Congress requires the FAA to develop and maintain our National Airspace System. They are directed to create and implement improvements that will increase the safety and efficiency of flight operations. As our technologies evolve, it can be difficult to keep up with the changes. Some of these recent upgrades – like RVSM – created significant economic impacts for operators of turbojet business aircraft.

One important new innovation is ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast). ADS-B is a system by which an aircraft continually electronically broadcasts its position, altitude, speed and direction of flight. The FAA has proposed that all turbojet aircraft will be required to have ADS-B (out) capability by 2020; ADS-B (in) capability will come later, at which time all jet aircraft in the system will know the position and flight path of every other aircraft in their vicinity. If you are contemplating the purchase of a new aircraft, you should discuss ADS-B capability with the seller or manufacturer.

A flight department’s ability to operate effectively could be limited without additions to the aircraft navigation and radio systems. If the FAA mandates new equipment, the suppliers and installers can be caught off guard. This happened in the case of RVSM. Many aircraft operators struggled to find efficient and cost effective solutions. However, adding equipment prematurely can also be expensive.

If the code above has you confused, check out our Acronym Guide.