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ADS Rebate Program ? Piece of Cake

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).

x40uoy.jpg

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
 
Good synopsis.
One additional piece of info: "Rule" airspace is anywhere adsb-out will be required in 2020, so it includes almost all airspace above 10,000'. I found it much easier to operate there for this test than the other airspace mentioned.
I believe most of the "fails" have been due to "Air-Ground" failures (the last item on the report). Specifically, the FAA only gives your box a limited time to switch over from air reporting to ground reporting mode (the box must do this automatically). If you 'let it roll' down the runway your box may take too long to switch, if the switch is based on air or gps speed as most fixed gear planes are. I recommend as above that you brake moderately hard until you see (if your box displays it) that you have switched to ground mode. Then taxi slowly so it doesn't inadvertently switch back to air mode.
Does anyone know exactly how the FAA determines automatically that you're on the ground?
 
Many ADS-B ground transmitters are not located on airports. How do those ground stations receive aircraft transmissions when the aircraft is sitting on the ground where line of sight reception is not possible?
 
Many ADS-B ground transmitters are not located on airports. How do those ground stations receive aircraft transmissions when the aircraft is sitting on the ground where line of sight reception is not possible?

They don't.
As far as I can tell the FAA now has ground coverage at all airports within "rule" airspace, where the flight must be conducted to get the $500. So while I did the air work above 10,000' outside of other airspace, I was inside the mode C veil for takeoff, climb to above 10,000', descent below 10K, and landing. They seemed to be able to see me somehow. My airport (KLVK) does NOT get radar service down to the ground. I suspect there must be an FAA "receive only" ADSB receiver at the airport. My ADSB-in box cannot access anything when on the ground at LVK, so I don't think there is any transmitter on the airport. Anyone really know?
 
Many ADS-B ground transmitters are not located on airports. How do those ground stations receive aircraft transmissions when the aircraft is sitting on the ground where line of sight reception is not possible?

Joe: it's all magic to me. I noticed on the flight map that appears on the front page of today's post that ATC paints ground and pattern altitudes as Yellow lines and flight altitudes as Green. I took off where the yellow airplane is shown and landed after the upwind, crosswind, downwind, base, final legs. (These tracks are a little crooked due to Traffic alerts. Two airplanes took off prior to my entry and each turned a different direction. Both were aimed at me. Nothing gets your attention like "Traffic" being shouted in your ear.)

I think the line of site issue is covered by the satellites looking down on us and relaying information. That's a guess.

Beats me. Anybody who knows, I'd be curious to hear.

P.S. Thanks Doug for the map.
 
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Chris,

Great write up! Nice looking panel.

I made the same choice (GTX 345 and Aera 660). Installed it last year before the rebate was offered.

Glad to hear you like it.
 
Thanks for the detailed description. I'm planning on flying my test on Friday, weather permitting.
 
Thanks

Wish I had read your write-up this morning. I test flew my Trig/400W combination this afternoon at KBTR once I got the GPS communicating with the transponder. Haven't gotten any email back from FAA and am anticipating a fail now that you've enlightened me. Will try again tomorrow. Sounds like class C BTR should qualify as to airspace. Thanks for sharing. John
 
Wish I had read your write-up this morning. I test flew my Trig/400W combination this afternoon at KBTR once I got the GPS communicating with the transponder. Haven't gotten any email back from FAA and am anticipating a fail now that you've enlightened me. Will try again tomorrow. Sounds like class C BTR should qualify as to airspace. Thanks for sharing. John

Fingers crossed that it worked out okay.
Glad I could be of some help.

Chris
 
I believe most of the "fails" have been due to "Air-Ground" failures (the last item on the report). Specifically, the FAA only gives your box a limited time to switch over from air reporting to ground reporting mode (the box must do this automatically). If you 'let it roll' down the runway your box may take too long to switch, if the switch is based on air or gps speed as most fixed gear planes are. I recommend as above that you brake moderately hard until you see (if your box displays it) that you have switched to ground mode. Then taxi slowly so it doesn't inadvertently switch back to air mode.
Does anyone know exactly how the FAA determines automatically that you're on the ground?


This is what I am trying to find out for my own install. GTN650 to GTX330ES.
What are the settings in each unit that you found work properly for this ground/air/ground transition. I believe the software acts as a switch.
I am finding that my transponder always stays in 'ON' and does not switch to 'ALT' automatically. I have to press the button by hand. I bet I have something not set properly; any ideas?
 
