Is the Business Case There for FAAs ADS-B Plan?
Just about everyone in aviation thinks that ADS-B–a precise position-location system based on GPS–should replace ground-based radar, to provide much more accurate information about where planes are and where they are going. It’s a key building block of next-generation air traffic management, being embraced by Europe and Asia, as well. But the FAA’s notice of proposed rule-making (NPRM) on plans for aircraft operators to equip for the first phase (called ADS-B/Out) produced a lot of negative feedback. Leading industry groups making critical comments included ATA, IATA, ACI-NA, NBAA, and AOPA. The general thrust of their comments is this: having to equip all planes for ADS-B/Out by 2020 will mean mostly costs and only the promise of future benefits for aircraft operators; the primary benefits will accrue to the FAA, as it begins to cut back on the number of costly radars. It’s true that potentially large benefits will only materialize once the whole fleet (in controlled airspace) is eq
