What does FAA.gov say about ADS-B ?
“The FAA published Federal Regulation 14 CFR § 91.225 and 14 CFR § 91.227 in May 2010. The final rule dictates that effective January 1, 2020, aircraft operating in airspace defined in 91.225 are required to have an Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast (ADS-B) system that includes a certified position source capable of meeting requirements defined in 91.227. These regulations set a minimum performance standard for both ADS-B Transmitter and the position sources integrated with the ADS-B equipment your aircraft.”
What Is ADS-B ?
According to http://www.ads-b.com/: “ADS-B is radically new technology that is redefining the paradigm of COMMUNICATIONS – NAVIGATION – SURVEILLANCE in Air Traffic Management today. Already proven and certified as a viable low cost replacement for conventional radar, ADS-B allows pilots and air traffic controllers to “see” and control aircraft with more precision, and over a far larger percentage of the earth’s surface, than has ever been possible before.”
| Automatic | – | It’s always ON and requires no operator intervention |
| Dependent | – | It depends on an accurate GNSS signal for position data |
| Surveillance | – | It provides “Radar-like” surveillance services, much like RADAR |
| Broadcast | – | It continuously broadcasts aircraft position and other data to any aircraft, or ground station equipped to receive ADS-B |
ADS-B Interactive
These interactive maps can help give you location-specific ADS-B rules for where you are based or fly.
Per FAA Regulations, you are required to be equipped with ADS-B Out to fly in most controlled airspace:
| Airspace | Altitude |
|---|---|
| Class A | All |
| Class B | Generally, from surface to 10,000 feet mean sea level (MSL) including the airspace from portions of Class Bravo that extend beyond the Mode C Veil up to 10,000 feet MSL (e.g. SEA, CLE, PHX) |
| Class C | Generally, from surface up to 4,000 feet MSL including the airspace above the horizontal boundary up to 10,000 feet MSL |
| Class E | Above 10,000 feet MSL over the 48 states and DC, excluding airspace at and below 2,500 feet AGL Over the Gulf of Mexico at and above 3,000 feet MSL within 12 nautical miles of the coastline of the United States |
| Mode C Veil | Airspace within a 30 NM radius of any airport listed in Appendix D, Section 1 of Part 91 (e.g. SEA, CLE, PHX) from the surface up to 10,000 feet MSL |
