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arrivalandseeitjustsecondsafterdeparture.VFRflight following along the West Coast of North America in an ADS-B equipped Bonanza traveling between Seattle and Fairbanks, for example, will be easier and safer.
Flying at 1,000 feet over the dense Amazonian rainforests or across the vast Indian Ocean, ATC will eventually receive position updates as often as once each minute when the service is fully certified.
As already mentioned, Aireon-based ATC is already being tested over the North Atlantic, the busiest oceanic airspace in the world. This allows air traffic controllers to reduce aircraft in-trail separation distances from 40nm to as little as 14nm, making the airspace more flexible, predictable and able to accommodate the immense growth forecasted in the coming years. Aircraft spending less time in the air and able to proceed more directly to destinations saves on fuel and reduces emissions.
No one should underplay the role of satellite-based ADS-B on search and rescue efforts either. Should an airplane like balloonist Steve Fossett’s Decathlon ever again go missing in the Rockies with an ADS-B Out on board, weather permitting, a downed pilot could be located quickly rather than the year it took searchers to eventually locate the adventurer’s taildragger.
Surprisingly, not all countries have yet decided to sign on to receive Aireon’s data stream. During this first phase of testing, many European states as well as Singapore, Malaysia, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, India and Vietnam have given Aireon the thumbs-up. The FAA plans to begin testing in Miami Oceanic airspace near the end of 2019, with more deployments before 2021. A firm date for fully adding Aireon’s ADS-B data to domestic ATC services will be announced once FAA completes its testing in the Caribbean. KA
Rob Mark is a business aviation pilot, journalist and flight instructor. He also publishes the award-winning industry blog, Jetwhine.com.
18 • KING AIR MAGAZINE
JULY 2019