The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced it will offer subsidies for aircraft to fit Automated Dependent Surveillance - Broadcast (ADS-B) units.
The $500 subsidy will apply to any US-registered, fixed-wing, single-engined aeroplane, but aircraft owners can make only one claim, and only 20,000 subsidies will be made available over a 12-month period.
Aviation groups have widely applauded the FAA for introducing the program, which is intended to accelerate the rate at which aircraft owners are installing the new technology.
“We are pleased that the FAA is offering a rebate program to provide some relief for aircraft owners who install ADS-B Out equipment, and we hope the general aviation community will take full advantage of this opportunity," said Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) President Mark Baker.
"The cost to equip has been a significant sticking point for many GA aircraft owners as they try to meet the FAA's 2020 mandate. By helping to defray that cost, this program could make a difference for aircraft owners who want to continue to have access to the airspace they use today.”
Peter Bunce, CEO of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), said the subsidies would mean owners would be able to take advantage of ADS-B sooner.
“GAMA is very pleased that the FAA is offering this $500 rebate to accelerate equipage rates and facilitate increasing numbers of operators to garner the safety benefits of ADS-B technology,” he said. “By equipping their aircraft with ADS-B, operators will have access to enhanced surveillance – a critical safety feature as more and more Unmanned Aircraft Systems share the skies with GA pilots.
"Additionally, ADS-B technology offers pilots greater situational awareness, as well as free in-cockpit traffic and weather. While the numerous benefits of ADS-B technology are crystal clear to the thousands of operators who have already equipped, we hope this incentive will encourage others who have been waiting to install ADS-B equipment to act as soon as possible.”
The ADS-B mandate in the USA comes in on 1 January 2020, nearly three years after Australia, and it is believed there are still over 100,000 aeroplanes in the USA that are still to have the technology fitted.
The mandate in Australia was applied without any financial incentive for aircraft owners.