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Fifteen years after the Federal Aviation Administration announced it would require aircraft operating in most U.S. airspace to be equipped with GPS-based Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) “Out” technology, Congress appears poised to require those same aircraft have ADS-B “In,” which displays that information about nearby traffic in the cockpit.
Rotorcraft Operations Transparency and Oversight Reform (ROTOR) Act sponsors Republican Sen. Ted Cruz and Democrat Sen. Maria Cantwell say the effort will improve safety by enabling a host of in-cockpit traffic awareness tools. The legislation, which combines the Senators’ separate proposals unveiled this summer, would also set in motion the largest equipment mandate since 2010 for the U.S. commercial, general and business aviation fleets. Many new and existing aircraft types are today able to receive the update, but some, including the CRJ regional aircraft involved in the January 2025 accident near Washington, D.C. that prompted the legislation, are not.
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The ROTOR Act, which will be voted on by the Senate Commerce Committee on Oct. 21, is the first major proposed piece of legislation to specifically address safety issues identified in the aftermath of the D.C. crash, most notably the lack of ADS-B In functionality on the CRJ and the U.S. Army Black Hawk’s ability to fly in congested airspace without ADS-B Out enabled.
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