FreeFlight First To Support ADS-B Traffic on Garmin 430 Displays in Helicopters

FreeFlight Systems (Booth No. 4513) and the University of North Dakota (Booth No. 3440) received FAA supplemental type certificate (STC) approval in the Bell 206B for the FreeFlight RANGR FDL-978-XVR. This installation is now the first rule-compliant 978 MHz ADS-B IN/OUT universal access transceiver (UAT) for rotorcraft. The company and the school jointly developed the technology with contributions from the FAA’s Center for General Aviation Research (CGAR), as well as a consortium of universities.

The RANGR FDL-978-XVR integrates ADS-B IN/OUT capabilities with a Waas/GPS and mode-A/C transponder integration in one box. It offers ADS-B IN and TIS-B traffic plus Nexrad and other weather information to be displayed on compatible cockpit displays. The RANGR FDL-978-XVR also supports weather and traffic display on an Apple iPad via an optional Wi-Fi module.

“This STC gives the large number of JetRanger operators an ADS-B solution immediately,” said Kirk Peterson, avionics manager at UND. “We are partnering with innovation and technical leaders such as FreeFlight Systems to bring the benefits of ADS-B to more pilots as quickly as possible.”