The Duncan Download Blog: Business Aviation Advice & Observations

If you upgraded early for ADS-B between 2012 and 2014, your equipment is not compliant with the January 1, 2020, mandate deadline.

Duncan Aviation has spent the last 5 years educating our customers about the FAA’s upcoming mandate deadline for ADS-B Out (Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast Out). We’ve also performed hundreds of upgrades at our full-service facilities in Battle Creek, Michigan; Lincoln, Nebraska; and Provo, Utah. Duncan Aviation’s network of Satellite Avionics Shops have performed more than 500 installations and even have a dedicated reservation program to make it easier for our customers to get their aircraft into compliance before the deadline at 12:01 am on January 1, 2020.

Recently, several of our customers who upgraded early for ADS-B to the DO-260A standard (to meet compliance in Australia, the Hudson Bay, and the Gulf of Mexico) have received letters from the FAA, alerting them to the fact that they are not in compliance with the ADS-B mandate.

The letters state that the aircraft is equipped with an NPE (Nonperforming Emitter), and that means the system in the cockpit is not transmitting data in compliance with the mandate’s standard. This may have been caused by installation errors, flight crew errors, or hardware that doesn’t meet the performance standards. If the older transponder in your aircraft was simply swapped out, chances are your aircraft is not compliant.

The standard adopted by the FAA in 2010 and the rest of the world’s civil aviation authorities is DO-260B, and it requires the following equipment:

• 1090-MHz Mode S Extended squitter transponder capable of transmitting data from the cockpit without prompting from the pilot or ATC (Air Traffic Control)
• GPS/WAAS (Wide-Area Augmentation System) position source (normal GPS does not meet the standard)
• ADS-B system fault annunciator
• A path to certification

The mandate requires the entire upgrade unless you plan to fly below 10,000 feet and avoid Class A, B, and C airspace.

Problems With Earlier Standards

Duncan Aviation experts have spoken with several operators who believe that their aircraft is ADS-B compliant. Upon receiving the FAA’s letter, however, it became apparent that they were not, and they sought advice from some of the managers at the Duncan Aviation Satellite Avionics shops.

“If an operator upgraded their equipment from 2012 through 2014, the standard for ADS-B at that time was DO-260A,” explains Matt Nelson, Duncan Aviation’s Satellite Operations Manager. “Since that time, the FAA and Civil Aviation authorities around the world agreed on the DO-260B standard for transponders. That means equipment manufactured and installed before that agreement is not compliant with the January 1, 2020, mandate deadline and the older transponders do not use the predictive forecasting or annunciators that are required by the DO-260B standard.”

For more information, contact Matt Nelson. 

These transponders can be upgraded and brought into compliance by Duncan Aviation or the OEM by installing a WAAS position source, fault annunciation system, and wiring interface—as previously mentioned.

How to Check Your Compliance
If your aircraft has been upgraded for ADS-B, the FAA advises you check to make sure it is working properly. You can do this with the FAA’s Public ADS-B PAPR (Performance Report) tool, inputting information about your aircraft, including tail number, ADS-B equipment, make/model , and flight date.

The FAA then sends the PAPR to the user’s provided email address, usually within 30 minutes. The PAPR can detect operational deficiencies with your ADS-B transmitter as well as verify if your system’s call sign is matched properly with the aircraft. The FAA cautions that operations close to ground level or near the fringes of ADS-B coverage might not yield accurate results.

You can find this tool at the following link:

https://adsbperformance.faa.gov/PAPRRequest.aspx

When to Check Compliance
“When we upgrade your aircraft for ADS-B, our techs perform the ground testing required by AC 20-165b to verify the ADS-B integrity before the aircraft flies,” says Manager of Satellite Operations Matt Nelson.

James Kenney, an aviation safety inspector with the FAA, suggests operators run a PAPR report after conducting a few flights in rule airspace after an ADS-B installation.

“This will let the operator know if everything is functioning properly,” Kenney says.

