Matt Thurber, editor-in-chief at AIN Media Group, has been flying since 1975 and writing about aviation since 1978 and now has the best job in the world, running editorial operations for Aviation International News, Business Jet Traveler, and FutureFlight.aero. In addition to working as an A&amp;P mechanic on everything from Piper Cubs to turboprops, Matt taught flying at his father’s flight school in Plymouth, Mass., in the early 1980s, flew for an aircraft owner/pilot, and for two summer seasons hunted swordfish near the George’s Banks off the East Coast from a Piper Super Cub. An ATP certificated fixed-wing pilot and CFII and commercial helicopter pilot, Matt is type-rated in the Citation 500 and Gulfstream V/550. Based in the Pacific Northwest, Matt and his team cover the entire aviation scene including business aircraft, helicopters, avionics, safety, manufacturing, charter, fractionals, technology, air transport, advanced air mobility, defense, and other subjects of interest to AIN, BJT, and FutureFlight readers.

Editor-in-Chief

Matt Thurber

FreeFlight Systems of Waco, Texas, announced today at the AEA International Convention and Trade Show in Nashville, Tenn.,&nbsp;that it has received FAA STC approval for an ADS-B OUT solution for the Sikorsky S-76A/B/C models. FreeFlight worked with Peregrine Avionics and DAC International to develop the STC. The ADS-B OUT solution is a 10090ES system, with high-integrity Waas GPS position source and an ADS-B rule-compliant mode-S transponder.


FreeFlight pioneered ADS-B approvals, having developed the first STC to meet the Jan. 1, 2020 mandate. That system was for the AgustaWestland AW139. FreeFlight also collaborated on an STC for the S-76C+/C++.


A new program for FreeFlight is a long-term agreement to supply its FDL-978-TX Rangr-G ADS-B transponder to Exelis for airport ground vehicles. This is part of Exelis’s Symphony Vehicle Movement Area Transponder (VMAT) airport operations system. VMAT will be used to provide tracking of all types of vehicles on the airport surface at 35 airports in the U.S. that are equipped with airport surveillance detection equipment (ASDE-X). It can also be used at airports with airport surface surveillance capability (ASSC).


Air traffic control displays, cockpit displays and portable devices can be used to view the equipped vehicles on the airport surface. Portable devices will use Exelis’s MobileVue application. According to FreeFlight, “the Rangr-G is the first and currently only FAA-certified [universal access transceiver] for ground vehicle installation." The Rangr-G operates on the 978UAT frequency that is also used for ADS-B IN datalink weather and traffic services.

FreeFlight STCs ADS-B OUT For Sikorsky S-76 A/B/C

The ADS-B OUT solution is a 10090ES system, with high-integrity Waas GPS position source and an ADS-B rule-compliant mode-S transponder.

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