Airport managers face a growing need to efficiently track aircraft operations, whether for safety, reporting, or economic planning. One of the best ways to achieve this without overloading your team is through the use of ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast) technology. As of January 1, 2020, many aircraft in U.S. airspace are required to have ADS-B Out, and smart airports are taking advantage of this shift to improve their operations. For general aviation (GA) airports, adopting an ADS-B tracking platform is not just a helpful tool but increasingly a best practice.
What is ADS-B?
ADS-B is a modern aircraft surveillance technology that enhances the accuracy and scope of aircraft tracking. Introduced as part of the FAA’s NextGen air traffic control modernization, ADS-B broadcasts real-time data from aircraft, including their GPS-based position, altitude, speed, and direction, as well as identifying information.
The FAA requires ADS-B Out for aircraft operating in most controlled airspace, including Class A, B, and C airspace, along with certain areas in Class E airspace and above 10,000 feet. The mandate affects a broad range of aircraft, and this wide adoption of ADS-B means that even GA airports can now access valuable and real-time data about operations happening at and around their airports.
What Data is Available via ADS-B?
ADS-B tracking provides much more than just aircraft position, including:
- Real-time aircraft location (position, altitude, speed)
- Tail number (if not blocked by the operator)
- Aircraft type, flight plans, and ownership information, based on the tail number
- Detailed flight paths, showing the entire route an aircraft has taken
By utilizing this data, airports can make more informed decisions on everything from safety monitoring to airport maintenance to parking management.
Benefits of ADS-B for GA Airports
Implementing an ADS-B tracking platform brings substantial benefits to airport managers. Here’s how it can transform your airport’s operations:
- Safety Monitoring: ADS-B provides real-time alerts on potential safety events, such as near misses, off-airport landings, and aircraft operating in restricted airspace. This helps airports respond faster to incidents and manage risks proactively.
- Improved Operations Tracking for Reporting: Accurate data collection for local and federal government reporting (such as FAA Form 5010) and analysis becomes effortless with ADS-B, improving compliance and planning, and aiding in exercises like economic impact analysis and grant applications.
- Automated Fee Collections: With tail numbers and aircraft movements tracked via ADS-B, airports can automate landing fee invoicing, parking charges, and other billing processes, ensuring that nothing slips through the cracks.
- FBO and Gate Management: Knowing exactly when and where aircraft are on the ground enables better coordination of FBO services, gate management, and parking allocation, which improves the overall efficiency of airport operations.
- Based Aircraft Identification: ADS-B makes it easy to track which aircraft are regularly based at your airport, streamlining Form 5010 analysis, state tax collections, etc.
- Maintenance Planning: With access to detailed flight data, airport managers can better anticipate maintenance needs for runways and taxiways, ensuring infrastructure is serviced based on real usage rather than estimates and avoiding unnecessary downtime.
- Noise Complaint Investigation: ADS-B data can simplify noise complaint investigations, allowing airports to identify which aircraft were in the area at a given time and correlate that with noise disturbance reports.
Real-World Examples
Here are a few examples of how airports and state DOTs have benefited from ADS-B implementation:
- Utah has implemented ADS-B at airports statewide to assist in identifying aircraft subject to state aviation taxes, improving tax revenue collection.
- A California airport used ADS-B data to retain FAA funding for a cross-wind runway by demonstrating its utilization through hard data.
- Large GA airports, like KTEB, have implemented ADS-B tracking systems to audit landing fee collection efforts, ensuring all aircraft movements are accurately billed.
- A commercial airport used ADS-B to streamline operations during deicing events, improving operational efficiency during winter months.
- A state DOT has seen improved economic impact analysis using ADS-B data, leading to better informed decisions on airport funding allocations.
Several states now offer full or partial coverage of ADS-B costs, including Utah, Florida, Tennessee, Indiana, and North Carolina, with several others considering the implementation of similar programs.
Choosing the Right ADS-B Tracking Service
There are several options available for airports looking to leverage ADS-B operations tracking. These services fall into two main categories:
- Public Platforms: Services like FlightAware or FlightRadar24 make ADS-B data available to the public and are widely accessible. These platforms are relatively inexpensive, but they rely on data from enthusiast-operated antennas and cannot provide information on blocked tail numbers. Their functionality for airports is limited, as they typically don’t integrate with airport systems or provide detailed reporting.
- Purpose-Built Platforms: Platforms like 1200.aero are specifically designed for airport use, offering robust data reporting tailored to airport management needs. These platforms rely on ADS-B receivers hosted directly by airports, enabling them to capture data on some blocked tail aircraft that can’t be shared publicly. In addition, they offer features such as overlaying tower communications, simplifying noise complaint investigation, and automating FAA reporting. Despite their much more comprehensive functionality, these platforms are still very affordable, with costs ranging from approximately $1,000 to $5,000 annually for small to mid-sized airports.
Partner with Altaport for ADS-B Operations Tracking
Altaport has partnered with 1200.aero to offer airports the most comprehensive ADS-B operations tracking platform available, fully integrated with Altaport’s transient management solutions. If you're interested in learning more about how ADS-B can transform operations at your airport, we invite you to contact Altaport for more information.
