The FAA has issued technical standard order approval for uAvionix’s right-wingtip SkySensor position light/anti-collision light incorporating ADS-B In. Announced at the Sun ’n Fun Expo in April, the approval completes the uAvionix ADS-B Out and In package, allowing owners of many aircraft models to have full ADS-B capability with a relatively simple wingtip or tail installation and low cost.
The SkySensor includes a WAAS GPS receiver and pressure altimeter and its green position light configuration matches the red position and anti-collision lights and ADS-B system that mounts on the left wingtip. Buyers can also opt for the TailBeacon ADS-B Out rear-mounted white position light. All use LED lights.
The right-wingtip SkySensor retails for $750, and it replaces the existing position/anti-collision light. The advantage of having ADS-B In permanently installed in the aircraft, according to Ryan Braun, uAvionix managing director for crewed aviation, is that it eliminates the need to use a portable ADS-B In device to view FIS-B weather information and TIS-B traffic.
The SkySensor is dual-band so it detects airborne traffic on both ADS-B frequencies, 978 and 1090 MHz. SkySensor does not contain an attitude and heading reference system, however, so it can’t drive a synthetic vision display on tablet applications.
All of the uAvionix position-light products are equipped with 978 MHz ADS-B Out, which limits operations to below 18,000 feet. They also work with almost any tablet application as well as uAvionix’s own connected panel ecosystem, and they can be installed without having to replace the aircraft’s transponder.
While the uAvionix AV-30 electronic flight display is part of that ecosystem, it can only be used to display traffic for experimental aircraft installations. “We’re working [with the FAA] to certify the [certified] AV-30C to show traffic,” Braun said.
SkyBeacons have been installed on a variety of aircraft, some as large as DC-3s, and many on warbirds. “They’re extremely hard to retrofit with modern avionics,” he said. “We saw it put on every manner of aircraft you can imagine, as long as you can figure out a way to put it on the wing.”