that we will have to install this.  It's going nationwide; we might as well be the first to get it."

Spokesmen for avionics installation firms said that the cost of equipment installed ranges from $11, 000 to $18,000 per aircraft.  In this case, the aircraft's avionics would usually consist of GPS, an airborne UAT, and a cockpit display.

Once the Alaska aviation fleet is ADS-B equipped, the FAA will install ground-based transceivers in designated high-traffic areas and install special instrument flight rules approaches at key airports in rural Alaska, according to Stapleton's report.

ADS-B was introduced into Alaska under the FAA's Capstone Program with substantial local support, largely because it was seen as an important safety aid for the challenging terrain and weather conditions there.

"This will allow all of the state to benefit from the 47 percent safety increase that only a few areas in Alaska have benefited from," said Jim Cieplak of the Alaskan Aviation Safety Foundation.  "This high level agreement will set the stage for technology upgrades in Alaska for the next 25 years."

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