ADSB - A Gift to General Aviation
When ADS-B was first introduced the General Aviation community blew a gasket! With good reason, of course. The addition of this kind of equipment to aircraft was an unexpected and costly expense. The cheapest option for ADS-B Out is about $2,000 installed. That being said, I believe those who only put ‘out’ are not taking advantage of a complex yet important system.
When it came to updating our fleet we decided to go for the Garmin GNX375. This offered all our aircraft both ADSB-In and ASDB-Out with an added benefit of WAAS GPS. But why spend all the money on ADSB-IN? I personally think it is a great investment. Having ADSB-IN is like having your own radar, and flying with a briefer. With ADSB-IN we added WX, NOTAMs, PIREPs, METARs, and more to all our aircraft. No more having to ask ATC for vectors around the weather or waiting to be in range to pick up the weather at your destination airport. Mind you, there is a delay and it is only available in the contiguous US, but that is where our airplanes fly. With this equipment, we no longer have the need for onboard radar. Of course, If you are flying internationally then onboard radar makes sense.
In our flight school, safety comes first. What better way to stay safe than arming your students with information and teaching them how to use that information? If you ask me, an informed decision is always better than an uninformed decision, whether you’re on the ground or in the air. The added benefit of having ADSB-In & Out with traffic, weather, and navigation, in one easy-to-use display makes our airplanes safer (no this is not a Garmin sponsored blog.)
The best part of this is that once you pay for it, it is there forever. There is no subscription cost! No XM weather!
FAQ
Can you fly an airplane with ADSB?
a. Yes, not in controlled airspace unless you complete the steps required to obtain a waiver from the FAA.
I’m adding ADBS to my aircraft, is ADSB-IN really worth it?
a. Absolutely, don’t waste your money otherwise. Flying without IN is like flying blind. At our school, all our airplanes have ADSB-In.
Does it cost money to get weather information?
No, the only cost is the original investment of the equipment. Once installed, it is free to use.
