What's new
Van's Air Force

Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.

Don't let you transponder/encoder check time out

Ed_Wischmeyer

Well Known Member
Here's a real gotcha...

Suppose you discover one day that you transponder/encoder check has timed out, and you need to get them rechecked to be legal...

In the old days, it wasn't hard to get permission to fly to another airport and get that done.

Along comes ADS-B. To discourage scofflaws, you now have to jump through high, narrow hoops to ferry a plane without ADS-B. And ADS-B requires an encoder for an altitude source. So if your encoder times out, no ADS-B. Of course, one of the conditions of flying without ADS-B is that you have to have a working transponder and encoder... GOTCHA!

AOPA Government Affairs will be working this issue...

My solution? ASRS report to cover my inadvertent error, and wait a few weeks for the transponder guy to have a chance to come to my plane. Done yesterday.

For you G3X Touch folks out there, when you do the encoder check, the tester needs to be attached to all three ports of the GSU 25 (pitot, static, AOA) to prevent damage to the unit. This is all described in the G3X Touch installation guide.
 
I haven't poured through the regs, but if you're not based in ADSB mandated airspace and won't transition through ADSB mandate airspace, couldn't you uninstall the equipment, log it, fly to the cert shop, reinstall the equipment, and have the encoder recertified there?
 
Not encouraging anyone here to flout the regs, but there is no part of the transponder or ADSB-out data that tells ATC if your inspection date is expired.
 
ADS B

My understanding is that once ADS B is installed it cannot legally be turned off. Otherwise not required except within Class Bravo and Charlie, above 10k etc.
If your transponder check is not current you cannot legally turn on the transponder.
 
Turn it off

If you cannot legally operate the transponder, just turn it off and don't fly where it is required. Hopefully, your radio shop is not in rule airspace because you cannot fly there without waiver/permission process.

The requirement to always have ADSB on does not mean you must operate it illegally or with known errors.
 
Here's a real gotcha...

Suppose you discover one day that you transponder/encoder check has timed out, and you need to get them rechecked to be legal...

A bit of clarification on 24month checks:

*If you don't fly IFR then the transponder 91.413 check is the only requirement. Unless you installed a new encoder or altimeter there is no encoder check required.

*If you fly IFR then the 91.413 check above must be completed but you must also have the altimeter and static system checked per 91.411

Note: For glass equipped aircraft where the altimeter and encoder are an integrated unit like the GSU25, and connected via serial connection to the transponder, there is technically no encoder check, only a verification that altitude data is being transmitted to the transponder.

When you have a separate encoder unit then the displayed altitude must be verified to correspond to the displayed altitude but again this is only required on the 91.411 IFR cert. or if one of these units was repaired or replaced.
 
Legally, ferry permit, stay outside of rule airspace, or have someone come to your location to check the transponder.

Or, if you're outside rule airspace, don't install the equipment until you're on the ramp at the avionics shop that is doing the certification. 3 minutes and a hex key is all it takes to "install" a transponder or ADSB box.
 
Back
Top