SAFA Skysailor Magazine

50 SKY SAILOR December-January-February | SUMMER 2025/2026 These devices, according to the manu- facturer, should not be mounted within 4cm of the body. So, attaching to a harness shoulder strap is not an option. If you have a demountable cockpit, or an integrated cockpit on a pod, you can screw the mount backing plate to the forward-facing surface of the cockpit and attach the device to that. I’ve used this method, so have a look at the photos that appear further down. But will this mount position be further than 4cm away from your body, and bear in mind your digestive and reproduc- tive organs will be around that area? We objected to our pilots being required to effectively test the potential health impacts of this over time. Another reason we objected was the inequity of the proposal. We’re good enough to include in the mandate, but not good enough to access the rebate scheme? The cost of the available units ($1,000 plus at the time of writing) is such a significant financial barrier that non-compliance may be an unintended consequence. This is not a complete list of our objec- tions; there are other concerns. Please read the submission to find out more. What happens next? We wait. At some point before the end of 2025 the cross-agency group will report back to the Department with the results of the consultation. Then we would expect there to be communications from the Department concerning what they have received. From there, the decision-making process will take place; whether that is opaque or transparent is anybody’s guess. We will know, when we know. Now for some interesting technical infor- mation, read on… The ADS-B Mandate Proposal and Consultation