ADS-B LIVE – Experience ADS-B at a Fly-In near you.
 

Pilots who would like to experience ADS-B in live operation will have the opportunity to do so at several Fly-ins over the next few weeks. If you are planning to take part in any of these Fly-Ins, please read the details below and contact Project EVA.

21st May: BMAA Fly-In, Fenland.
21st May: LAA Devon Strut Fly-In, Porthtowan.
21st-22nd May: Super Spring Fly-In, Barton.
22nd May: LAA Andover Strut Fly-In, Popham.
28th-29th May: Rougham Fly-In.
30th May: Bidford Wings and Wheels.
4th June: Sutton Meadows Fly-In.
5th June : Brimpton Air ambulance fly-in at Brimpton.
11th June: All-American Fly-In Compton Abbas.
11th June: Sherburn Fly-In.
12th June: Biplane and Vintage Fly-In, Redhill.
17th-19th June: Air Rally, Guernsey.
18th-19th June: Air Britain Fly-In, North Weald.
18th-19th June: LAA Devon Strut Fly-In Farway Common.
24th-26th June: Alderney Annual Fly-In.
1st-3rd July: Aero Expo UK, Sywell.

There are now several varieties of ADS-B available for GA aircraft and pilots. These are
• 1090 MHz ADS-B-in and ADS-B-out. This is “classical” ADS-B, as used by commercial air transport but now also being trialled in the Project EVA consisting of NATS, AOPA, Funke, and Trig, in the form of the LPAT – Low Power ADS-B Transceiver. (EVA stands for Enhanced Visibility by ADS-B.)
• Power FLARM. Although mainly used by glider pilots, it can be carried in any GA aircraft.
• Pilot Aware. A more recent development aiming mainly at usage by lower end GA aircraft.

The CAA, supported by AOPA, LAA, BMAA, BGA, BHPA and other flying groups as well as NATS, has been examining “Electronic Conspicuity” for some time and decided that ADS-B on 1090MHz is the most promising technology. This allows interoperability between aircraft carrying the equipment as well as visibility of those aircraft by ground stations and, eventually, ATC.

NATS has supported the connection of uncertified GPS to Mode S transponders, to see how good the ADS-B data is and has concluded together with the CAA that it is acceptable for use in the UK. The LAA has now taken over the approval process and an increasing number of aircraft are becoming equipped. This equipment is interoperable with “classical” ADS-B.

Project EVA is carrying out trials of LPAT together with other types of ADS-B Electronic Conspicuity. EVA would like in particular to take advantage of ADS-B equipped aircraft attending Fly-Ins to see how well various types of device operate and especially how well different devices interoperate. To do this, we need to know about ADS-B equipped aircraft taking part in Fly-Ins. This is interoperable with “classical” ADS-B and NATS GPS trial equipped aircraft.

So, if you are ADS-B equipped with any type of ADS-B, please let us know as soon as possible, so that Project EVA can make arrangements to meet up at a Fly-In and understand your experience with ADS-B Live. As an incentive, for those pilots and aircraft who carry out an ADS-B equipped flight and complete a questionnaire afterwards, EVA can cover up to half of the costs for your ADS-B flight.

Even pilots who do not currently have ADS-B can join in, because EVA has a couple of LPAT units and a Power FLARM unit that we can lend you on the Fly-In day. EVA will cover up to half of the costs for a local ADS-B flight from the Fly-In airfield on the day – but please allow at least a couple of hours for this.

EVA is currently interested in pilots and aircraft who will be taking part in the Fly-Ins listed above over the next few weeks.

Please contact ALL the following:
• [email protected]
• [email protected]
• [email protected]

We can’t guarantee to cover all the events listed. The ones that we do cover will be chosen based on the number of pilots and aircraft who take part, so the sooner you register your interest, the better.

BGA if contacted might put out the word to glider pilots equipped with PowerFLARM.

If it's a decent XC day, the fly in site might be used as a turnpoint by some glider pilots.

That'll make the arrivals and departures interesting!

1090ES ok, PowerFlarm ok, what about Pilotaware - does it now utilize an algorithm to switch off when in an area where the transmission is illegal?

Illegal ? I don't understand. PilotAware transmissions aren't illegal anywhere in Europe.
It receives ADSB and other PilotAwares and transmits to other PilotAwares.

Bit like Flarm, but with a greater distance/higher power.

Distance is quoted as 20km for the PAW signals, but some of us are seeing other planes a lot further out than that.

ADSB you can obviously pick up a 100 miles away !

Anyway, there's a much more in depth discussion of this going on over at the PilotAware forum, where the invite was also posted.

(Including what constitutes the "lower end of GA" and if your aircraft qualifies as such)

Illegal! I am aware that handicraft works projects just do and wait for legal issues to come to them, but if you do commercial products, you have to go the other way around. Fines are expensive in aviation, so I prefer to stay clear of these approaches.

As a remark, the increasing frequency congestion, which already lead to UAT in the US, is now picking up in Europe as well and the more power you put in each transmitter, the worse it gets. Yes, free bands are one possibility, but there is none internationally free for all.

1090ES is not the problem, as it is one of the few internationally agreed frequency. The other frequencies and various legal restrictions are. I.e. the Flarm community had to develop quite some (expensive in development) mechanisms to get the widespread coverage it has now in Europe. PowerFlarm does monitor the GPS position, automatically switches the Flarm part off when crossing border and leaving ADS-B In on. Flarm is neither allowed in the US and Canada due to the frequency used and nor in US registered aircraft or aircraft carrying people living in the US or Canada or being US or Canadian citizens (see the relevant paragraphs in the PowerFlarm manuals for reference). I assume the same holds for P3I devices on the same frequency with similar surveillance function, but I have not seen similar documentation in the Pilotaware.

I cannot help wonder about a generation of "heads down" pilots.


"heads down" following a gps map.
"heads down" looking for other traffic on a computer screen.
"heads down" flying on glass cockpit instruments in vmc conditions.


Please correct me if I am wrong, but these systems will not show all traffic.


Each time I visit my favourite airfield (Fenland), Ray in the tower would often say to inbound traffic " keep a good look out as there is a non-radio aircraft inbound"
Everyone was looking out, everyone was safer. :D

PowerFLARM Selling Well in US and Canada
 

Different frequency used in North America.

Yes, your European PF will not work in NA and NA PFs won't work in Europe. Then there's Oz.

Thanks everyone for your replies. A lot of very good points are made.

The main aim of the posting, however, was not to bring about a technical discussion but instead to bring pilots/aircraft together at an event where practical experience of any device can be gained and shared.

Please let us all know if you will be flying to any of the events listed, and with what aircraft (type and registration), so that we can focus on the best candidate location for both ground and airborne electronic conspicuity experience.

Please respond as soon as possible and by Thursday 19th 23:59 for this week’s events to:
· [email protected]
· [email protected]
We will reply to all mails received that indicate participation, and post on as many sites as we can the selected location (based on replies) on Friday evening.

" As an incentive, for those pilots and aircraft who carry out an ADS-B equipped flight and complete a questionnaire afterwards, EVA can cover up to half of the costs for your ADS-B flight."

Is this true ?
I am thinking of attending some of those fly ins. Will you really pay half my flight? Is this limited to one flight a year or can I claim for more than one.

Obviously you didn't get enough replies this weekend, what is your minimum number ? If I can organise some friends to fly in with me, how many of us do you need in order to pay half our costs.

Genuinely interested as this could really add to our flying hours this year.