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FAA watching you?

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FAA watching you?

I just read this from the AOPA legal website:

https://aopa.realmagnet.land/pps-quick- ... -september

Discretion seems to be the order of the day.

TD
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Re: FAA watching you?

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Last edited by glacier on Wed Feb 03, 2021 6:08 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: FAA watching you?

Glacier said:
non-use of checklists?


I think we have a chair flying lawyer writing that, but the gist of the article is something to think about..

TD
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Re: FAA watching you?

Meh.

This has been going on for years. Law enforcement and gov'ment agencies often use social media to catch people breaking laws.

Best thing for you, the individual, to do is make sure you DO NOT post any pictures or video that show you breaking any laws or using poor habits. Do not even post things that could be misconstrued as an illegal action.
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Re: FAA watching you?

Yep every time I take someone out for a Knik glacier flight I make sure that include a video of me going over my extensive supercub post takeoff checklist. #-o
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Re: FAA watching you?

ShadowAviator said:
Best thing for you, the individual, to do is make sure you DO NOT post any pictures or video that show you breaking any laws or using poor habits.


What, no "Hold my beer and watch this!" videos?
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Re: FAA watching you?

I need to post a vid about me first filing a flight plan, doing a weight and balance, checking for NOTAMS, following a preflight checklist, and then carefully taxiing off to the paved runway, after getting permission from ground control and the tower, after getting the current info off the ATIS of course, that'd be a big hit.

I do that every time I fly anyway, of course I do.
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Re: FAA watching you?

courierguy wrote:I need to post a vid about me first filing a flight plan, doing a weight and balance, checking for NOTAMS, following a preflight checklist, and then carefully taxiing off to the paved runway, after getting permission from ground control and the tower, after getting the current info off the ATIS of course, that'd be a big hit.


:lol: =D>
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Re: FAA watching you?

Lawyers are a part of life now. Use AOPA legal services. It makes a huge difference.
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Re: FAA watching you?

not related to videos's but topic was spot on

How many of you realize just how much information about your flights are on the internet if you install ADS-B out in your plane?

I installed mine last Friday and flew from home base airport to a nearby airport for an IFR lesson.
I talked on CTAF of my airport and CTAF of destination airport, NO ATC communication !!
just for chits and giggles I Googled my N number and WHAT !!!!!!
why is my flight details including a visual representation of my exact flight path on the web?
it has departure time of 10:54 AM EDT and landing time of 11:04 AM EDT
aircraft C180 and flight duration of 10 min.

this to me is Bullshit that this information is on the web,
I can sort of understand if I filed a flight plan, or IFR flight plan, or even flight following.

but just to pop over to another airport in a short 10 min flight with out talking to any ATC :evil: :evil: :evil:

Image
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Re: FAA watching you?

Bummer to install that expensive gear then fly around with the breaker pulled.
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Re: FAA watching you?

I know you are required to have your transponder on if its equipped, but does that go for the ABS-D, too?

I know the transponder and ABS-D are usually tied together, but is there a way to turn the ABS-D side of things off while still using the transponder?

I don't really care if the FAA watches me, but the public is a different story.
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Re: FAA watching you?

The PA-28-200 that I fly for commercial training has a home brewed toggle switch for ADS-B-Out, separate from transponder. It's always on, but it's there. Maybe it's the equivalent of aluminum foil hats, I don't know, I've never tried it. I don't care if people see where I fly when I'm training so I haven't given it a second thought, unless they're going to critique my maneuvers which I HIGHLY object to. I meant for those lazy 8's to be lopsided, anyway.

Remember that it's people farming the FAA's data and then putting it online, NOT the FAA doing so. Anyone with a homemade stratux could create the tracklogs seen on flightaware and similar websites. Not saying it's right, just saying. The data is out there for a common good (collision avoidance), but as always, people find ways to use it in a perceived negative way, whether they know they are doing so or not.
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Re: FAA watching you?

