When the FAA set aside ten million dollars to help general aviation pilots comply with the ADS-B Out 2020 mandate, few predicted that pilots would leave more than half that money on the table, but on Sept. 18 it’ll be official. Starting on Sept. 19 of last year, the FAA offered aircraft owners $500 to equip their airplanes with the ADS-B Out equipment required to permit those airplanes to fly in what is now Mode C airspace after Jan. 1, 2020. Owners were given one year to sign up, and that year is now coming to a close. The FAA hasn’t released exact figures on the number of owners participating so far, but of the 20,000 rebates available, only 5,000 reservations had been made by early April. At that time, the FAA projected that only around 7,000 aircraft in total would take advantage of the program.
Any aircraft owners kicking themselves for missing the window should know there’s still time. Geoff Hill, director of communications for the Aircraft Electronics Association, told AVweb, “The last day to make a reservation is Sept. 18, but owners still have 150 days to complete the installation, pass the validation flight, and claim the rebate provided they complete the reservation step by the Sept. 18 deadline.” To make a reservation, owners need to provide a valid tail number, the make and model of ADS-B equipment expected to be installed and a scheduled installation date.
