The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee voted Tuesday morning to advance the bipartisan ROTOR Act, which would require nearly all manned aircraft operating in ADS-B out airspace to be equipped with ADS-B In. The legislation, originally put forth in July by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) would also put more limitations on when military aircraft can fly without transmitting via ADS-B Out.
The measure responds to the January collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport that killed 67 people. The legislation also directs the FAA to review coordination between civilian and military operators and calls for an Army Inspector General audit of ADS-B usage and pilot training standards.
Sen. Cruz said in Tuesday’s Executive Committee that the ROTOR Act will enhance aviation safety.
“[The ROTAR Act] closes a dangerous loophole that allowed military aircraft to operate in domestic skies without communicating their position quickly and accurately to other aviators like commercial aircraft do,” Cruz said. “This legislation requires all aircraft operating in congested airspace to equip with ADS-B In.”
Cruz added that the NTSB has recommended the requirement “for decades.”
The ROTOR Act also mandates new safety reviews of helicopter routes near major airports and a public Army audit into compliance with FAA coordination agreements.
Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) said the agreement “fixes both problems” that led to the DCA accident.
“Sixty-seven people died because the military helicopter flew invisible into another aircraft and pilots lacked the technology to see each other,” Cantwell said. “First, it closes the ADS-B Out loophole immediately upon enactment. Second, it requires aircraft operators to incorporate their fleet with ADS-B In technology by 2031—the first ever mandate for this life-saving technology after 17 years since the NTSB first recommended it.”
The ROTOR Act passed unanimously in committee and will now move to the full Senate for consideration.
The article quoting the NTSB “17 years recommending it” is a bit off. While NTSB has recommended ADS-B In for certain segments of aviation (and rightfully so), the only ADS-B In recommendations for Part 121 were narrowly for weather, not traffic.
If this becomes law it will be a more expensive to install than ADS-B out. I did some research, to install ADS-B in on my plane would cost somewhere around $5000, since my plane does not have any display device to show alleged traffic, assuming the FAA goes the TSO route like ADS-B out. And that is for one frequency. This new requirement if enacted is going to be a real mess since only the US has 2 operational frequencies for ADS-B out. And if enacted how would this be enforced? There are no FAA services based on ADS-B in. Once again General Aviation will get screwed over something GA had nothing to do with.
The bill has been “marked up” in committee so now we don’t know what it specifically contains.
My issue with it is that ADS-B doesn’t function below (variable) altitudes and when a pilot is on final he/she is watching for the runway and has no way to look at a display. The Avidyne IFD550 already has ADS-B In and Out so that would suffice.
Many pilots use an iPad for a display, but the Apple products have a bad habit of shutting down when overheated so a portable display (iPad) might be unreliable when needed to comply with ROTOR.
This ROTOR bill is well intentioned but impractical. The real issue is the routing of a military helicopter under an active approach into Bravo airspace (which, to me, is just nuts!).
My point – ADS-B IN is not the answer. Having sterile airspace is, and helicopters could/should get a clearance just like the rest of us. We all have transponders and they coordinate with ATC now so why kill the system with ROTOR? Will someone please let Cruze know that his bill is not the real answer?
What an imbecilic bill. Hit all of us AGAIN for stuff that GA had ZERO to do with. You had an airline, a military helicopter, inside the Washington DC space constituting all of the latest and greatest technology and surveillance of any airspace in the world and yet Ted Cruz wants more technology. What’s being levied upon us that fly GA VFR and IFR is going to be absurd. Evidently technology is not the answer because if it was then technology would’ve solved the problem and this accident never would’ve happened. Collectively, everyone on both sides of the aisle are too stupid to realize this or they do and are having this done for other unknown reasons. Another expense levied upon us to put an equipment that has no useful purpose for us to just satisfy a senator? I wonder what the real reason is outside of what they’re telling us as they’re all to happy to allow drones to fly within 400 feet where I spend a lot of my time in helicopters and all those drones don’t need any ADS B and we have to give way to them? Something doesn’t pass the sniff test at all. It’s time to push back on this bill and some of the most recent and stupid regulatory changes and push back hard. Where is AOPA on all of this?
ADS-B for ALL aircraft ALL the time! Save my rear a few times.
This bill and idea should be dead on arrival. Senator Cruz and Sen Maria Cantrell need to talk to small aircraft pilots who would be overwhelmingly against such and idea because: the FAA uses ADS-B as a political tool, very unlawful; and GPS is available but needs to be cut loose from the military. No training is allowed in airspace classes: B; C; or D; which is what happened in DC; training flight where not allowed and unlawful in class B airspace. The Military was and is breaking the law doing training in class B airspace. The military has designated airspace known as military operation areas (MOA)s where they generally do their training and must only do their training in MOAs. Please contact AOPA and EAA to insure
this nonsensical idea on ADS-B is put permanently out of service; out of use. Or, this is a not, not, not!!! And transponders are used in all controlled airspace, especially class B airspace. Duplicating what a transponder does is a waste of money and is nonsensical. What does it take to get politicians to get real, to check with people who know what is going on!!! Very sad state of affairs. Please make this go away!!!
I read the bill and unless I’m reading it wrong, it only applies to new factory aircraft, not existing aircraft.
Sooo the issue was lack of ADSB? lol!
Not a route every pilot knew was a when a crash will happen not a if
Not a route so stupid it was allowed to normalize ignoring RAs even?!
So silly, ADSB is just about over regulation, and their buddies being able to collect fees to keep the fee collectors paid