Why registration prior 2016? I'm out. I complied with all the regs for 2020 but since I completed and registered my new 7a in November 2016 there is no rebate :mad:
 
are you using the 660 to drive your TrueTrack AP? (i think thats the TT in your panel)..

thanks
Gil

Gil:

I use the panel mounted Garmin 250XL for my primary autopilot feed, but if you see the panel switch just above the 250? I flip that switch over to the right so that the Aera 660 can also drive the TruTrak. (I need to relabel the switch now that I've upgraded.) They both work fine. I figure it's good to have backup sources.

Note: My logic is that I basically don't touch the 250XL much during long flights, but I do use the portable GPS a lot to look at different screens and data. So I figure there's less chance of inadvertently bumping the AP to the off position during such excursions.

Chris
 
Why registration prior 2016? I'm out. I complied with all the regs for 2020 but since I completed and registered my new 7a in November 2016 there is no rebate :mad:

I'm guessing it's to encourage that large fleet of older aircraft to do the upgrade. But I agree, why restrict it.
 
This is what I am trying to find out for my own install. GTN650 to GTX330ES.
What are the settings in each unit that you found work properly for this ground/air/ground transition. I believe the software acts as a switch.
I am finding that my transponder always stays in 'ON' and does not switch to 'ALT' automatically. I have to press the button by hand. I bet I have something not set properly; any ideas?

I don't have Garmin stuff, so all I can say is 'read the manual'. But I can guess: What I was talking about was auto switching between air mode and ground mode, for the S-ES mode ADSB out. "ON" is usually mode A only, not what you need. I think you need to set up the transponder to always boot up in ALT. Then see if it auto switches between air and ground.
 
Glad I could be of some help.
Chris

Thanks for the step-by-step, Chris. I printed your writeup and took it on my verification flight this afternoon for a guide; the FAA report was all green on the first try, and all parameters had 0.0% fail. Hurrah! This is a GTX355/GPS.

adsb-verification-flight.png


Tip learned during the 91.413 transponder check: on the standalone 335 (and I presume 345) models, you may need to enter "ground test" mode to complete the test. Power off and hold the "cursor" key while powering back on; keep holding until the main screen appears. Power off to return to normal operation mode. I didn't find this tidbit in the pilot's guide or install manual, but I've filed it away since it'll be needed every 2 years.
 
Thanks Chris. I flew again today staying in Baton Rouge Class C and maneuvered as you suggested (as far as possible given clouds) and requested validation, but I'm not getting any response at all from the FAA. Not sure what I'm doing wrong, but will persist. John
 
My mistake

I requested validation of my test flight again and discovered my mistake. The form asked for details on your second GPS. Since I only have one GPS connected to my transponder, I was leaving the box blank. But you have to select "none" in my case. My validation requests were not being submitted because I hadn't filled out the form properly.

And, I get to fly again tomorrow. Wasn't airborne quite long enough to satisfy the rules of the program. Rather than worrying Class C departure, I'll go on above 10,000' and stay for at leased 30 minutes. May throw in a couple of aileron rolls and a loop while I'm up there to pass the time. (They do ask for aggressive maneuvers in the instructions.) John
 
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?..

Tip learned during the 91.413 transponder check: on the standalone 335 (and I presume 345) models, you may need to enter "ground test" mode to complete the test. Power off and hold the "cursor" key while powering back on; keep holding until the main screen appears. Power off to return to normal operation mode. I didn't find this tidbit in the pilot's guide or install manual, but I've filed it away since it'll be needed every 2 years.

Thanks for the tip Joshua. On the 345, I did not need to do that. My 345 is set up so at engine start it is in the ALT mode and I never touched it during the process. Not sure if the 335 is different. I did ensure that the 345 ran its self-check and had signal before I started taxing.

Chris
 
I did my validation flight on Friday, Feb 10th, and requested the report that afternoon. It came back with "Under Review", apparently because I'd exited the rule airspace at some point mid-flight. Anyway, my deadline happened to be about the 16th, so I was a little worried I'd miss the date and have to see if additional reservations were available. On Monday, Feb 13th, I received notice that the review had been approved. The check showed up today, 10 calendar days later. Pretty impressive for a gov't outfit!
 
Tried again... No Cake

So, today I took off from KBTR at about 5:00pm and headed north to LA3, a little air strip just north of Baton Rouge. I climbed to 10,500' and maneuvered over LA3 for more than 30 minutes. When I requested validation the email says that no record of the flight was generated.

