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Paying For Nextgen Equipment
November 19, 2009
by J. Mac McClellan
My Baron is in the avionics shop-and has been for some time-for a big avionics upgrade. One of the more time consuming tasks is installing the new Garmin GTS 820 traffic alerting system and ADS-B compliant system. Much of the work involves locating antennas top and bottom, along with an amplifier that must be near the top antenna. There just isn't much room left for more antennas.
Bottom line is that installation costs for shop labor will be high. I don't know how high yet, but it will be significant. And much of that cost pays for the GTS 820 ability to meet the requirements of ADS-B in and out to comply with the FAA's Nextgen air traffic control system.
Nextgen will transition from a ground based radar ATC system to an automatic position, altitude, velocity and route report from each airplane. In other words, the important work of establishing the location and track of each airplane will move from expensive FAA radars on the ground to less expensive, but still costly new avionics in the airplane. For its part the FAA needs to install a network of relatively simple receivers on the ground that will listen for the broadcast of all necessary data from airplanes overhead. So, the major hardware expense of operating the Nextgen ATC system moves from the ground to the airplane. Who pays for this transfer of expense? Right now it is the airplane owner.
To have complete Nextgen ADS-B avionics capability in and out will cost tens of thousands for a piston airplane and probably $200,000 or more for an airline jet. Much of the extra costs for the airliners will be to install enough redundant equipment to allow dispatch after individual box failures. Nobody can make an accurate estimate of total fleet costs because equipment is still in development, and Nextgen specifications are not finalized.
The taxpayer is getting a big break in Nextgen because most of the cost of the ground based system is moving into the airplane. It's probably too much to ask the FAA-read taxpayers-to fund the installation of necessary avionics to meet Nextgen requirements in our airplanes, but there needs to be some cost mitigation. A tax credit is what makes sense to me. Airplane owners should get a full credit, not deduction, for the cost of any avionics that meet Nextgen requirements. And the credit should be for all types of airplanes flown for any purpose. That would be a fair way to share the cost of moving to Nextgen.
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Sorry for the post here but i couldn't find a related area to post my story but here goes any way
As the years move on and time and financial obligations start to relax I find myself trying to start up again my aviation life. I am a instrumented rated commercial pilot with just under six hundred hours of flight experience. I have recently retired from the NYC Fire Department and find myself on the computer almost everyday looking for that perfect airplane. With a wonderful woman by my side supporting me and encouraging me even though The Search takes time away from her. I have previously owned a 1999 Cessna 172 SP, that was a beautiful plane and I still miss her. I have many a story in that airplane and she never let me down. That is why I am so torn between which airplane to get. The solid Cessna or something slicker. So The Search begins with high wing or low wing and of course both have its advantages, so high or low will not sway my decision. Now comes the harder choices, Composite or aluminum. I favor a composite aircraft for several reasons. Less air friction due to smoother surfaces which translates into higher airspeeds. Life expectancy is around 12,000 hours for a Cirrrus. I only wish i could put that many hours on my dream machine before I die. Aluminum also has its advantages. If by chance you get a ding or a dent it cant be easily repaired or a piece of aluminum can be added without losing your IRA account. Thats happened to to many people already. Aluminum can last a long time if well maintained. Fixing composites are more expensive and labor intensive. So what to do. I think I'll go with the speed and the cool look of composites. So already I have narrowed The Search down quite a bit. Diamond, Cessna, and Cirrus to name a few. Something about a stick between my legs just does feel right so we can scratch Diamond. Cessna or Cirrus both offer so much and not enough. I guess I want a little bit of both planes combined into one.. I love the Cessnas airframe because of its utility category and beautiful look . Cirrus also has a beautiful look but the aluminum flaps on the Cirrus just doesn't sit right with me, something about mixing a aluminum flap with a composite wing. So we've decided on the cessna airframe with the composite flaps and the air brakes are a real bonus. If we take a look at the engine both are go performance platforms and Cirrus almost got it right. I like the Cirrus engine because there is no prop control, but as long as Im wishing, a nice turbo diesel with FADEC control. One lever suits me just fine. Also a must have is the Cessna's set and forget air climate control with no need to adjust for take offs and landings. So we have an airframe, an engine and a climate control. AH !!! avionics, Garmin, Entegra. So The Search continues. My mind was set on the G1000 for the longest time and than a funny thing happened while reading Flying Magazine. I'm now hooked on the new Entegra R9. From what I've read it's going to make life simpler in the cockpit. They are working on a digital auto pilot so by the time I'm ready to purchase that should be in place. Lets talk about Ice because we have all run into some whether we want to admit it or not. Cirrrus is certified (SR22) Cessna is not (350 -400).
Cessna had a wonderful idea with the EVADE system, it is now called Therma Wing. A metal foil is attached to the leading edges of the wing and the horizontal stabilizer. The system is activated digitally when the temperature reaches 41 F and takes less than a minute to de ice the aircraft. No fluids and no extra weight. I'd have to go with this system, just for those unanticipated icing encounters. Last but not least I'll need a golden ticket for my non pilot passenger and that comes by the way of Cirrus. If I become incapacitated the passengers can just pull the handle when all else fails. Its always nice to have. Can we get Cessna and Cirrus together to make one humdinger of an aircraft? That about sums it up for one mans Search for the Perfect Plane. An all composite aircraft with a parachute and speed brakes. Therma Wing for ice and a liquid cooled turbo diesel engine with FADEC power control. The avionics would be the Enterga R9 with a digital auto pilot and yaw damper. Set and forget environmental climate control.
Still dreaming