Avionics News April 2014 - 4

Here We Go Again

W

e've heard this before.
last possible minute to schedule the required installations,
The Federal Aviation Administration
and we ended up working crazy hours to accommodate all
determines a new technology will be a major safety
of our customers. In the case of ADS-B, this mandate will
benefit to aviators or operational benefit to the national
affect many more aircraft than those earlier mandates.
airspace system. Several years of rulemaking follow that
So how do we get our customers into our hangars in
culminates in a new mandate. The mandate compliance
an orderly fashion? How do we convince our customers
date is published, noted in all major aviation publications,
that early adoption is better than waiting? What causes our
and the avionics manufacturers begin to market their
customers to delay installing ADS-B Out equipment?
solutions. The avionics shops begin installations, slowly
We all know the usual suspects. For some, they believe
at first, and then within 10 to 12 months of the
the compliance date will be pushed back. For
mandate compliance date, the floodgates open
others, no certified solution yet exists for their
and the mad rush is on to modify all remaining
aircraft. Many aircraft owners and operators
aircraft affected by the mandate.
believe the longer they wait to schedule the
Well, here we go again.
installation, the better or less expensive the
After many years of rulemaking, the final
installation will be. There also is the belief
rule mandating ADS-B Out was published
that better equipment will be available closer
in August 2010. This rule requires aircraft
to the deadline. And of course, the biggest
David Loso
operating in airspace where transponders are
factor is simply the overall cost of the
required to equip with ADS-B avionics. Per a
equipment and installation.
General Aviation Manufacturers Association
We have many tools at our disposal to
report from the ADS-B In Aviation Rulemaking
deal with these customer objections to installing ADS-B
Committee, it is estimated that 153,000 certified general
solutions sooner rather than later. One of our best tools
aviation aircraft and 30,300 turbine-powered business
is education. We can drive sales to our shops with the
aircraft registered in the U.S will be required to install
simple education of our customers. I'm sure there are
ADS-B Out equipment. At the time of this report in
many customers who are either unaware of the mandate or
September 2011, it estimated this would require 24,000
unsure how to comply with it. I encourage you to check
installations per year, 66 installations per day and 2.75
the ADS-B Intel section of the AEA website at
installations per hour. Even if we assume that 15 to 20
www.aea.net/ads-b. There are many resources online
percent of the aircraft have been equipped since the date
that can be used to provide more information on ADS-B.
of this report, the rate of installations needed to cover
Then, use this information to educate your customers and
the business and general aviation fleet has not changed
become their ADS-B expert.
significantly.
Overcoming the other objections to equipping sooner
We are only a little more than five years away from
rather than later will be driven, in part, by how quickly
Jan. 1, 2020. The lessons of EGPWS, RVSM and CVR
ADS-B solutions can be developed and certified. Knowing
mandates are still clear memories to me, and I'm sure with
Continued on page 63
many of you. A great number of operators waited until the

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april 2014
april 2014
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Avionics News April 2014

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