Over the last few years, there’s been a lot of ink in this and other aviation publications devoted to the looming ADS-B equipment mandate. If you’re just tuning in, aircraft operators will need the technology installed by January 1, 2020, if they want regular access to the same basic airspace where a Mode C transponder now is required. But equipment installations haven’t been keeping up with what industry and the FAA project as necessary to achieve the desired compliance rates.
With that in mind, the FAA and its Department of Transportation parent agency on June 6, 2016, unveiled a rebate program—unprecedented in our memory—the feds hope will accelerate what is widely considered a laggardly installation pace. Scheduled to launch by September 30—a specific date will be announced soon—the program offers single-engine piston-powered airplane owners—twin and turbine-single owners need not apply—a $500 rebate on the cost of installing a new ADS-B Out-compliant package. Of course, there are details. How did we get here, and what do owners need to do to get their rebate?
