US senators plan on 21 October to advance a bill that would require most aircraft to have automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) In systems before 2032, a move following the deadly 29 January midair collision near Washington, DC.
Republican Ted Cruz and Democrat Maria Cantwell – leading members of the Senate transportation committee – last week revealed the bill, which they call a “bipartisan” agreement to enhance aviation safety.
The transportation committee plans on 21 October to review the bill and then send it the full Senate for an eventual vote.
It would require all aircraft that are now required to have ADS-B Out to also have ADS-B In. That change would allow “pilots to better visualise and prevent incidents with other aircraft, and vehicles on the ground”, the committee says.
The bill provide for possible “low-cost alternative” options to ADS-B In, however those options are not specified and would be available only to non-commercial operators of aircraft weighing less than 5,670kg (12,500lb).
Since 2020, the Federal Aviation Administration has required aircraft, when flying in controlled airspace, to have and use ADS-B Out, which transmits the aircraft’s position to air traffic controllers, and to other aircraft equipped with ADS-B In.
That measure proved controversial in its own right, with airlines and other operators raising concerns about the cost and benefits of the technology. As the 2020 deadline approached, operators scrambled to equip their aircraft.
The In function, which the FAA does not yet mandate, presents pilots with the position of nearby aircraft.
The measure working through the Senate would also eliminate “a loophole that allowed most military aircraft to operate without… ADS-B Out transmitting”, the committee says.
Under that “loophole”, government aircraft can avoid using ADS-B Out when operating “sensitive government missions”.
The bill would specify that such missions exclude training and proficiency flights, and flights carrying “federal officials below the rank of cabinet member”.
It would also require the Department of Transportation’s Inspector General to conduct annual audits to ensure the exemptions are properly used, and direct the FAA to identify safety improvements at the largest US airports.
The bill has support from the Air Line Pilots Association, which says it “provides critical additional layers of safety by improving aircraft tracking, enhancing situational awareness for all operators, and ensuring better coordination between military and civilian aviation authorities”.
Trade group Airlines for America, which represents the largest US airlines, declines to comment.
