ADS-B rebate double dip?

NavWorx Inc. is making it easy to combine a temporary $200 price reduction on its ADS600-B with the FAA rebate. The ADS600-B is a remote-mount universal access transceiver that provides both the mandated ADS-B Out and optional ADS-B In capabilities. An integral WAAS GPS that meets ADS-B position requirements is included in the price.

“Purchase now for upcoming FAA $500 rebate program,” reads text on the company’s website. “Order ADS600-B with deposit of $199.00 to reserve your equipment.” While NavWorx’s $200 price reduction expires July 31, the company said that buyers can lock in the price reduction with a 10-percent deposit today, then take delivery later for installation in the fall—qualifying for the FAA’s rebate program, and potentially saving an extra $500. Combining the price reduction with the rebate lowers the ADS600-B’s cost to $1,299.

To qualify for the $500 FAA Equip ADS-B rebate, equipment must be selected and the installation scheduled, then the aircraft owner reserves a rebate online and receives a rebate reservation code. Once the ADS-B Out equipment is installed and a test flight is recorded by the FAA’s Performance Monitor, an incentive Code is obtained. Both codes are required to obtain a rebate.

However, timing of the FAA rebate is uncertain. The agency cannot begin authorizing its ADS-B Out rebates until sometime in September because of a waiting period required by federal rules. To qualify for the FAA rebate, the aircraft owner must receive the incentive code before the ADS-B system is operated.

FreeFlight Systems is offering a $500 rebate on many of its ADS-B and WAAS/GPS solutions. Its Bridge Rebate Program allows aircraft owners to take full advantage of ADS-B benefits immediately—without waiting for the FAA’s rebate program. The company’s Rangr Blue product line—the FDL-978-XVR and FDL-978-XVR/G 978 MHz-based ADS-B systems—and its 1203C WAAS/GPS sensor qualify for the rebates; the lower-priced Rangr Lite systems do not. Purchasers will receive a $500 rebate after the system has been installed and a rebate form submitted. The company also is offering a $100 “thank you” rebate for customers who took delivery of eligible systems after Jan. 1.

“Technically speaking, our rebate could be combined with the FAA's rebate,” said Pete Ring, FreeFlight’s director of sales and marketing. “If they buy from us over the summer and delay the activation of the system until the FAA’s program goes live, they could take advantage of both. It is possible.”

Under FreeFlight’s rebate rules, a customer must take delivery by Sept. 30, or when the FAA rebate program goes live—whichever comes first. The installation must be completed, and the rebate form received by FreeFlight, no later than Dec. 31. More information on FreeFlight’s Bridge Rebate Program is available online.

Avidyne also is offering an immediate $500 rebate. The Don’t Wait Rebate offer applies to ADS-B rule-compliant equipment ordered for U.S.-registered single-engine piston aircraft by Sept. 30.

As an added incentive, Avidyne said, purchasers of an IFD540 plus an AXP340 ADS-B Out transponder will receive a free SkyTrax100 ADS-B In receiver, valued at $2,499—for total savings of $3,000. That offer also is good through Sept. 30. Full details of the Avidyne ADS-B rebate are available online.

ADS-B uses satellites instead of ground-based radar to determine aircraft location, and is a key technology behind the FAA’s Next Generation Air Traffic Control System. The FAA has mandated ADS-B Out beginning Jan. 1, 2020, for flight in airspace where a transponder is required today. For GA aircraft owners, the greatest benefits accrue from enhanced situational awareness afforded by optional ADS-B In services—specifically traffic information and subscription-free weather. For more information, see AOPA’s ADS-B resources online.