It’s getting close… that dreaded deadline to comply with ADS-B Out or be grounded! January 1, 2020 will effectively turn non-compliant aircraft into pumpkins… or will it?

The FAA ruled today that there may be some leeway in regards to operating past the deadline without ADS-B Out installed. The approvals will be on a case-by-case basis and limited to operators that have the install scheduled but have not completed it.

This sounds more stringent than what was allowed years ago when RVSM was instituted , so we’ll have to wait and see what the reality looks like. I certainly would not recommend that anyone wait to have their install done. The reality is that it must be done, and there’s no benefit to waiting. The cost of doing these installs will likely go up during crunch time, not down.

Here’s a link to the article about the FAA’s recent decision https://nbaa.org/aircraft-operations/communications-navigation-surveillance-cns/ads-b/faa-issues-policy-for-non-compliant-operations-in-ads-b-airspace/