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Off limits? What's the reason? Why not ADS-B everything in the air and let the computers sort it out?

• alistairSH 1y ago
  It's not off-limits. But, it's not required (for most balloons, ULs, etc). And due to cost and/or weight, people don't always use it when it's not mandatory.
  • mbreese 1y ago
    The comments I was reading at ArsTechnica suggested that adding transponders was off-limits to balloons. The argument was that balloon operators wanted to add transponders but that it was resisted by FAA worrying about there being too many non-plane transponders for pilots/ATC to keep track of. I obviously don't know which is right, but it does show that there is definitely confusion out there about the issue.
• Jtsummers 1y ago
  It's not off limits in the regulatory sense. Balloons are generally exempted due to their size and power constraints. Per the submission, the balloon weighs 2.4 lbs at launch. That doesn't give them much room to add a transponder and battery for ADS-B while staying within the target weight limit.
• naberhausj 1y ago
  47 CFR 87.107 requires that radios transmitters in aircraft broadcast an identification number, and the allowed forms of identification aren't permissive enough for non-registered aircraft. ADS-B out is still relatively new (especially in aviation terms) so I expect we'll see this continue to evolve.