Reserve Your $500 FAA ADS-B Rebate by Sept. 18
By Clif Stroud, FAA NextGen Outreach and Reporting
July 23, 2017 - You don’t want to be late for a very important date if you plan to equip your aircraft with ADS-B “out” and want a $500 rebate.
Reservations for the FAA’s rebates are being accepted now through September 18, so act before it’s too late.
Tens of thousands of general aviation pilots already enjoy added safety benefits, enhanced situational awareness, and peace-of-mind from automatic dependent surveillance–broadcast (ADS-B), long before the 2020 deadline to equip planes with such installations.
By that year, most general aviation and all commercial aircraft will require ADS-B “out,” which transmits information about a plane’s altitude, speed, and location to air traffic controllers and nearby equipped aircraft.
To encourage more aircraft operators to equip soon and avoid long waits for installation at repair shops as the deadline nears, the FAA is offering a $500 rebate for completed ADS-B installations in fixed-wing, single-engine piston aircraft. Preparing sooner rather than later also will help in case an installation problem occurs and aircraft owners need time to fix errors that affect performance and compliance with FAA regulations.
Some general aviation aircraft owners may not understand the consequences of waiting to install ADS-B “out” until they cannot easily fly out of their home airport.
“Some pilots of aircraft based near Class B or C airports may find they did not anticipate the impact of the FAA’s ADS-B rule when it takes effect in 2020,” said Rune Duke, AOPA’s director of government affairs for airspace and air traffic. “If they fly in Class B or C airspace or in the Mode C veil, they need to be equipped.”
To complete an ADS-B installation before the January 1, 2020, deadline, aircraft owners should research available equipment and schedule an installation. Appointments will become more difficult to obtain as the deadline approaches. Visit the Equip ADS-B website (www.FAA.gov/go/equipadsb) to research eligible equipment and learn more about the ADS-B “out” rule.
Rebates are still available and are being issued first come, first served. FAA will accept rebate reservations through September 18, 2017. Once your reservation is established, you have up to 150 days to complete the remaining steps.
Owners of U.S.-registered, fixed-wing, single-engine piston aircraft that require an onboard pilot and are not currently equipped with Version 2 of ADS-B “out” are eligible for the rebate. Eligibility is also limited to the purchase of TSO-certified ADS-B equipment that is compliant with the ADS-B “out” rule. Owners can also claim the rebate for installing an integrated system that includes optional ADS-B “in,” which enables pilots to receive subscription-free traffic and weather information in the cockpit, and see the location of nearby aircraft. Certain software upgrades of existing equipment in aircraft first registered after January 1, 2016, are ineligible.
Find an installer and determine the specific aircraft requirements to ensure that the installation will satisfy applicable FAA regulations and meet the requirements in the ADS-B Rebate program rules at www.FAA.gov/go/rebate.
