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Tag: Nav Canada

  • Industry coalition pushes back against Canadian ADS-B mandate

    Industry coalition pushes back against Canadian ADS-B mandate

    Photo: MJ_Prototype/iStock Editorial/ Getty Images Plus/Getty Images
    Photo: MJ_Prototype/iStock Editorial/ Getty Images Plus/Getty Images

    An aviation industry coalition is voicing concern to Transport Canada about elements of a proposed mandate that will require aircraft flying in Canada to be equipped with the Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B), also called the Next Generation Air Transportation System, or NextGen.

    ADS-B uses GNSS technology to calculate an airplane’s precise location, speed and direction. This information is transmitted twice per second, providing greater situational awareness for air traffic controllers.

    The mandate in Canada requires aircraft to implement 1090ES ADS-B in two phases over the next four to five years. It takes effect for Class A and B Canadian airspace (above 12,500 feet) on Feb. 23, 2023, and Class C, D, and E airspace no earlier than 2026.

    Space-Based Transceivers

    The proposed mandate will also require antennas capable of communicating with both ground-based and space-based transceivers (referred to as antenna diversity). The United States uses ground-based ADS-B stations, which are confined to line-of-sight reception between the aircraft and ground receivers.

    Space-based ADS-B does not have this limitation, but requires antennas on top of the aircraft to provide the required fidelity to allow for air traffic separation.

    “This would constitute an equipage mandate for most U.S. operators wanting to fly to Canada, most of which have recently equipped to meet U.S. requirements,” said Jim McClay, director of airspace, air traffic and security for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA). “To comply, many operators will need to install new antennas on top of their aircraft as well as possibly replace their ADS-B units. The costs of complying will be significant and would be borne only by aircraft owners.”

    A recent AOPA survey of members in border states revealed that most U.S. operators are unaware of the coming mandate and almost half of respondents who regularly fly to Canada indicated they would cease flying to Canada altogether in the face of the mandate.

    Lack of Installers

    The industry coalition also agrees that it is highly doubtful that there are enough avionics installers to complete the needed upgrades in time to meet the mandate’s deadlines.

    “Due to these concerns, AOPA is urging a delay of the Nav Canada equipage mandate until a determination can be made on the cost impact to purchase and install the required equipment and discussions on potential alternative solutions are held,” McClay said.

    Other Countries

    According to Nav Canada, the equipage requirements of Canada’s ADS-B mandate are in line with those of a growing number of other countries in the world. “The adoption of satellite-based surveillance technology ensures long-term alignment with the global aviation system,” the company stated. Nav Canada provides services to Canadian airspace such as air traffic control and weather advisories.

    Members of the coalition include the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association, General Aviation Manufacturers Association, Garmin, the Canadian Business Aviation Association, AOPA and others.

    Coalition members share concerns that the mandate being pursued by Nav Canada and Transport Canada does not appear to be going through the full consultative process, and will submit their concerns over the next several weeks.

  • New ADS-B mandate to enhance aircraft operations in Canada

    New ADS-B mandate to enhance aircraft operations in Canada

    Canada is leveraging advanced surveillance capabilities to enhance safety and efficiency by implementing a new mandate that will require aircraft operators flying in certain domestic airspace to meet Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast (ADS-B) Out performance requirements.

    ADS-B uses GNSS technology to calculate an airplane’s precise location, speed and direction. This information is transmitted twice per second, providing greater situational awareness for air traffic controllers. It also provides increased flexibility to accommodate airline and customer preferred routes.

    The mandate will take effect in Class A and B Canadian airspace above 12,500 feet on Feb. 23, 2023.

    “ADS-B is a foundational building block for our future airspace and operations,” said Raymond G. Bohn, president and CEO of Nav Canada. “The Canadian equipage mandate — when combined with Nav Canada’s space-based surveillance capabilities — will enhance safety and service.”

    “The aviation sector plays an essential role in connecting Canadians to each other and the world,” said the Honourable Omar Alghabra, Minister of Transport. “We welcome advancements and innovation that enhance the safety and environmental sustainability of our transportation networks and supply chains.”

    The equipage requirements of Canada’s ADS-B mandate are in line with a growing number of other countries in the world, and the adoption of satellite-based surveillance technology ensures long-term alignment with the global aviation system.

    Space-based ADS-B is already being used and delivering safety and efficiency benefits to suitably equipped aircraft over Hudson Bay, the North Atlantic and in domestic airspace above 29,000 feet in Canada. In December 2021, Nav Canada began providing service to appropriately equipped aircraft below 29,000 feet in the Montreal Flight Information Region and plans to expand to the Edmonton and Winnipeg Flight Information Regions later this year, prior to the mandate going into effect in 2023.

