chrispratt
Well Known Member
For those who have been thinking about installing ADS-B in time to apply for the FAA rebate, I encourage you to do so. It was much easier than I thought it would be. Keep in mind the Rebate Program ends on or about September 18, 2017 or sooner if all 20,000 rebates are taken. I have seen no information of the program status at this point. So now may be a good time to start depending on the availability of your installer.
Before I relate my experience, let me tell you what equipment I chose and why.
My primary interest in ADS-B, aside from the mandated requirement to install by 2020, was to obtain the benefit of airborne traffic alerts and weather. I operate out of the Dallas-Fort Worth area and the skies can be quite busy especially with VFR aircraft skirting the Class B space. Rather than install the unit myself, I asked Walt Aronow at 52F to do the install and recommend the equipment.
Since traffic and weather was important to me, and I have steam gauges other than my portable Garmin 496, we agreed the Garmin GTX345 would the best unit for my needs. I took advantage of the fact that the GTX345 can be equipped with built-in encoder and GPS, so all my altitude reporting needs would be met as well as a reliable GPS signal for positioning and traffic. This also required an upgrade of the Garmin 496 to a new Garmin Aera 660 that is designed to take weather and traffic information directly from the GTX345. Unfortunately the 496, which I love, cannot be fed the traffic or weather info.
So out came my old Bendix/King KT76A, Ameri-King AK-350 blind encoder, and Garmin 496. (I?ll be offering them for sale on Doug?s site soon.)
To save some money and to help Walt, before delivering the aircraft, I removed the old transponder, tray, encoder, wiring, and 496 RAM mount and wiring plus removed the forward floor in my RV-8 as well as opened up the back instrument panel.
After a few days with Walt, my airplane had a new setup including: Garmin GNX345 with GPS, GAE encoder, GA35 GPS antenna, Aera 660 and Aera 660 bare wire mount (the standard mount sent by Garmin is a yoke mount, so you will likely need the optional bare wire mount for a RAM ball or similar).
My new ADS-B setup
THE REBATE PROCESS
I had seen numerous references to the FAA Rebate Program which made it sound a bit complicated to navigate. It is not.
Here?s what to do:
1. Decide what equipment you want to use. To be eligible for the rebate the equipment must meet TSO standards, be a new installation (not an upgrade of software), be installed in a U.S. registered, fixed-wing, single engine piston aircraft first registered prior to January 1, 2016.
2. Schedule your installation.
3. Just prior to installation go the FAA website https://www.faa.gov/nextgen/equipadsb/rebate/ and register for the Rebate (see Step 1 on the website). Easy to follow steps are at the bottom of the web page.
Within a few minutes you should receive an email with your Rebate Reservation Code. Keep this in a safe place. During the registration process you will be asked for an install date, I suggest you put a date 90 days from the date you are filling out the form. This gives you maximum window in case your schedule falls through. You won?t be penalized for an earlier install. You?ll also have 60 days after the install to fly the validation flight, so using the above you can have a 150 day window to complete the process.
4. Install the equipment.
5. Fly the airplane to get used to the equipment. You don?t need to validate the installation on the first flight.
6. Fly in rule airspace. This is shown on the FAA website (see above link). I have seen different instructions on duration of flight, both 30 minutes and 60 minutes. I recommend you plan for 60 minutes to be safe. The FAA website gives you guidelines on the flight tasks.
NOTE: Most of the people who have received a ?FAIL? notice on their validation flight have reportedly failed due to the ADS-B system not picking up the aircraft on the ground either at the beginning or end of the flight. Walt Aronow, my installer, gave me an email from Garmin support that should fix the issue. Here is what Garmin says. My flight notes are also included.
STARTUP, TAXI, TAKEOFF (GARMIN ADVICE)
1. Position the aircraft outside of any hangars with a clear view of the sky
2. Conduct a normal aircraft power on sequence by starting the engine and avionics
3. Remain stationary until GPS position has been obtained and your ADS-B equipment indicates no faults or failures.
4. Taxi at a normal taxi speed (no faster than a brisk walk)
5. Depart the runway using a normal climb profile for your aircraft
IN FLIGHT (here?s what I did based on FAA recommendations)
1. Leveled off at 2,500 ft (any altitude is okay as long you stay in the Mode C veil. You can also fly in Class B, Class C space depending on your situation and proper clearance, etc.)
