The head of a private sector ADS-B loan fund says he hopes the FAA moves quickly to get the system running in time to avoid a "train wreck" before the 2020 equipage deadline. As part of the 2016 omnibus appropriations bill passed just before Christmas, Congress directed the FAA to figure out how a federal loan-guarantee program approved in 2012 can help ensure about 150,000 GA aircraft meet the minimum ADS-B Out requirements by 2020. Michael Dyment, general partner for the NextGen GA Fund, says his organization has about $550 million available to provide low-interest, federally guaranteed loans to aircraft owners who don't have the cash to equip their aircraft. What it needs to start issuing the loans is the organizational structure that Congress has mandated the FAA to create. "I would think the FAA would be heavily incentivized" to make the program a priority, Dyment told AVweb. He said that although various tax breaks and other schemes were considered, the loan-guarantee route was picked by Congress. "It's the only incentive program available," Dyment said. Congress has given the FAA until June to come up with a plan for the loans.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.avweb.com/news/congress-mandates-ads-b-loan-program