Aviators love abbreviations and one that has invaded light aviation recently is ADS-B. FAA’s Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast service brings two major benefits for aircraft that install new equipment: Free weather and traffic. LSA market leader Flight Design recently completed the first installation of this in one of its brand-new CTLSi models.
New dealer Florida Light-Sport Aviation, based at the Spruce Creek Fly-in near Daytona Beach, has the first of what is sure to be many such installations. ADS-B equipment for the installation is built by Dynon Avionics, a Flight Design supply partner that also builds the SkyView digital avionics suite used in the CTLSi models. A separate hardware module was added behind the 10-inch screen and connected to an antenna on the belly of the aircraft.
An ADS-B equipped aircraft uses an ordinary GPS receiver to determine a precise position from GPS satellites and then combines that position with other aircraft information such as speed, heading, and altitude. This information is broadcast to other ADS-B capable aircraft and to ADS-B ground or satellite communications transceivers, which then relay the aircraft’s position and additional information to Air Traffic Control centers in real time.
It is seen as the “next generation” of air traffic control and gives this information directly to pilots and controllers.
Officials at Dynon Avionics said, “The new SV-ADSB-470 unit offers subscription-free weather displayed on SkyView. Airport weather data can be displayed for nearest airports or for a specific airport identifier.”
“ADS-B receives traffic information with precise location, altitude, speed, and direction from broadcast from other ADS-B equipped aircraft along with data broadcast from ADS-B ground stations, presuming the aircraft is equipped with the correct transponder,” Dynon officials add.
Additionally TFRs can be shown even though these are temporarily restricted areas.
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