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uAvionics: Report on Trial of ADS-B Obstruction Beacons on 978Mhz UAT |
The CAA’s Airspace Modernisation Strategy calls out a requirement for electronic Obstruction Beacons.
This report documents a trial of these beacons operating on 978MHz UAT ADS-B from the point of view of the operator and other airspace users. The trial was undertaken at 13 glider winch launch sites, hang-gliding/paragliding sites and model flying sites.
Feedback was gathered verbally, by email and via an online feedback form from beacon operators and pilots and also from two post-trial online review meetings with beacon operators. 978MHz UAT is not currently in general use in the UK so familiarity with UAT is low. The number of aircraft equipped/configured to receive 978MHz UAT ADS-B broadcasts is limited. Going into the trial it was recognised these facts would influence the trial in terms of the general level of readiness to receive beacon broadcast data. Therefore, the main focus of the Trial was on the transmission side; on the setup and use of the beacons and proving that the beacons do function as intended.
The operational period of the trial ran for 12½ weeks, from 10th September 2022. All 13 beacons were used whenever weather conditions permitted site flying activities. Although the time of year was not ideal - this was outside of the project’s control - data was successfully gathered showing examples of effective reception of broadcasts from beacons and presentation of obstacles to GA pilots on Electronic Flight Book (EFB) systems. Having been planned to run for two months, CAA requested a one month extension to the operational period of the trial, which continued until 30th November 2022.