Legislation recently introduced in the U.S. Senate would require all aircraft operating in Class B airspace to install and use Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) In and Out.
Class B airspace is a designation for high-volume airspace, usually reserved for the nation’s busiest airports. Under current law, the secretary of transportation can grant exemptions to certain aircraft to fly without active ADS-B systems.
The bill would prohibit these exemptions. It would require the secretary of transportation to mandate the installment of safety-critical ADS-B hardware on aircraft.
The legislation is in response to the midair collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) on Jan. 29. The National Transportation Safety Board investigation discovered the military helicopter involved was not transmitting ADS-B Out.
“This legislation will make certain aircraft in airspace like DCA are transmitting and receiving important tracking data to both protect themselves and help air traffic control better conduct landings and takeoffs,” U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS), Commerce Subcommittee on Aviation, Space, and Innovation chairman, who introduced the bill, said. “The army and the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) must fully cooperate with the National Transportation Safety Board as they continue their investigations, and the flight restrictions around DCA must remain in place until all investigations are complete.”