FAA’s $500 Rebate Program Returns

Sensing that ADS-B installations in general aviation aircraft are lagging far behind where they should be with a little more than a year left to go before the January 1, 2020, compliance deadline, FAA relaunched a $500 ADS-B rebate program through October 11, 2019.

The agency says it is making $4.9 million available under the rebate program, which it predicts will fund nearly 10,000 ADS-B Out installations.

As of Jan. 1, 2020, aircraft flying in airspace where a transponder is necessary today will be required to be equipped with rule-compliant ADS-B Out technology.

The previous rebate program, which ran from September 2016 to September 2017, issued more than 10,000 rebate payments, but as much as one third of the money went unclaimed.

As before, there are five steps aircraft owners should follow to meet the mandate and receive the $500 rebate. First, aircraft owners should purchase the equipment and schedule the installation. Next, they should obtain a Rebate Reservation Code by reserving a position online. Third they should Install the equipment. After that they can conduct the required equipment performance validation flight and get an Incentive Code. Finally, they will be able to claim the $500 rebate online using the Rebate Reservation Code and Incentive Code.

As with the earlier rebate program, the relaunched rebate program is available only to those who have not yet equipped their aircraft. It does not apply to ADS-B software updates.