ADS-B Now Available For East-Coast Pilots

ADS-B (automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast) has been under development for a decade or so, and its deployment in Alaska has been credited with helping to improve the safety statistics there. Now the FAA has announced that it’s available on the East Coast, in a developmental state, between New Jersey and Florida. The system provides equipped aircraft with traffic advisories even in areas that are out of radar range, and also brings terrain information and real-time weather to the GA cockpit equipped with a multifunction display. It allows both controllers and pilots to see equipped traffic during ground movements, reducing the chance of collisions, and helps pilots to find their way even on strange airports. The system can also display current airspace restrictions. Access to the information is free. “Allowing pilots to voluntarily equip their general aviation aircraft with ADS-B is a positive step toward bringing modern technology into the National Airspace System,” said Randy Kenagy, AOPA‘s senior director of advanced technology. “Some staff at the FAA would eventually like to use ADS-B in place of radar, but the big benefit to general aviation is the free weather and traffic.”