Is there anything you've learned in business that has been especially helpful? Run the business so you can survive the tough times. What do you think our industry does really well? Technology for aviation. The technology we have in the U.S. is better than any other country; look at GPS and ADS-B. What are some of the challenges facing the industry today? Getting all the airplanes that must comply with ADS-B equipped by 2020. We need to get customers to start equipping early. If the FAA does not move the deadline for equipping airplanes, operators could be grounded. If they do equip their airplanes now, and the FAA postpones the deadline and prices go down, operators will not be happy. So it's a risk to equip your airplane now, not knowing if there will be a postponement of the deadline date and if prices will be coming down. The other big challenge our industry faces is finding avionics technicians. It is very hard to find qualified technicians. What do you like most about the AEA? The regional meetings and annual convention are great, especially the training at these events. Where else can you get so much training from all the manufacturers in one place? Over the years, I have had many of our technicians attend AEA's events and get training. Is there anything specific you hope to accomplish as a board member? I would like to help the international avionics shops in South America be more aware of the AEA's benefits. It's an area of the world with a lot of aviation, and very little technical information and exposure to the AEA. I also would like to encourage the regulatory authorities in these countries to look at how the FAA approves things, try to follow that model, and make it less complicated. What does being on the AEA board of directors mean to you? It is an honor! q avionics news * september 2014 41