With the ADS-B Out compliance date drawing ever closer, many pilots are still waiting for the big holiday deal on the technology they’ll need to meet the deadline. Not long after we ran a story on the Skybeacon wingtip ADS-B Out solutions, uAvionix asked if we knew anyone with an experimental airplane willing to serve as a test installer for the new equipment. Having just a month or so before flown James Wiebe’s Chipper in Southern Illinois, I suggested Belite Aircraft. Within a few weeks, uAvionix had shipped Belite a Skybeacon kit.
Skybeacon Installation Review
Key Takeaways:
- uAvionix's Skybeacon is a wingtip-mounted ADS-B Out solution highlighted for its "brain-dead easy" installation, taking less than an hour on an experimental aircraft.
- Installation primarily involves connecting to existing nav-light electrics, with configuration managed through a smartphone app (a minor initial ICAO identifier format issue is being addressed).
- Currently available for experimental aircraft at $1,495, the Skybeacon is expected to receive FAA approval for certified aircraft in spring 2018, allowing more pilots to meet 2020 compliance.
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