2. Conducted two 360 degree right turns ? standard rate
3. Conducted two 360 degree left turns ? standard rate
4. After the turns, I climbed slowly to 5,000 ft. This took 3-4 minutes (FAA recommends climb for at least one minute)
5. Descended out of 5,000 to 3,000 ft slowly as above.
6. Picked a known waypoint (in my case 4T2 Copeland Airport) and fly over the
waypoint heading North to South, then turn and overfly the same waypoint East to West.
7. Go to lunch, which I did at T67 Hicks Airport.
LANDING (GARMIN ADVICE)
1. Fly either a normal traffic pattern or straight-in approach to land. Fly a normal 3-degree glide path, or as close as possible given any obstacle on the approach path.
2. Upon touchdown, decelerate in a straight line on the center of the runway, only turning off the runway after a normal taxi speed (no faster than a brisk walk) has been achieved
3. After exiting the runway, stop the aircraft for a period of at least 5 seconds before taxiing.
4. Taxi to parking at a normal speed taxi speed (no faster than a brisk walk)
5. Allow the aircraft to come to a complete stop for a period of at least 5 seconds before turning off avionics.
This whole process took me 61 minutes. (BTW I took off from 52F and landed at T67, so you don?t need to use the same airport at each end of the flight.)
When I arrived home a few hours later, I logged in to the FAA Rebate site https://www.faa.gov/nextgen/equipadsb/rebate/ (see Step 4 on the site)
and filled out the form for a PAPR Request (Performance Report). Within five minutes I received an email with the validation test results, know as a GAIRS Report. I passed all items; you?ll know this by seeing all Green highlights on the report. (If you fail, it will give instructions on how to proceed.) The email also included my Rebate Incentive Code.
Once you have your code go back to the ADS-B Rebate website and follow the instructions to claim your rebate (Step 5 on the webpage). You?ll need both your Rebate Reservation Code and your Incentive Code. I entered mine on a Saturday evening. I received my approval on Tuesday morning (Monday was President?s holiday). The FAA says it can take up to a week to receive the approval and 4-6 weeks for the rebate check once approved (yes, it is taxable).
I think it took me longer to type all this out than to actually do the flight and obtain the codes, so don?t despair. The FAA website is easy to use and intuitive.
Thanks to Walt Aronow at EXP Aircraft Services, Northwest Regional Airport for an easy install and everything working right out of the box.
Chris
Before I relate my experience, let me tell you what equipment I chose and why.
My primary interest in ADS-B, aside from the mandated requirement to install by 2020, was to obtain the benefit of airborne traffic alerts and weather. I operate out of the Dallas-Fort Worth area and the skies can be quite busy especially with VFR aircraft skirting the Class B space. Rather than install the unit myself, I asked Walt Aronow at 52F to do the install and recommend the equipment.
Since traffic and weather was important to me, and I have steam gauges other than my portable Garmin 496, we agreed the Garmin GTX345 would the best unit for my needs. I took advantage of the fact that the GTX345 can be equipped with built-in encoder and GPS, so all my altitude reporting needs would be met as well as a reliable GPS signal for positioning and traffic. This also required an upgrade of the Garmin 496 to a new Garmin Aera 660 that is designed to take weather and traffic information directly from the GTX345. Unfortunately the 496, which I love, cannot be fed the traffic or weather info.
So out came my old Bendix/King KT76A, Ameri-King AK-350 blind encoder, and Garmin 496. (I?ll be offering them for sale on Doug?s site soon.)
To save some money and to help Walt, before delivering the aircraft, I removed the old transponder, tray, encoder, wiring, and 496 RAM mount and wiring plus removed the forward floor in my RV-8 as well as opened up the back instrument panel.
After a few days with Walt, my airplane had a new setup including: Garmin GNX345 with GPS, GAE encoder, GA35 GPS antenna, Aera 660 and Aera 660 bare wire mount (the standard mount sent by Garmin is a yoke mount, so you will likely need the optional bare wire mount for a RAM ball or similar).
My new ADS-B setup
THE REBATE PROCESS
I had seen numerous references to the FAA Rebate Program which made it sound a bit complicated to navigate. It is not.
Here?s what to do:
1. Decide what equipment you want to use. To be eligible for the rebate the equipment must meet TSO standards, be a new installation (not an upgrade of software), be installed in a U.S. registered, fixed-wing, single engine piston aircraft first registered prior to January 1, 2016.
