When the FAA first started implementing NextGen more than a decade ago the mandate for owners to equip with ADS-B seemed like a lifetime away. But January 1, 2020, is now upon us, and that means if you’re one of the few holdouts, time is up.
ADS-B is now generally required in the same general airspace as a transponder. For a Cessna 150 that may mean being able to avoid equipping, but for a Twin Commander it’s a necessity. Flying in Class B, Class C, and above 10,000 feet is commonplace for a twin turboprop, and avoiding those areas severely hampers the utility of your aircraft.
The good news is that owners have paid attention to the warnings and a sizeable portion of the fleet has already equipped. According to flight tracking site Flight Aware, of the 153 unique Twin Commanders tracked last November, 136 were already ADS-B compliant. That 89 percent equipage rate is strong among legacy twin turboprops.
The bad news is that for those who haven’t yet equipped, you are probably going to have to wait even longer to get into a shop. Tim Tobey, the maintenance manager for Winner Aviation, said that as of early December they were already scheduled out through the end of January, and he expected that to quickly slip into February. Some shops may have even longer delays.
Unfortunately, the FAA will not be very helpful in this area. The agency made it clear all along that equipping was mandatory, and that the deadline would not slide. To reinforce that position, last spring it issued guidance for non-equipped aircraft operating in ADS-B required airspace. The FAA recognized in the policy that occasional operations into ADS-B airspace would be required for non-equipped aircraft. But it made clear this was not a substitute for equipping. A per-operation authorization can be requested for non-equipped aircraft. But, according to the FAA, “These per-operation authorizations are not intended to support routine operations of non-equipped aircraft in airspace covered by the rule.” The FAA noted in the final rule that authorizations would be considered on a case-by-case basis and might not be granted in all instances.
Each authorization must be requested at least an hour in advance of takeoff. No in-flight authorizations will be granted, and the FAA further said that if no response is received the pilot should assume the authorization was denied. It also emphasized that operations to busy airspace, such as to a primary Class B airport, would likely be denied.
So where does that leave an owner who hasn’t yet equipped? Grounded, or sucking down a lot of fuel at low altitude between airports where ADS-B isn’t required. One-time authorizations will probably be granted almost like a ferry permit, in order to fly to an airport to become equipped.
In the meantime, call a Twin Commander Factory Authorized Service Center and try to get in as soon as possible.
