Avionics News April 2014 - 14

In this monthly column, Ric Peri of the AEA's Washington, D.C., office, informs members of the latest regulatory updates.

B Y

R I C

P E R I
A EA V I C E P R ES I D E N T O F G OV E R N M E N T & I N D U ST RY A F FA I RS

A General Aviation
Primer on NextGen
"The FAA's first responsibility in operating the nation's air traffic
control system is to ensure the safe and efficient movement of planes."
Alice M. Rivin, director of the Congressional Budget Office (1975-1983)

don't know about you, but I find the whole NextGen (next
generation air transportation system) craze to be about the
most confusing thing in aviation. Nearly every meeting I attend involves either NextGen or SMS (safety management systems). In fact, I think if you were to remove those two acronyms
from the vocabulary, there would be nothing to talk about.
I've tried for years to get a handle on just what NextGen is, and
more importantly, why I care. When asked, the Federal Aviation
Administration responds with, "NextGen is the transformation of
how airplanes traverse the sky. It affects all of us: from the pilots
that fly the planes, the passengers who enjoy the flights and the
controllers who ensure the safety ... What is NextGen? A new era
of flight."
Well that certainly clears it up.
Actually, the majority of NextGen is behind the curtains of
the Air Traffic Organization. As Alice Rivin stated 30 years ago,
NextGen's first task is the enhancement of safety and efficiency
of the air traffic control system. In order for NextGen to work
properly, there are certain aircraft-based equipment needs. We can
rule out cabin-based electronics and focus on cockpit electronics;
specifically, communications, navigation and surveillance. In addition, many practitioners will routinely add "situational awareness"
technologies, commonly referred to as ADS-B In, although techni14

avionics news

april

2014

cally, the situational information is not surveillance.
While NextGen technologies have already proven successful in
certain flight operations and others will in time, the only regulatory
mandate is for an upgrade in surveillance technology: ADS-B Out.
Surveillance
As has been reported for years, the regulations require that by
Jan. 1, 2020, no person may operate an aircraft in Class A airspace
unless the aircraft has equipment installed to meet the requirements in TSO-C166b, ES (extended squitter) ADS-B and TIS-B
equipment operating on the radio frequency of 1090 megahertz. In
addition, no person may operate an aircraft below 18,000 feet MSL
(mean sea level) and in airspace described in paragraph (d) of this
section unless the aircraft has equipment installed that meets TSOC166b; or TSO-C154c, UAT (universal access transceiver) ADS-B
equipment operating on the frequency of 978 MHz.
There are a handful of exceptions to the requirement, such as
aircraft without electrical systems.
There have been a series of challenges with the ADS-B Out
installations. In general, they require a supplemental type certificate. The reason for this is that the original TSO (technical standard
order) is a performance-based TSO, which allows for a variety of
individual components to be interfaced with the ADS-B transmitter

Avionics News April 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Avionics News April 2014