Avionics News July 2013 - 30

ADS-B COUNTDOWN 2020
Continued from page 29

a recent update of the 1090 ES specs.
RTCA released DO-260 in 2000, and
then replaced it with DO-260A in 2003.
And just as the OEMs got ready to market 1090 ES transponders to this spec, it
released DO-260B in 2009, and the FAA
didn’t complete its flight testing of this
system until 2011. The last update introduced integration of system design assurance, which indicates the probability
of undetected faults that would transmit
false or misleading information.
This information now includes the
modes applied, such as autopilot, VNAV,
altitude hold, approach and LNAV, and
threat reports that include active resolution advisories, multiple threat encounters, threat type and a threat identity index. These last bits of information work

with the upcoming air traffic management automation systems, which are
still being developed.
Making these changes doesn’t come
quickly or inexpensively, but Harpster
understands that OEMs will have solutions available this year. Once they have
DO-260B components in hand, shops like
“Duncan can create the STCs to install the
components that meet the criteria,” he
said. “The primary thing we’re telling customers right now, if they have downtime
for a major inspection, get the aircraft
WAAS compliant.” That includes a compatible flight management system. Besides ADS-B, WAAS compliance opens the
door to LPV (localizer performance with
vertical guidance) instrument approaches
to 3,100 runways across the nation.
Working with ballpark numbers, Harpster did the math, which suggested that
owners of all aircraft should start mak-

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avionics news

•

july

2013

ing their ADS-B upgrade plans now, emphasizing that “2020 is not the starting
point, it is the compliance date.” There
are roughly 250,000 aircraft in the U.S.
fleet, and 165,000 of them fly below
18,000 feet, leaving 85,000 that need
ADS-B modernization. “That’s a lot of
aircraft to cram into the facilities capable
of doing an STC. It’s in their best interests
to get the major portion out of the way,
which is upgrading to WAAS receivers.”
Amateur-built experimental aircraft
also face a WAAS upgrade challenge.
Affordability is a primary motivation for
building one’s own airplane, and many
contain their avionics costs by installing
noncertified EFIS, said Jason Smith of
Aerotronics, a leading creator of plugand-play panels for homebuilts. Like
homebuilt panels destined for IFR operations, ADS-B Out requires a certified
WAAS GPS navigator, and there aren’t a
lot of options, inexpensive or otherwise.
Built around Garmin’s GTN series,
about half of the panels Aerotronics
now creates are ready for ADS-B Out
and In, according to Smith. Given the investment, customers “are thinking long
term.” Many of these panels employ
Garmin’s G3X with the remote GTX 23ES
transponder and, recently, the GDL 39R,
a remote unit that delivers incoming TISB and FIS-B. Dynon Avionics also has an
ADS-B In receiver, and it’s teamed with
Trig Avionics, which produces a 1090 ES
transponder. “But Dynon doesn’t have a
certified WAAS GPS receiver, and right
now there’s no way to pipe in a (Garmin)
430/650 signal,” Smith said.
For the sizeable fleet of amateur-built
experimental aircraft now flying, the
challenge remains the source of a WAAS
GPS position. But meeting such challenges is a hallmark of the homebuilt
market, and Smith assumes someone
will create a legal and affordable WAAS
unit for homebuilts, “and the first one
who does will be more popular.”
And as it is for all aircraft, time is inexorably counting down to the ADS-B
deadline of Jan. 1, 2020. q

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Avionics News July 2013

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