Avionics News July 2016 - 24

To provide
customers a handson experience,
Rochelle Avionics
will be adding
a demo panel
featuring Avidyne
touchscreen nav/
comms, a PS
Engineering audio
panel and L-3
transponder to its
display booth.

ROCHELLE AVIONICS
Continued from page 23

growing interest in UAS technology that is used across a
variety of business sectors and for personal entertainment,"
Sells said. "We expect certifications to be required some
time in the not-too-distant future. Our shop and techs are
gearing up and getting ready to start training for systems
that are slightly different in unmanned aircraft. We want
to be ready when the FAA decides on the parameters for
UAS, and be able to perform the certifications that will be
required, just like on general aviation aircraft. Our shop will
be ready this year. It will be a waiting game to see what the
requirements will be from the FAA, and when."
Working together
Sells started Rochelle Avionics in 2010 after being
approached by the city of Rochelle. Focused on expanding
the airport at the time, the city offered to build a hangar and
help Sells start an avionics shop.
"Jeremy and I had worked together at another avionics
shop for 20 years," said Lighthart, who helps manage the
shop via Skype from her home in Florida. "Eventually, I
moved to Florida and Jeremy moved onto other facilities,
but we kept in touch. He contacted me to see if I could help
him make his avionics shop a reality. We wrote the repair
station manual and met with the FAA. We actively pursued
24

avionics news

july

2016

and acquired various dealerships and test equipment, and
set up the shop from the ground up."
Despite its success, the repair station still faces
challenges, including rising overhead costs and ensuring it
has enough experienced employees to handle the growing
workload.
"Finding capable people or ones with the aptitude to train
in-house is a battle," Lighthart said. "When you spend a lot
of time training, you lose productivity, which is just one of
the many challenges. The biggest challenge is hiring the right
people to create a competent team that works well together
and stays on after the training has been accomplished."
FAA mandates such as the ADS-B requirement to equip
by 2020 offers Rochelle Avionics the opportunity to grow
its business and help make aviation safer, according to
Sells. The service center warns operators to not wait too
long to schedule their installation.
"We foresee that the last two years before the mandate,
shops will be so booked it will be next to impossible to get
in," Sells said. "Pilots continue to drag their feet, thinking
either the boxes will get cheaper, the deadline will be
extended, or the mandate will be rescinded. That won't be
the case. As we get closer to the drop-dead date, I foresee
shops being so packed with work that customers will not be
able to get in and have it done. That's why we are pushing
to have them do it now. I see ADS-B and NextGen as a winwin situation for aircraft owners." q

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Avionics News July 2016