Avionics News October 2016 - 13

FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS
ADS-B
QUESTION:

When will the reservation system for the
Federal Aviation Administration's ADS-B Rebate
Program go live?

ANSWER:

On Sept. 13, the FAA announced that its
ADS-B rebate website would go live on Monday,
Sept. 19, which will allow many general aviation
aircraft owners the opportunity to apply for
a $500 rebate to help offset an owner's cost to
equip U.S.-registered, fixed-wing, single-engine
piston aircraft with avionics that comply with
FAA technical standard orders and meet the rule
requirements.
The Aircraft Electronics Association will assist
the FAA in the program's administrative process
by issuing the $500 rebates to qualifying aircraft
owners.
On June 6, Secretary of Transportation
Anthony Foxx and FAA Administrator Michael
Huerta announced that the rebates would
be available starting this fall, and that only
installations performed after the program
launched would be eligible for the rebate.
Previously equipped aircraft will not be eligible.
Beginning in late September 2016, the FAA
was expected to start issuing 20,000 rebates on a
first-come, first-served basis for one year or until
all 20,000 rebates are claimed - whichever comes

CAR 521 revision approach is changing
The revision to CAR 521 is progressing slowly
for many reasons, with much of it due to the overall
government process. The TCCA is not getting the
visibility it wants on this at the Cabinet level or with the
Department of Justice. In addition, there have been many
comments on the NPA that was published last year, and it
is taking time to sort and understand the issues.
The TCCA is considering revising CAR 521 in
three stages during the next five years. The first stage
would revise administrative issues and the simpler or
less controversial changes. After that, it would tackle

first. The rebate is available only to owners of
U.S.-registered, fixed-wing, single-engine piston
aircraft that were first registered before Jan.
1, 2016. The FAA will not provide rebates for
software upgrades on already equipped aircraft,
or for aircraft for which the FAA has paid or
committed to upgrade. The FAA estimates that
160,000 aircraft need to be equipped by the
deadline.
Aircraft owners who have a standard
airworthiness aircraft may have a repair station
or an appropriately-licensed A&P mechanic
install the ADS-B equipment. Owners of aircraft
certificated as experimental or light sport must
adhere to applicable regulations and established
standards when installing ADS-B equipment.
Owners are only eligible for the rebate if
they install the avionics after Sept. 19, 2016,
and within 90 days of the rebate reservation
date. Aircraft owners will have 60 days after
the scheduled installation date to validate their
equipage by flying their aircraft, and will then
be able to claim the rebate. The reservation
system will require an N number, installation
date, and the planned ADS-B equipment being
installed. The reservation system is available
at the FAA's website at www.faa.gov/nextgen/
equipadsb/rebate.

the bigger items such as major and minor and design
change approvals outside of an STC. From an industry
standpoint, this may not be helpful as a change to
these items is needed today. Discussions are ongoing,
however, to see if simple changes can be made to
CAR 521 that would allow for these two issues to be
managed mainly by policy.
If you have any concerns regarding the revision
to CAR 521, please contact Kevin Bruce, the AEA's
regulatory consultant for Canada, at kevinb@aea.net.
Continued on following page
avionics news

*

october

2016

13
http://www.faa.gov/nextgen/equipadsb/rebate http://www.faa.gov/nextgen/equipadsb/rebate
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Avionics News October 2016
