“Surveillance and Broadcast Services (SBS)
Capstone Project Brief.” 

“What's at Issue?

The future of the Alaskan aviation transportation system is literally at stake.  Approximately $530 million in federal funding for needed aviation infrastructure, coupled with $11million in private funding, will be lost without a commitment of State support for approximately $34 million over five years.”

The Alaskan General Aviation community will determine whether or not Alaska aviation enjoys the same levels of safety, airport accessibility, and reliability as our lower 48 counterparts. How? Please read on.

Background:  The Capstone program was the test bed that is becoming the “Next Gen” airspace program that will ultimately replace the current AirNav system. Yep, replace RADAR, VORs, ILS, NDBs and allow ATC to use this satellite based system for their surveillance services (traffic separation not spying).

Why should we care?  The three greatest threats to aviation are terrain, weather, and other aircraft. Doesn’t matter what you fly, doesn’t matter if you are in a seat with controls or a passenger in the back nor does it matter where over the earth’s surface you may find yourself. Hit the ground, fly into a thunderstorm, can’t shoot an approach or land because of the visibility, or collide with another aircraft and you are done. So are your passengers and possibly so are people on the ground. Best case a rescue operation at tremendous expense recovers you before you die.

Why should someone other than aircraft owners and pilots care? Because one can’t take a bus to Nome or many of the other several hundred communities across this state.  Many Alaskan residents depend upon aircraft for their staples, their medical supplies, medivacs, construction materials, fuel…the list is endless because it is often all encompassing. The issues and conditions that directly affect aircraft are of great concern to rural residents and businesses who provide goods and services to the rural areas of Alaska. Essentially towns and villages around this state use aircraft like someone in Kansas uses a truck or a bridge.

Why should your neighbor care?  Because their kids may be on one of these planes headed to a ball game, or their oldest friends from outside may be up for some flying and fishing. Their taxes that support search and rescue capabilities, hospitals, and police and fire departments for example are affected by aircraft accidents. In the simplest terms: wouldn’t you want your pilot to know where the mountainous terrain is? Wouldn’t you want your pilot to know real time where hazardous weather was threatening? And wouldn’t you want your pilot to be able to avoid other aircraft regardless of weather conditions or relative position?

Status:  The equipment standard has only been recently established and it is expensive. However I believe that after companies go into production both the size and expense will be similar to cell phones in that the size of the equipment (currently about eight pounds) and the cost of the equipment (currently about $8,000) will decline considerably. The FAA has begun to invest in the Alaskan infrastructure early. They have committed over $500,000,000 ($100 million over the next five years) but the FAA commitment is tied to a level of equipage commitment by Alaskan owners/operators. The goal of the Statewide Plan is for 90% of the aircraft flight hours flown and 90% of the historical accident locations to be covered with equipped aircraft in ADS-B “service volumes.”  That requires about 65% of the currently registered Alaskan aircraft to equip: about 4,000 aircraft.

The Statewide Plan (on the website) describes a plan that protects the “early adopters” from the financial risk of equipping early. Our research shows that while very few will participate at $12,000, many will consider at $2,500. Part of what the Statewide Plan is designed to accomplish is the mitigation of the current high cost to equip. For example as the Class B airspace in the lower 48 is designated “ADS-B required” airspace, many aircraft will be affected and a market for this new equipment will soon develop. Alaska doesn’t have any Class B airspace, but we also don’t have RADAR coverage below 5,000’ over most of this state. So instead of NextGen replacing a legacy system as it will in the lower 48, in Alaska NextGen will provide capabilities currently not available in most of Alaska (say outside Anchorage and Fairbanks) at any price.

What’s required of us:  We (part 91 and part 135) need to educate ourselves on the merits and pitfalls of this program. We need to be well versed enough so that we can intelligently discuss this with our friends, our colleagues, and our government agencies and political representatives. At our level we (your Association and the other signators of the plan) have met with the federal Alaskan congressional delegation, and we have met with some of the state delegation in Juneau last month. During December we are on track to meet with the state administration, then follow-up discussions and briefings with our state senators, representatives, state DOT, Department of Commerce, etc. In short: I believe it is time to take this plan and work for state and federal support. The safety and financial benefits for the state I believe hinge upon general aviation in Alaska support of this plan.

Goal:  If Alaska is to continue to lead the way in the NextGen allowing safety, access, and reliability in areas where little or no technological assistance currently exists, then we as a community need to support this program. (By the way, my Garmin 296 is NOT a suitable substitute for ADS-B). If on the other hand we don’t care then we should do nothing. But then we shouldn’t complain that our primary transportation system is measurably and significantly more dangerous than what our counterparts in the lower 48 enjoy. And expect that fatalities, serious injuries, and costs (including insurance) resulting from aircraft accidents and poor reliability will continue to be a fact of life even though it doesn’t have to be.

Please contact the Airmen’s office if you have any questions or are interested in other aspects of the program. I am proud to be associated with this program and I am anxious to see it through. No one should have as an early memory sitting in a Cessna 180 with their family, on a mountain, in the snow, in the dark hoping someone will find them.

Joe Pearson, President