Sliced Bread?

Beginning on page 12, Frank Bowlin tackles the question, "Can ADS-B Work?" We all should hope the answer is a resounding "yes." The FAA is busy firewalling its throttle and pushing its nose down, intending to get us there by 2020. In October, the agency released the first of several proposed rules on ADS-B, on complying airborne equipment. Im a confessed ADS-B skeptic. Put bluntly, I have zero confidence in the FAAs ability to manage a multi-year project of this scope. Im also not sanguine about doing away with much of the ground-based surveillance radar network as the agency proposes, and dont believe all the airspace efficiency claims being made. (The vast majority of congestion problems dont involve airspace; they involve available runways and airline scheduling.)

Joseph E. (Jeb) Burnside

Monday, October 22, 2007 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

The author expresses deep skepticism regarding the FAA's management of the ADS-B project, questioning its purported efficiency gains, the plan to phase out ground radar, and its financial benefits for general aviation pilots.
Concerns are raised about pilot privacy, as ADS-B will eliminate flight anonymity, and about the safety implications and increased workload associated with self-separation due to a lack of clear operational rules.
Despite the FAA's push for a 2020 implementation, many fundamental questions about ADS-B's practical application, costs, and operational guidelines remain unanswered, suggesting a significant communication gap.

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Beginning on page 12, Frank Bowlin tackles the question, “Can ADS-B Work?” We all should hope the answer is a resounding “yes.” The FAA is busy firewalling its throttle and pushing its nose down, intending to get us there by 2020. In October, the agency released the first of several proposed rules on ADS-B, on complying airborne equipment.

Im a confessed ADS-B skeptic. Put bluntly, I have zero confidence in the FAAs ability to manage a multi-year project of this scope. Im also not sanguine about doing away with much of the ground-based surveillance radar network as the agency proposes, and dont believe all the airspace efficiency claims being made. (The vast majority of congestion problems dont involve airspace; they involve available runways and airline scheduling.)

Theres also a privacy concern with ADS-B: Not only will other aircraft know who is