Just as ADS-B was turning into the home stretch, with the FAA announcement of the final rule for mandatory equipage expected on April 10–a date agency officials informally but confidently predicted over the past 12 months–several unrelated events have occurred to upset that forecast. That said, it’s important to add that
the separate effects of those events will certainly neither cancel nor significantly change the overall direction of the agency’s ADS-B program, since the basic initiative is too fundamental a part of NextGen and parallel activities overseas.
The early April date has certainly slipped until the middle of next month, with some industry observers suggesting even that could be optimistic. The reason for this delay is that before any final rule affecting the public can be announced, it must be approved by the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), whose task is to ensure that new regulations have a supportable long-term financial plan. The FAA has no concerns about the viability of the plan; the delay arises from an administrative hiccup that prevented the document from reaching the OMB in a timely manner.
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