If you purposely pull the breaker on ADS-B out equipment you have incurred a violation of the FARs. The ADS-B regulations say that if an aicraft is equipped then the system must be on and operating any time the aircraft is operated. This includes operating outside of rule airspace. This includes taxiing to the fuel pumps. This even includes someone taxiing their aircraft from the barn to the ranch house in rural Montana. No exceptions listed. Sigh. It's crap but since nobody commented on it during the public comment period it is now regulatory law has subtlety become the perceived norm. Make sure your mechanic knows that he has to squawk ADS-B if he taxiis the aircraft to the run-up area.

In so far as the invasion of privacy issue I would encourage only installing 2020-compliant equipment that offers "anonymous" mode. More specifically this means UAT out with Mode C transponder. No Mode S or ES products. Examples of these non-anonymous expensive boxes would include most of the latest all-in-transponders like the Garmin GTX 345 and Appareo offerings. Even an upgraded GTX 330ES. A common scenario for the type of anonymous capable compliant UAT out configuration I am suggesting would be keeping your existing Mode C transponder and adding a Garmin GDL-82 or Freeflight RANGR Lite UAT with an anonymous switch wired on the instrument panel. Completely legal. Then if squawking VFR with anonymous mode enabled you remain a target maintaining all data needed for safety without any personal identifying information added which does nothing for safety. At the same time Flightaware won't even show your flight. If you are using flight following (or deaparture) and cancel and change to VFR squawk code (1200) your track and information will disappear on Flightaware (and other monitoring services). However, surrounding aircraft and ATC will still see you but with "VFR" overlayed on your chevron icon rather than your real registration.

If you fly above 18K feet or in Europe than you will need one of those expensive 1090 ES ADS-B outs which is never anonymous at any time. Don't let Mexico or Canada operations affect your decision about UAT (anonymous capable and cheap) and 1090ES (never anonymous and expensive). Mexico will probably never adopt a mandate within our lifetime and Canada is speculating it might only require it in certain regions. Never ask an avionics salesman if you should spring for an all new1090ES box as the response is predictable.

My suggestions for the typical non-turboed bush plane in AK and the lower 48 (and transitioning thereto) would be:

1. Avoid all in one gee whiz boxes. Use a compliiant out and then feel free to chose and change your "in" by whim over the years whether portable with an external antenna or common glareshield mount. This allows maximum flexibility as products change over the years and doesn't lock you into one proprietary in.
2. Limit your selection of a compliant out box to UAT frequency (978Mhz).
3. Maintain Mode C transponder (not S or ES).

This works very good.

Just some things to think about.

Jim
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Re: FAA watching you?

doc_dyer wrote:not related to videos's but topic was spot on

How many of you realize just how much information about your flights are on the internet if you install ADS-B out in your plane?

I installed mine last Friday and flew from home base airport to a nearby airport for an IFR lesson.
I talked on CTAF of my airport and CTAF of destination airport, NO ATC communication !!
just for chits and giggles I Googled my N number and WHAT !!!!!!
why is my flight details including a visual representation of my exact flight path on the web?
it has departure time of 10:54 AM EDT and landing time of 11:04 AM EDT
aircraft C180 and flight duration of 10 min.

this to me is Bullshit that this information is on the web,
I can sort of understand if I filed a flight plan, or IFR flight plan, or even flight following.

but just to pop over to another airport in a short 10 min flight with out talking to any ATC :evil: :evil: :evil:

Image


Excellent.

I just added this to the list of reasons why I am opposed to installing ADS-B
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Re: FAA watching you?

jliltd wrote:................

Just some things to think about.

Jim


Excellent post, thanks Jim.
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Re: FAA watching you?

Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.

This was first written by Benjamin Franklin for the Pennsylvania Assembly in its Reply to the Governor (11 Nov. 1755)
This quote was used as a motto on the title page of An Historical Review of the Constitution and Government of Pennsylvania (1759); the book was published by Benjamin Franklin
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Re: FAA watching you?

I refuse to install any of that crap until it is absolutely necessary.
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Re: FAA watching you?

doc_dyer wrote:not related to videos's but topic was spot on

How many of you realize just how much information about your flights are on the internet if you install ADS-B out in your plane?

