A Customer Testimonial: An Eye-Opening Flight With ADS-B

I had the pleasure of catching up with a customer who recently started flying with Garmin Pilot on his iPad and the GDL 39 3D ADS-B ADS-B receiver. William (Bill) Johnson is a 1,600 hour instrument rated private pilot and the proud owner of a Mooney M20C equipped with a GNS 430W, which he uses to fly recreationally throughout the southern United States. Bill isn’t new to flying or the aviation industry for that matter, but a recent trip with his new portable GDL 39 3D ADS-B In receiver and Garmin Pilot made him very thankful he incorporated this new equipment into his 1962 Mooney. In his own words, Bill details a recent flight that left him feeling grateful for ADS-B: 

Q. How long have you been flying with the GDL 39 3D and Garmin Pilot?

A. 3 months.

Q. What feature do you like best about these two products?

A. ADS-B In information is easily accessible on a user-friendly display. Additionally, back-up attitude information provided by the GDL 39 3D is a huge benefit in the event of a vacuum system failure in my aircraft.

Q. Describe a time when the GDL 39 3D and Garmin Pilot came in handy:

A. On February 11, 2015, I was flying VFR from KMAF (Midland, TX) to KFLG (Flagstaff, AZ) at 10,500 feet. Even though I was VFR, I took advantage of flight following services offered by air traffic control so I could receive any traffic and/or weather advisories from ATC throughout my flight. On a northwest heading, a traffic alert provided by the GDL 39 3D popped up on Garmin Pilot – it displayed an aircraft at the same altitude at my 2 o’clock and closing in on my position. Scanning the horizon, I saw the other aircraft and immediately initiated a right descending turn to improve separation. A few seconds later, ATC came on the radio with an “urgent” traffic alert and advised me to execute “evasive maneuvers” due to the other aircraft. Soon after the aircraft had passed, ATC came back over the radio and told me that the aircraft had just popped up on his console at the last second.

This was my first trip with Garmin Pilot and the GDL 39 3D displaying ADS-B In and it definitely came in handy as my reliance on ATC for flight following would have brought our two aircraft much closer and perhaps made for a worse outcome that day.

Q. Advice to a customer who is on the fence about incorporating ADS-B In into their avionics suite:

A. For a pilot with limited resources, ADS-B In is the easiest, and by far the cheapest way to receive FIS-B weather and traffic. Also, all of the VFR and IFR charts are easily updated on my iPad using Garmin Pilot for a reasonable cost.

Q. Finally, are there any avionics upgrade plans in your future?

A. I am currently pursuing a GTX 330ES upgrade to not only meet the January 1, 2020 ADS-B mandate but to also receive the benefit of an enhanced traffic picture. The addition of the GTX 330ES will expand my current ADS-B In traffic picture to include Mode C aircraft when I am within range of a ground station. Based on my experience last week, I feel it is a valuable upgrade.

It’s easy to see why Bill is thankful for his ADS-B In traffic picture, thanks to Garmin Pilot on his iPad and the GDL 39 3D and at Garmin, we’re even more grateful that Bill shared his story with us and so many others.

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