I just read this morning that already (the FAA drone registration requirement was only recently issued), 500,000 drone registrations have been issued. There are only 320,000 conventional aircraft currently registered in the U.S., a figure that will continue to decline. Commercial drones share the same ATC airspace as aircraft and are subject to the same equipment requirements as conventional aircraft. Thanks to the freedom we have in the Experimental world to use any avionics we want, we can use these ADS-B solutions being developed for drones. Since it is such a huge market I'm sure there are any number of companies developing all-in-one solutions for drone operators to choose from. I noticed one such company when watching an Avweb video a few weeks ago. It's 3 minutes into the video.
https://goo.gl/ahmfFJ The company has a well-developed website with a large assortment of products, some of them still under development but with specs available. They have a developer's kit available for those who want to create their own custom ADS-B In/Out solutions - including integration with whatever existing transponder we have. These electronic devices integrate with autopilots for automatic collision avoidance. Their website is an interesting place to prowl around. I imagine Uavionix is one of many such sources of such equipment given the market being so huge and getting huger (huger?). http://www.uavionix.com/ I don't see any pricing but I haven't done any digging or made any inquiries. Since the equipment is for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (drones) and the competition so fierce, I suspect it's very inexpensive. I've already seen some things from Navworx in the $500 range. *********** I think the day is not too far off that flying our planes or driving our cars will be thought of as quaint activities. Homebuilding will consist of buying an existing design from Build-a-Plane. It'll come as code that gets fed to a 3-D Printer. Those adept at programming can "build" their own designs or take an existing one and personalize it. We're approaching the end of an era. Enjoy. Mike KSEE ____________________________________________________________ What Happens When You Take a Testosterone Supplement We may not "feel old" but we know things are tougher to do as we age, and ... http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL3141/57a273949d18173930c12st51vuc