2. Schedule your installation.
3. Just prior to installation go the FAA website https://www.faa.gov/nextgen/equipadsb/rebate/ and register for the Rebate (see Step 1 on the website). Easy to follow steps are at the bottom of the web page.
Within a few minutes you should receive an email with your Rebate Reservation Code. Keep this in a safe place. During the registration process you will be asked for an install date, I suggest you put a date 90 days from the date you are filling out the form. This gives you maximum window in case your schedule falls through. You won?t be penalized for an earlier install. You?ll also have 60 days after the install to fly the validation flight, so using the above you can have a 150 day window to complete the process.
4. Install the equipment.
5. Fly the airplane to get used to the equipment. You don?t need to validate the installation on the first flight.
6. Fly in rule airspace. This is shown on the FAA website (see above link). I have seen different instructions on duration of flight, both 30 minutes and 60 minutes. I recommend you plan for 60 minutes to be safe. The FAA website gives you guidelines on the flight tasks.
NOTE: Most of the people who have received a ?FAIL? notice on their validation flight have reportedly failed due to the ADS-B system not picking up the aircraft on the ground either at the beginning or end of the flight. Walt Aronow, my installer, gave me an email from Garmin support that should fix the issue. Here is what Garmin says. My flight notes are also included.
STARTUP, TAXI, TAKEOFF (GARMIN ADVICE)
1. Position the aircraft outside of any hangars with a clear view of the sky
2. Conduct a normal aircraft power on sequence by starting the engine and avionics
3. Remain stationary until GPS position has been obtained and your ADS-B equipment indicates no faults or failures.
4. Taxi at a normal taxi speed (no faster than a brisk walk)
5. Depart the runway using a normal climb profile for your aircraft
IN FLIGHT (here?s what I did based on FAA recommendations)
1. Leveled off at 2,500 ft (any altitude is okay as long you stay in the Mode C veil. You can also fly in Class B, Class C space depending on your situation and proper clearance, etc.)
2. Conducted two 360 degree right turns ? standard rate
3. Conducted two 360 degree left turns ? standard rate
4. After the turns, I climbed slowly to 5,000 ft. This took 3-4 minutes (FAA recommends climb for at least one minute)
5. Descended out of 5,000 to 3,000 ft slowly as above.
6. Picked a known waypoint (in my case 4T2 Copeland Airport) and fly over the
waypoint heading North to South, then turn and overfly the same waypoint East to West.
7. Go to lunch, which I did at T67 Hicks Airport.
LANDING (GARMIN ADVICE)
1. Fly either a normal traffic pattern or straight-in approach to land. Fly a normal 3-degree glide path, or as close as possible given any obstacle on the approach path.
2. Upon touchdown, decelerate in a straight line on the center of the runway, only turning off the runway after a normal taxi speed (no faster than a brisk walk) has been achieved
3. After exiting the runway, stop the aircraft for a period of at least 5 seconds before taxiing.
4. Taxi to parking at a normal speed taxi speed (no faster than a brisk walk)
5. Allow the aircraft to come to a complete stop for a period of at least 5 seconds before turning off avionics.
This whole process took me 61 minutes. (BTW I took off from 52F and landed at T67, so you don?t need to use the same airport at each end of the flight.)
When I arrived home a few hours later, I logged in to the FAA Rebate site https://www.faa.gov/nextgen/equipadsb/rebate/ (see Step 4 on the site)
and filled out the form for a PAPR Request (Performance Report). Within five minutes I received an email with the validation test results, know as a GAIRS Report. I passed all items; you?ll know this by seeing all Green highlights on the report. (If you fail, it will give instructions on how to proceed.) The email also included my Rebate Incentive Code.
Once you have your code go back to the ADS-B Rebate website and follow the instructions to claim your rebate (Step 5 on the webpage). You?ll need both your Rebate Reservation Code and your Incentive Code. I entered mine on a Saturday evening. I received my approval on Tuesday morning (Monday was President?s holiday). The FAA says it can take up to a week to receive the approval and 4-6 weeks for the rebate check once approved (yes, it is taxable).
I think it took me longer to type all this out than to actually do the flight and obtain the codes, so don?t despair. The FAA website is easy to use and intuitive.
Thanks to Walt Aronow at EXP Aircraft Services, Northwest Regional Airport for an easy install and everything working right out of the box.
Chris