Times Up On FAA ADS-B Rebate

If you've been waiting to place your reservation for the FAA's $500 rebate to install ADS-B Out avionics, well … you've waited too long. The FAA announced on Monday that it had taken the last of the 20,000 reservations begun in September 2016.

All is not lost, however. According to the FAA, "Some rebates are returned or expire. Each week from now until October 2019, we will make these returned and expired rebates available. Check back here each Wednesday at 1 p.m. ET to see if any rebates have become available. These additional rebates are in short supply and we expect they will go quickly each week."

As a reminder, here are the rules.

Eligible aircraft: U.S.-registered, fixed-wing, single-engine piston aircraft first registered before Jan. 1, 2016. Rebate is also limited to new ADS-B installations completed after Oct. 12, 2018.

Eligible equipment: ADS-B Out avionics that have received an ADS-B Technical Standard Order authorization and meet ADS-B Out rule requirements (software upgrades of existing equipment are not eligible). Rebates are not available for aircraft already equipped or for which the FAA has paid or committed to upgrade.

Proof of equipage: Rebate reservations can only be made within 90 days of installation. Within 60 days of installation, aircraft must be flown in "rule airspace" as defined in 14 CFR 91.225 for a minimum of 30 minutes with at least 10 aggregate minutes of maneuvering (AC 20-165B contains flight maneuver recommendations).

Rebate Flight Validation Requirements: The ADS-B rebate flight validation MUST be flown in the ADS-B mandated airspace defined in 14 CFR 91.225 (above 10,000 feet MSL in Class E or within the boundaries of Class B and Class C airspace) for 30 minutes. This type of flight is essential to validate that the new avionics were installed properly and are FAA rule compliant.