Avionics News October 2015 - 27

As for the "why" pilots need to update with ADS-B -
aside from it being an FAA mandate - even having to ask
that question is puzzling. But instead of reading safetybiased writings on the benefits - and drawbacks - of
today's ADS-B network, Avionics News felt it would be
more impactful if you heard it from pilots who fly with it
all the time.
Their real-world reasons and experiences ranged from the
"near miss" of Tom Haines, the AOPA's editor in chief and
senior vice president of media, to Ed Bannen's ability to save
more than $600 a year by no longer needing a satellite weather
subscription. They're all real and all real good reasons to
equip your aircraft with ADS-B as soon as possible.
 MONICA AND DAN GUALANDRI
* Bonanza C-35
* ADS-B equipment:
Garmin GDL 88 Datalink transceiver
The Gualandris do most of their flying in Florida where
traffic is always an issue, and they're quite pleased with the
ADS-B's performance. Along with having traffic depicted
on their Garmin GTN 750, they also use a Flight Stream
210 Bluetooth interface to have it on an iPad.
"I haven't seen any dead zones around Florida yet," Dan
Gualandri said. "I have TIS with the 330 transponder, and
there are areas in the middle of the state, where I get the
'traffic unavailable' on the TIS, but the ADS-B will pick it
up just fine.
"We have ADS-B In and Out on the GDL 88 Diversity
Dual-Link UAT. I get 360-degree coverage because I
have both top- and bottom-mounted antennas. That's very
helpful. The top-mounted antenna lets you see traffic in the
area before you even take off."
Another thing he likes about his Bonanza's GDL 88 unit
is that, unlike the portable units that show all the traffic
whether or not they are possible threats, it just displays
possible conflicts within the ranges he selects.
"They (portables) will show you an airliner at 33,000
feet," he said. "ADS-B narrows it down and only shows
you targets that are actually going to be targets - within
5,000 feet of your position or so. It's also nice having the
weather on it so I can see the trends along my route. You

can see the textural data from the airport you are heading
toward. That's really nice. It calls it out just like on AWOS.
It's a nice feature to have. The weather lags a bit, but that's
to be expected. At least you know which way not to go."
While his appreciation for ADS-B may be a bit
pragmatic, Monica Gualandri shared an instance where she
was instantly sold on the value of the technology.
"I was flying from Tampa to Venice with my boss, Kirk
Fryar of Sarasota Avionics, in the company's Saratoga," she
said. "We were VFR below 2,000 feet, below the clouds -
we were not on Flight Following, and we were not talking
to ATC in Tampa - so we weren't getting any advisories
from ATC.
"I was doing something on my iPad and heard the audio on
the GTN 750 calling 'traffic' and location. Suddenly, he made
a hard left and then right bank at the same time. I looked up,
and it was close enough to see the other airplane - too close.
"Fryar pointed to the screen and said, 'This is why we
have ADS-B traffic.' We were sure the other airplane, a
Mooney, didn't even know we were in the area."
She summed it all up with one statement: "I'm not
getting in an airplane now that does not have ADS-B."
 DEWEY CONROY
* Vans RV-7
* ADS-B equipment:
- Garmin 33/ES Mode S transponder
for ADS-B Out
- For ADS-B In, Advanced Flight Systems'
ADS-B receiver
"The whole system works great," Conroy said. "Most of
the time to even start to get ADS-B information, you need
to be 700 to 800 feet, but I've picked up weather and traffic
while I'm still taxiing out. So it's working very well."
He said the weather is similar to XM - anywhere from a
five- to 20-minute lag in the uplink.
"As for the weather graphics quality, I think everybody
knows this is not quite as clear as XM, but it's certainly
usable and it's free," Conroy added. "Also, flying en route
to your destination airport, you can get the METARs right
now. That's a great feature."
Continued on following page
avionics news

october

2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Avionics News October 2015