What was Capstone?
Capstone was a research-and development project conducted by the FAA, state, and the Alaskan aviation community that was designed to seek aviation safety and efficiency gains by implementing ADS-B and related technologies in Alaska. It was also intended to demonstrate those capabilities for potential use in the national airspace system. Under Capstone, the FAA deployed ground equipment, installed ADS-B avionics and datalink communications on aircraft, deployed ground infrastructure for weather observation and datalink communications, and ultimately provided surveillance and flight-information services that resulted in a significant decrease in fatal accidents in Capstone-equipped aircraft. Capstone’s tremendous success in Alaska paved the way for the current national implementation. Capstone began in Southwest Alaska in 2001 and ended in 2006 when it was incorporated into the national Surveillance and Broadcast Services program that is deploying ADS-B nationwide.
