EAA Attends Final Equip 2020 Meeting Before Deadline

December 5, 2019 - This week, EAA attended the final Equip 2020 meeting prior to the January 1, 2020, deadline for aircraft flying in certain airspace to install ADS-B out capable equipment.

Equip 2020 is a working group made up of FAA and industry that has worked over the past six years to smooth any road blocks before the deadline. EAA was a founding member of the group. A large portion of the general aviation fleet has equipped already, but due to ADS-B only being mandatory in Class A, B, C, and portions of other airspace, not all aviators have or will need to equip.

"The ADS-B mandate is almost identical to the Mode C transponder mandate," EAA government advocacy specialist Lily Johnson said. "In the same way that not every GA aircraft is Mode C equipped, not every aircraft will be ADS-B equipped. We have heard from many of our members who fly at lower altitudes in rural areas that they do not plan to equip at this time."

Under the ADS-B rule, aircraft that have never been equipped with an engine-driven (i.e., alternator or generator-charged) electrical system are exempt from the mandate in certain airspace. See 14 CFR 91.225(e) for more information.