FAA’s Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast service (widely abbreviated as ADS-B) brings significant values for those aircraft that install new equipment. LSA market leader Flight Design recently completed the first installation of this in one of its brand-new CTLSi models, which are powered by the fuel-injected Rotax 912 iS engine. The newly equipped aircraft made its debut at the 2013 U.S. Sport Aviation Expo in Sebring Florida.
“We were pleased to work with one of our newest dealers to add new ADB-S equipment into our CTLSi,” said Flight Design CEO Matthias Betsch. “Brian Boucher’s Florida Light-Sport Aviation company based at the Spruce Creek Fly-in near Daytona Beach, Florida has the first of what is sure to be many such installations.”
ADS-B equipment for the installation is built by Dynon Avionics, a Flight Design supply partner that also builds the SkyView digital avionics suite used in the CTLSi models. A separate hardware module was added behind the 10-inch screen and connected to an antenna on the belly of the aircraft.
An ADS-B equipped aircraft like CTLSi uses an ordinary GPS receiver to determine a precise position from GPS satellites and then combines that position with other aircraft information such as speed, heading, and altitude. This information is broadcast to other ADS-B capable aircraft and ADS-B ground, or satellite communications transceivers which then relay the aircraft’s position and additional information to Air Traffic Control centers in real-time. It is seen as the “next generation” of air traffic control and gives this information directly to pilots in addition to controllers.
Dynon Avionics said, “The new SV-ADSB-470 unit offers subscription-free weather displayed on SkyView, including NEXRAD radar, METARs and TAFS. Airport weather data can be displayed for nearest airports or a specific airport identifier.” Dynon added, “ADS-B receives TIS-B traffic information with precise location, altitude, speed, and direction from broadcast from other ADS-B equipped aircraft along with data broadcast from ADS-B ground stations, presuming the aircraft is equipped with the correct transponder.” Additionally, TFRs can be shown even though these are temporarily restricted areas.
“We were pleased to show a CTLSi equipped with ADS-Dynon’s new unit at the Sebring U.S. Sport Aviation Expo 2013,” said Flight Design USA president Tom Peghiny. “We highlighted this equipment in our exhibit at the event and had staff and dealers to explain the value of this new equipment. Both our new Florida dealerships will also be represented at the Sun ‘n Fun show in April along with dealers from around the country.”
FACTS ABOUT FLIGHT DESIGN GmbH
Flight Design is a 24-year-old manufacturer based in Germany. The company remains the worldwide Light-Sport Aircraft market leader thanks to its popular CT series of aircraft. More than 1,700 of these aircraft are flying in 39 countries. One of the first aircraft certified under ASTM International standards in 2005, the CT (“composite technology”) remains the top-selling LSA in America through six consecutive years. Flight Design sold the first LSA to India and was the first LSA to earn Chinese Type Design Approval. Three times a CT has been flown around the world. In 2011, the German company unveiled its C4 four seat aircraft based on the CT technology.