The FAA’s plans regarding ADS-B, or automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast services, don’t offer enough protection for operators’ privacy, security and business competitiveness, NBAA President Ed Bolen said in an op-ed this week. “ADS-B transmits an unencrypted, real-time signal that includes the aircraft’s Mode S transponder code, its call sign, aircraft type, position and airspeed, as determined by the aircraft’s own GPS-based avionics,” Bolen wrote. “Anyone with the right equipment can capture that real-time data and potentially use it for nefarious purposes.” Bolen said NBAA is concerned that its members’ flights could be tracked by competitors trying to deduce their next business moves.
NBAA and other advocates prevailed in 2011 when they raised similar concerns about an FAA policy that would have made flight data public without the option for operators to block it. “We believe people should not have to surrender their security or privacy just because they board a general-aviation airplane,” Bolen wrote. NBAA will continue to monitor the situation with regard to ADS-B and will advocate for change. ADS-B is a cornerstone of NextGen air traffic modernization, and the FAA has mandated that aircraft operating in airspace that now requires a Mode C transponder must be equipped with ADS-B Out by Jan. 1, 2020.
