Image: Shutterstock
What’s new: A commentary by the Reason Foundation about legislation that would compel aircraft owners to install upgraded ADS-B equipment to help avoid mid-air collisions.
Why it’s important:
- People generally only spend money when they either think they are going benefit, or they are required to do so.
- Often people don’t feel like they benefit from safety equipment because it is used infrequently (preferably never).
What else to know:
- From the article: “Those able to afford a private plane have no excuse for opposing a critically important safety improvement because it would cost them between $1,000 and $3,000.”
- Users’ reluctance to spend on more sophisticated GPS/GNSS receivers that are better at resisting jamming and spoofing is a similar phenomenon.
Aviation Policy Newsletter
Aviation Policy News: Why ADS-B/In is essential for aviation safety
As I write this, a battle is underway in Congress about competing aviation safety measures—the ALERT Act and the ROTOR Act. Both are claimed to improve aviation safety, but the ROTOR Act would provide much greater safety improvements.
The largest point of contention is that the Rotorcraft Operations Transparency and Oversight Reform (ROTOR) Act, which passed the Senate unanimously, concerns all aircraft that already broadcast their speed and position via what is called ADS-B/Out. But for other aircraft to benefit from this information, they need to be equipped with ADS-B/In. The latter allows aircraft to receive the ADS-B information broadcast by essentially all aircraft in controlled airspace. The Airspace Location and Enhanced Risk Transparency (ALERT) Act, thanks in part to opposition from the general aviation community, would not require increased use of ADS-B/In, as the ROTOR Act does.
