With 27 Avionics Satellite Shops and workaway stations located at busy airports around the United States, Duncan Aviation is in a unique position to perform Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) upgrades for its business aviation customers ahead of the FAA’s midnight deadline on December 31, 2019.
In the first quarter of 2017, Duncan Aviation and its Satellite Shops have completed 47 ADS-B installations and have an additional 51 scheduled for the second quarter. As a result of the recent comments by the FAA’s Acting Deputy Administrator, Victoria Wassmer, Duncan Aviation has seen an uptick in the number of ADS-B upgrades scheduled for the third and fourth quarters of 2017.
In mid-April 2017, at Sun ‘n Fun International Fly-In & Expo in Lakeland, Florida, the FAA’s Wassmer reiterated that the mandate deadline for Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast is firm.
“I’m going to say this as plainly as I can: The ADS-B equipage deadline is not changing,” says Wassmer. “If you plan to fly your plane in most controlled airspace after December 31, 2019, you’re going to need to install ADS-B.”
Duncan Aviation has the capacity and labor resources at the moment, and the company has developed a slot program that helps customers who may not be ready to upgrade immediately but want guaranteed hangar space and labor resources in the coming year. The program allocates two spots per Satellite Shop per month for ADS-B upgrades. This program holds a confirmed date, labor and hangar space for one aircraft, and owner/operators can call now to reserve the spots for 2018 and 2019 and through the rest of 2017, where space is available.
“We’ve touched dozens of aircraft in the past few months, including Challenger 300s, G-150s, Citation 560XLs, a Pilatus PC-12, Falcon 900EXes, a couple of Challenger 601s, and a couple of G-200s; our techs have demonstrated experience with ADS-B installations,” says Matt Nelson, Manager of Satellite Operations. “We’re proud of the way our avionics installation teams have stepped up and of the work and dedication of our avionics bench in Lincoln, Nebraska.”
Outside of Rockwell Collins, the manufacturer of the TDR-94/TDR-94D transponder units, Duncan Aviation is the only service provider authorized to perform ADS-B upgrades on the TDR-94/TDR-94D units to bring them into compliance with the mandate. To date, the Duncan Aviation avionics bench in Lincoln has performed ADS-B upgrades on 132 TDR-94/TDR-94D transponders.
Contact a Satellite Avionics Shop to reserve a slot (www.duncanaviation.aero/locations/#satellites) or call Duncan Aviation (+1 402.475.2611) or Regional Avionics Sales Manager Mark Francetic (702.303.4888) for more information.
