Affordable ADS-B “In” System Gains FAA Approval

March 9, 2017 - With EAA’s assistance, Open Flight Solutions’ FlightBox Pro ADS-B “in” system recently gained approval for installation in standard-category aircraft under the FAA’s Non-Required Safety Enhancing Equipment (NORSEE) policy. This policy is meant to facilitate very simple production and design approvals for modern technology that poses minimal risk in the event of failure. When creating the policy, with strong input from EAA, the FAA envisioned simplified approvals for a host of safety and utility enhancements that have their roots in the experimental aircraft and non-aviation consumer products worlds.

“The NORSEE approval process was very straightforward,” said Steve Sokol, CEO of Open Flight Solutions. “We completed the entire project in about four months, and we are excited to bring more products to market under this policy in the future.”

FlightBox Pro, which starts at $675, works with tablet and smartphone apps and comes with full ADS-B “in” functionality, including live weather, traffic, GPS position source, and some flight data (including an attitude-sensing AHRS chip and a barometric altimeter). It is compatible with most aviation apps that uses the GDL 90 Interface Standard for ADS-B. The base package includes cockpit-mounted ADS-B and GPS antennae, but exterior-mounted units are options. FlightBox is not an ADS-B “out” system and cannot be used to comply with the 2020 ADS-B mandate.