ADS-B Compliance: The Portable Debate

Equipment installed in an aircraft that is used to broadcast highly accurate WAAS position information to meet ADS-B Out requirements, must meet the performance requirements of TSO-C166b/154c. Those stringent requirements set forth by the FAA, clearly state that the equipment we use to safely broadcast our position information, must meet strict performance standards per the standards listed above. The latest proposal in the great ADS-B debate hinges around the use of portable ADS-B devices as a way to drive down cost to equip aircraft prior to the January 1, 2020 deadline. The issue at hand is not strictly portable vs. installed/certified equipment, but more that this equipment must meet the performance requirements that have been established based on studies conducted by the FAA and the entire industry, encompassing nearly 20 years. What do these issues and concerns look like? Let’s take a look at a few:

Integrity of information. Today, a certified ADS-B solution must be installed in a permanent or fixed location that is suitable for that particular installation.  A portable ADS-B solution would lend itself to a number of technical issues in terms of quality and effectiveness because the pilot can choose where to put the device. The portable device is also susceptible to various aircraft configurations, such as bank angle, pitch attitude or altitude, further degrading the quality of information that is sent from the ADS-B transmitter.

Use among multiple aircraft. Certainly pilots would take advantage of a portable ADS-B transmitter by moving it airplane-to-airplane. In this situation, the pilot would be responsible for entering the aircraft’s unique address, where the opportunity for error presents itself. What if the pilot enters the wrong N-number? Certified ADS-B installations that communicate with the aircraft’s transponder, automatically transmit N-number and transponder code to air traffic control once per second – eliminating security and error-prone concerns altogether.

Manual entry of the transponder code. Similar to the N-number of an aircraft, a portable ADS-B device would also require the pilot to enter the four-digit transponder code into both the transponder and into the ADS-B unit where once again, the opportunity for error surfaces. Perhaps the pilot enters two different codes between the ADS-B transmitter and transponder? Air traffic control will receive two separate pieces of information from one airplane, which would initiate an alarm that the controller will have to work through. This chain of events could understandably have a serious impact as it relates to pilot and controller workload, not to mention confusion among other operators within the same airspace.

Perhaps just as important as the arguments above, let’s consider how allowing operators the option to use a portable ADS-B device would impact safety – both now and in the future.

One of the primary goals of the FAA's overarching NextGen initiative is to make the airspace around us safer and to address the growing number of aircraft that are predicted to fill our skies over the next several decades. As the number of aircraft in our National Airspace System (NAS) continues to grow, our reliance on equipment and air traffic control to give us highly accurate position information also increases. Having standards outlined in TSO-C166b/154c, ensures that all aircraft operating in controlled airspace are capable of broadcasting the most accurate position information possible. It is our responsibility as aircraft owners and operators to ensure that we take advantage of the opportunity to equip our aircraft with the capabilities outlined in FAR 91.225 to contribute to a safer and more reliable airspace system.  

Our NAS is not expanding, but the number of aircraft operating within it continues to grow. Technology is advancing in such a way that our airplanes can fly safer, more reliably and are able meet lofty security expectations of the future – today. By investing in our aircraft today, we secure a safer airspace system for the future. Regardless of whether you fly in the NAS in a small, single-engine Cessna or Boeing 777, we are all consumers of this system and we owe it to the flying public to ensure our National Airspace System continues to be the safest mode of travel – today, tomorrow and for years to come.

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