By Rob Finfrock

With the FAA’s January 1, 2020 deadline for equipage with Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) technology looming, the Citation Jet Pilots Owner/Pilots Association (CJP) recently published a detailed white paper to assist CJP Members in making the best equipage decision for their aircraft.

“Although three years may still seem like ample time for deciding on ADS-B installation, those who wait until the ‘last minute’ run the risk of significant delays as shops grow increasingly constrained with ADS-B installations,” said CJP Executive Director Andrew Broom. “CJP encourages all Citation operators to upgrade their aircraft with ADS-B Out as soon as possible, and the good news is that a variety of ADS-B solutions are now available throughout the entire Citation family.”

The FAA mandate requires all aircraft operating in controlled airspace to be equipped with ADS-B “Out” functionality. This requires equipment to automatically broadcast an aircraft’s identifying information and navigational data, as well as GPS-derived position information and ground speed, to ground-based stations that relay this data to the appropriate air traffic control (ATC) stations.

While equipping for ADS-B Out fulfills the FAA mandate, installing ADS-B “In” capability also allows pilots to see the same data transmitted to ATC, including real-time traffic position and free Flight Information System-Broadcast (FIS-B) weather information.

With Citation aircraft comprising the largest fleet of owner-flown jet aircraft in the world, it should come as little surprise that numerous ADS-B upgrade paths exist. CJP Platinum Plus sponsor Textron Aviation has worked with its avionics suppliers – including Garmin, Rockwell Collins, and Honeywell – to earn supplemental type certification (STC) for upgrade paths for nearly all Citation variants.

The white paper, available through the Russ Meyer Citation Library, also highlights solutions developed by independent suppliers and other vendors.