ADS-B rebate program website now online

The rebate program, for which about 1,600 aircraft owners had applied as of Sept. 22, will run for a year or until a total of 20,000 rebates have been claimed. One rebate per aircraft owner will be allowed. Applying for the rebate involves a five-step process that is explained in this 10-minute instructional video.

Owners who participate in the rebate program must complete an online form, and provide information about their aircraft, the ADS-B equipment they plan to install, and the scheduled installation date. Information provided about the aircraft will be verified against the FAA Civil Aircraft Registry to ensure eligibility. Resources to help guide pilots through each step are available on the FAA’s rebate web page.

Aircraft eligible for the program are “U.S.-registered, fixed-wing, single-engine piston aircraft whose operation requires an onboard pilot, first registered before Jan. 1, 2016.” The FAA considers as eligible equipment “avionics that are certified to FAA Technical Standard Orders and meet the program rules (software upgrades of existing equipment are not eligible).” Aircraft already equipped with rule-compliant ADS-B or aircraft for which the FAA has previously paid or committed to pay for upgrade(s) to meet the ADS-B mandate are not eligible, the agency said.

AOPA and other industry participants urged the FAA to implement the rebate program to offset the cost to GA pilots of installing ADS-B equipment prior to the FAA’s Jan. 1, 2020, compliance deadline. Aircraft must be equipped with ADS-B Out by that deadline in order to continue operating in most airspace where a transponder is required today.