Not sure what the problem is. I had three different transponder codes during the flight. At altitude I was squawking 1200.Maybe that was the problem. Or perhaps, as with Alex, when I left Class C and before climbing above 10,000' that period during which I was outside of "Rule Airspace" caused to flight not to be recorded by the system.

John
 
Persistence Pays

Requested validation of flight once more before heading to bed and this time my flight was reported and it passed the test. Incentive code received and claim filed. Now, what can I do with that rebate check? New headset?

My bottom line is this: $2300 for Trig TT31 Transponder and airspeed switch + $350 for GPS software upgrades and transponder test + $50 for avgas -$500 rebate check = about $2,200 net cost for ADSB-Out (I already had a Garmin 400W GPS, ADSB-in and did my own install.)

John
 
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This is the text of the email I received after the flight, which was Thu Feb 9:

Dear Requester:

Based on your requested Performance Report for Tail Number N66AP on 2/09/2017 and the associated GA Incentive Requirement Status (GAIRS) Report, a Detection of Rule Airspace failure was identified since you flew a period of time less than 30 minutes in ADS-B Rule Airspace.

Should I re-fly? Re-flying is not required at this time.

What's the next step? A Rebate Program administrator will manually review your performance reports to determine if you can proceed with the rebate claim process without an Incentive Code. Within 3 business days, the Rebate Program will email you after a decision is made.

Thank you for your participation in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ADS-B Rebate Program. You are a step closer to receiving a $500 rebate for equipping early to meet the January 2020 ADS-B mandate!


I then received this the next day, Friday:

We have cleared your reservation so you can proceed to the rebate claim. Please go to the Rebate Claim page (https://adsbrebate.faa.gov/RebateClaim.aspx) to complete your rebate request. You will need the Rebate Reservation Number RR-xxxxx, provided in your Rebate Reservation confirmation email, but will not need an incentive code.

Then, on Monday:

Dear Requester: N66AP

Thank you for your participation in the FAA ADS-B Rebate Program.

Your rebate is now APPROVED, in accordance with the terms and conditions as set forth in the rebate program rules. You should receive a check within 4-6 weeks.

If you have any questions, please visit the rebate program FAQs (https://www.faa.gov/nextgen/equipadsb/rebate/FAQ) for more information.


Check came 10 days later. I haven't studied the flight path to see just what happened, but I was certainly in radar coverage the whole time, which I suppose is why they cleared me.
 
Thanks for the tip Joshua. On the 345, I did not need to do that. My 345 is set up so at engine start it is in the ALT mode and I never touched it during the process. Not sure if the 335 is different. I did ensure that the 345 ran its self-check and had signal before I started taxing.

My understanding of the "ground test" mode is that the thing being changed is separate from the STBY/ALT mode switching (mine is in ALT mode automatically also), but instead that there is another bit in the ADS-B ES message indicating the aircraft's air/ground status. I think it's this status bit that has caused problems on some of the rebate flights, with the "air on ground" error reported.
Anyway, I'm not 100% on all the technical details of the ground test, perhaps g3xpert or another avionics whiz has more details to post? I recall that the 335 displayed a message like "ground test mode, not for flight" when activated.
 
Just a reminder

According to the March-April 2017 FAA Safety publication:

"As of December 2016, just over 18-percent of the United States GA fleet is ADS-B equipped."

Deadline is December 31, 2019.
 
It is a piece of cake, if.....

If you don't do what I did.

Flew about 45 min below Tampa Class B floor, about 25 miles north of TPA.
Then flew out of the Mode C veil, directly to KGIF to meet a friend for breakfast. Needless to say, the time spent out of the veil ended up causing a couple of red highlights on my Incentive Requirements report.

When I realized what I had done, waited a day and did it again much closer to TPA and well inside the defined area. Same maneuvers, just a bit lower.

Return was all green bars on the report with an incentive code.

Processed the Rebate request.

Now what trinket to spend 5AMU on?
 
According to the March-April 2017 FAA Safety publication:

"As of December 2016, just over 18-percent of the United States GA fleet is ADS-B equipped."

Deadline is December 31, 2019.

An interesting question is what percentage of the fleet will equip? Many are based outside of the mandatory areas, and will perhaps never equip.
 
Oops - dropped the decimal

At least that has been my experience!

Have a great day!

Ron

Ok then - a small trinket.

Ugha, Monday. Here we go again.....

Consider getting the CLW group to fly over X39 or GIF for breakfast one of these days. What's Dan Landry been up to? We haven't seen him in forever.

Best
 
Dan alive and well

He was at his hangar (KCLW) yesterday --- been doing pilots n' paws some.

Ron
 
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