I installed mine last Friday and flew from home base airport to a nearby airport for an IFR lesson.
I talked on CTAF of my airport and CTAF of destination airport, NO ATC communication !!
just for chits and giggles I Googled my N number and WHAT !!!!!!
why is my flight details including a visual representation of my exact flight path on the web?
it has departure time of 10:54 AM EDT and landing time of 11:04 AM EDT
aircraft C180 and flight duration of 10 min.

this to me is Bullshit that this information is on the web,
I can sort of understand if I filed a flight plan, or IFR flight plan, or even flight following.

but just to pop over to another airport in a short 10 min flight with out talking to any ATC :evil: :evil: :evil:


If you file a plan, that will be populated in sites like FlightAware who get that data from the FAA. Likewise, if you have 1090 ADS-B your track will be shown on FA and by anyone with an ADS-B receiver (my receiver records anything within 200-250 miles of Denver, it's not hard or expensive). If you have 978, you will show up on ADS-B receivers in two conditions: 1, you are not anonymous. 2, you are squawking anything other than 1200. Not all 978's default to anon mode, and if you have a flight ID programmed that can show up as well. Also remember that ATC can still tag you up internally on their radar if they need to for separation, though it won't populate to other systems.

Transponders, whether ADS-B or otherwise, have never been confidential. You broadcast over a radio signal which anyone can pick up with the proper equipment. It's just that the barrier to entry for ADS-B receive capability is about $20 now, so a lot more people are looking at it. The same capability which gives you cheap weather and traffic in the cockpit also enables anyone else with a USB dongle to see who is flying around - that's just how it works.

My receivers feed data to FlightAware in exchange for a free enterprise account. They get the data to display, and I can look up more interesting things on what they record over time. I also put the info on my own web site, mostly for real time display at events like Young Eagles so the parents can watch the kids zip around. It's not complicated or confidential. If your transponder sends your ICAO code (not squawk code, but a unique identifier tied to your airplane) for any reason, it will show up on any number of places.

BTW, I took an ARTCC tour over the weekend, and the question of ADS-B auto-snitch or automated deviation action did come up in the Q&A. Short version is that no, ATC does not have some big brother computer program watching to catch every little thing you do wrong. (The context here was someone cruising at 17.5k when encoder says over 18, so in Class A.) Basically it is up to the controller watching your flight to decide if what you did warrants action. Also note my previous comment about their ability to tag you up. Even if you are anonymous, they can 'mark' your aircraft in the system and follow you all the way to your destination, even as a non-squawking primary target if you decide to switch off the transponder. The only way you're getting out of that is to fly out of radar coverage completely. If you fuck up enough, it doesn't matter what you are transmitting, they have the technology to follow and find you. These events are also exceedingly uncommon
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Re: FAA watching you?

Av8r3400 wrote:I refuse to install any of that crap until it is absolutely necessary.


Depending on where you live and fly, it might not be necessary- at least under the currents "2020 mandate":

From FAR 91.225 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?n ... .2.91_1225

"(d) After January 1, 2020, and unless otherwise authorized by ATC, no person may operate an aircraft in the following airspace unless the aircraft has equipment installed that meets the requirements in paragraph (b) of this section:
(1) Class B and Class C airspace areas;
(2) Except as provided for in paragraph (e) of this section, within 30 nautical miles of an airport listed in appendix D, section 1 to this part from the surface upward to 10,000 feet MSL;
(3) Above the ceiling and within the lateral boundaries of a Class B or Class C airspace area designated for an airport upward to 10,000 feet MSL;
(4) Except as provided in paragraph (e) of this section, Class E airspace within the 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia at and above 10,000 feet MSL, excluding the airspace at and below 2,500 feet above the surface; and
(5) Class E airspace at and above 3,000 feet MSL over the Gulf of Mexico from the coastline of the United States out to 12 nautical miles"

I could get by in the short term without ADS/B, but since I live near KSEA's mode C veil and KNUW's class C airspace (both of which I fly within regularly), it would be a PITA.
So I will be equipping with ADS/B, but I too am planning on waiting as long as possible before doing so.
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