Today the FAA issued a final rule to require installation of ADS-B “Out” equipment by 2020 for aircraft flying in Class A, B and C airspace, essentially making equipage mandatory for business jets and turboprops. ADS-B Out has demonstrated initial operating capability in the Gulf of Mexico; Philadelphia; Juneau, Alaska; and at the UPS main hub in Louisville, Ky. According to the FAA, the nationwide rollout of ADS-B ground stations will be complete in 2013. The final rule issued this morning spells out requirements for ADS-B avionics that will replace radar and be required to fly in positive control airspace under the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen). “This [final] rule gives the green light for manufacturers to begin building the onboard equipment that will allow our air traffic controllers to know where aircraft are with greater precision and reliability,” FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt said in a conference call with reporters. The rule mandates that the ADS-B broadcast signal meets specific requirements in terms of accuracy, integrity, power and latency. Babbitt said that incentives are going to be built around “best equipped, best served.” Asked about the cost to users and whether there will be any financial incentives from the federal government, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said, “I think we have the White House’s attention on this.”