Fight Gains Steam to Keep ADS-B a Safety Tool, Not a ‘Cash Register’

Support grows for the federal Pilot and Aircraft Privacy Act to prevent the use of aviation safety data for collecting pilot fees.

Meg Godlewski

Thursday, March 12, 2026 at 10:29 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

U.S. Capitol [Credit: Adobe Stock]

Key Takeaways:

The Pilot and Aircraft Privacy Act (PAPA) seeks to prohibit the use of Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) data for collecting fees from pilots, asserting ADS-B's purpose is exclusively for aviation safety.
PAPA has garnered significant support from state lawmakers, aviation organizations like AOPA, and the NTSB Chair, who emphasize that ADS-B should not be a revenue-generating tool.
Concerns are raised that leveraging ADS-B for fees undermines its safety function and could discourage pilots from installing or using the technology, potentially reversing aviation safety gains.
While several states have enacted similar bans, proponents stress the need for a uniform federal law to ensure consistent protection and enhance safety across all states.

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Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) was created to enhance aviation safety, not as a revenue-generating tool. That’s the message the nation’s lawmakers are getting as a bill to prohibit the use of ADS-B data to collect fees from pilots by enacting the Pilot and Aircraft Privacy Act (PAPA) is gaining more support.

According to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), support for PAPA is growing across the country with state lawmakers and aviation safety officials expressing their support.