Duncan Aviation Encourages ADS-B Upgrades for European Operators

Duncan Aviation is aware, as are most of its European customers, that the European Aviation Safety Agency’s (EASA’s) deadline for upgrading to Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) is approaching quickly. Owner/operators who need to retrofit their aircraft have until midnight on June 6, 2020, to meet the terms of the mandate. Aircraft must be equipped with a GPS position source (such as a certified WAAS GPS antenna) and a 1090-megahertz Mode S Extended squitter transponder to relay the information to air traffic control (ATC).

Duncan Aviation is encouraging its European, Middle-Eastern and African-based (EMEA) customers to contact its alliance partner JetSupport in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and schedule their upgrades as soon as possible in order to avoid the last-minute rush. As the deadline nears, hangar space and skilled avionics technicians will be at a premium, and costs will likely rise.

Duncan Aviation would also like to remind EMEA owners and operators that after midnight on December 31, 2019, their aircraft must have functioning ADS-B equipment if they intend to fly in United States airspace. The FAA’s ADS-B mandate deadline is several months earlier than the EASA deadline.

For its European-based customers who are planning to travel to the United States, Duncan Aviation is recommending its slot program for ADS-B upgrades. The company has 27 Satellite Avionics Shops and workaway stations located at busy airports throughout the United States (www.duncanaviation.aero/locations/#satellites), and its skilled avionics techs have already performed more than 300 ADS-B upgrades. Reserving a slot guarantees both hangar space and qualified labor resources.