    Future implementation of a mandate in areas within Class C, D and E will leverage a phased approach to help achieve the maximum benefits of a performance-based mandate for Canadian airspace. Aircraft operators and owners will have adequate time to meet the equipage requirements to use space-based ADS-B technology across the country. Implementation in these classes of airspace, to occur no sooner than 2026, will be determined pending further assessment.

    About the ADS-B mandate

    To meet the ADS-B Out mandate, aircraft will be required to:

    • Be equipped with an appropriate transponder with ADS-B Out capabilities and performance with the applicable standard of Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics (RTCA) DO-260B, “Minimum Operational Performance Standards” or newer.
    • Have antenna capability for broadcast toward space-based ADS-B receivers emitting 1090 MHz extended squitter. This requirement can be met either through antenna diversity (the use of a top and a bottom antenna) or with a single antenna capable of transmitting both toward the ground and up toward satellites.
    Photo: MJ_Prototype/iStock Editorial/ Getty Images Plus/Getty Images
    Photo: MJ_Prototype/iStock Editorial/ Getty Images Plus/Getty Images
  • ADS-B Out compliance delayed for Canadian pilots

    ADS-B Out compliance delayed for Canadian pilots

    A cockpit equipped with ADS-B controls. (Photo: FAA)
    A cockpit equipped with ADS-B controls. (Photo: FAA)

    Canada will be delaying the implementation dates for Phases 1 and 2 of its ADS-B Out Performance Requirements Mandate, according to a report by the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association.

    ADS-B stands for Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast. Deadline for aircraft in the United States to be equipped with ADS-B Out capability is Jan. 1, 2020.

    The original deadline for implementation in Canada was set for Feb. 25, 2021, for Phase 1-Class A airspace and Class E airspace above FL600, and Jan. 27, 2022 (Phase 2-Class B airspace).

    Because numerous industry operators have stated they will not be able to meet those deadlines, new Phase 1 and 2 implementation dates will be set.

    Transport Canada-Civil Aviation (TCCA) has also stated that some regulatory matters must be dealt with before implementation can take place.

    There is no word yet on how this might affect the implementation of remaining phases — C, D and E), according to the report. Nav Canada’s performance requirements mandate document states that implementation of the different phases will be a minimum of one year apart.

    ADS-B Out. ADS-B Out broadcasts information about an aircraft’s GPS location, altitude, ground speed and other data to ground stations and other aircraft once per second.

    Air traffic controllers and aircraft equipped with ADS-B In can immediately receive this information.

    Tbe ADS-B offers more precise tracking of aircraft compared to radar technology, which sweeps for position information every 5 to 12 seconds.

  • uAvionix developing transponder for space-based ADS-B surveillance

    uAvionix is developing and testing skyBeacon X, a wingtip mounted 1090MHz Mode S ADS-B OUT transponder designed to meet the update rate performance required when used in conjunction with the Aireon satellite-based global ADS-B air traffic surveillance system.

    According to the company, skyBeacon X is similar to the original skyBeacon in that it is an ED position light replacement with an integrated 1090MHz transponder, GPS position source, barometric altimeter, and LED position and anti-collision lights.

    In January 2019, NAV CANADA revealed that it will be implementing an ADS-B Performance Requirements mandate in three phases. Phase 1 includes Class A airspace and Class E airspace above FL600 by Jan 1, 2021. Phase 2 includes Class B airspace which in Canada extends from FL125 to FL180, and requires equipage by Jan 1, 2022. Phase 3, to be implemented no sooner than 2023, will require General Aviation (GA) aircraft to equip with transponders which employ antenna diversity — an antenna installed on both the bottom and the top of the aircraft — in order to achieve acceptable performance to provide Air Traffic Services.

    uAvionix plans for skyBeacon X to serve as a low-cost, diversity-compatible system for Canadian users to meet these requirements.

    “Many of our ANSP customers would like to provide air traffic control services at lower altitudes and to all types of aircraft in controlled airspace, including GA,” said Cyriel Kronenburg, Aireon’s Vice President of aviation services. “We are excited to participate in testing and validation with uAvionix to ensure skyBeacon X meets performance requirements to be used with the Aireon system. We believe these transponders offer an affordable, reliable solution for ADS-B OUT equipage that would help many of our international ANSP customers and regulators increase equipage rates for GA aircraft. This will also allow GA to leverage both the safety and operational benefits of a space-based surveillance system.”

    skyBeacon X is expected to be certified and available in 2021. According to the company, skyBeacon X will be uAvionix’s first global GA product operating on 1090MHz. While it will not be available in time for U.S. users to meet the deadline for the FAA’s mandate, it will be available and TSO certified for the Canadian projected mandate date of 2023, uAvionix added.

    The company also recently expanded into two new facilities: one in Leesburg, Virginia, and one in Columbia Falls, Montana.