The Helicopter Association International (HAI) has asked the U.S. FAA to add single-engine piston helicopters to the ADS-B rebate program, which still has more than 13,000 of the rebates available before the application period expires on September 18. Announced in June 2016, the program offered 20,000 rebates of $500 each to light-pistonairplane owners who install ADS-B equipment in their aircraft. ADS-B OUT avionics will be required for all aircraft flying in controlled U.S. airspace as of Jan. 1, 2020.
“We appreciate that the FAA has made these grants available to fixed-wing aircraft owners,” said HAI president and CEO Matthew Zuccaro. “Since more than 65 percent of these grants remain available, we see no reason that the FAA should not offer the same opportunity to owners of small helicopters. Let’s give everyone a fair chance at these rebates.”
When HAI asked why GA helicopters were excluded, “We were told that the target aircraft for this program were older single-engine piston aircraft that typically had a value below $30,000,” Zuccaro said. “This program does not make any attempt to determine the actual value of an airplane…and there are a significant number of single-engine piston helicopters that meet the $30,000 threshold. HAI believes the FAA should give comparable GA helicopter owners the same opportunity over the last few months of the program.”