He also suggests that a new report be run after a few flights in rule airspace if maintenance or repair work is conducted on the aircraft’s avionics systems.

Peace of Mind

We are 20 months from the ADS-B Out mandate deadline. To provide peace of mind for your flight operations, be sure to schedule your ADS-B installation now . . . and remember to verify your compliance with the FAA.

For more information, contact Matt Nelson.

According to the most recent data from the FAA (Federal Aviation Association), slightly fewer than 10% of all U.S. registered ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast)-equipped aircraft are NPE, or non-performing emitters. Having NPE means the aircraft’s ADS-B Out system is not transmitting in compliance with FAR (Federal Aviation Regulations) 91.227.

Here are some common issues that result in having NPE:

1. Incorrect software version or improper system configuration can result in reduced aircraft position integrity/accuracy.
2. Incorrect emitter category results when the aircraft’s ADS-B system is transmitting the wrong emitter category based on its maximum take-off weight.
3. Incorrect Flight ID is a result of the aircraft registration for Mode S not matching the Flight ID.
4. Transmitting airborne data while the aircraft is on the ground.

Is Your ADS-B Equipment Compliant?  

Go to FAA Website: https://adsbperformance.faa.gov/PAPRRequest.aspx and request a PAPR (Public ADS-B Performance Report). A PAPR provides an additional method of verifying proper operation of ADS-B equipment.

After answering a few questions about your ADS-B installation, you will receive a report from the FAA showing what parameters have failed, if any. Instructions and a User’s Guide can be found on the website.

If you have not complied with the upcoming FAA ADS-B mandate, the time is now. For more information, go to: www.DuncanAviation.aero/adsb

If aircraft are sitting on the ground after the deadline, they aren’t useful to anyone.

For the April 2018 issue of AvBuyer magazine, Matt Nelson Manager of Satellite Operations at Duncan Aviation wrote the Guest Editor’s ViewPoint. There are about 20 months remaining until the FAA’s December 31, 2019, deadline to upgrade aircraft to ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast), and Matt wants to reiterate Duncan Aviation’s message regarding ADS-B.

Qualified Shop With Experienced Avionics Technicians

It’s important to get the upgrade done at a qualified facility. Counting installations performed before 2017, Duncan Aviation has completed more than 520 ADS-B installations to date, and has capacity for another 1500 by the mandate deadline. We consider our organization to be the foremost ADS-B compliance experts across all aircraft makes and models.

Qualified shops around the United States are making a dent in the numbers; it’s estimated that roughly 40% of the fleet has been upgrade. Matt pointed out that Duncan Aviation and other MROs are trying to let our customers know that aircraft in need of ADS-B upgrades are going to be vying for available space in the remaining 20 months. In fact, the monthly rate at which the remainder of the fleet needs modification is 390 aircraft, and the current rate is 190 aircraft per month. As we get closer to the deadline, there will be an increasing shortage of hangar space and qualified shops with experienced avionics technicians.

Hangar Space

In 2017, Duncan Aviation’s nation-wide network of Satellite facilities allotted space and labor for 300 upgrades. Because our technicians gained proficiency with every installation, the shops increased their capacity to 460 installations in 2018 and are planning for nearly 600 in 2019.

At several of the Satellite Avionics Shops Duncan Aviation’s customers are taking advantage of the proximity of our skilled technicians and having their entire fleets upgraded.

Deadline Firm

We’ve been repeating this message for several years: Upgrade now, please don’t wait until the last minute; the deadline isn’t going to change, and parts and labor prices are not going to drop. We really want to reiterate that there are no magic bullets on the horizon for your ADS-B upgrade. The OEMs have spent millions of dollars developing solutions for their platforms, and they aren’t going to develop anything with a lower cost or that’s easier to install in the final months before the deadline. In fact, most vendors have already announced price increases for this year and next.

We also want to make sure that the industry understands our objectives in light of the mandates in general. Our objective is to ensure that our customers become compliant by the deadline in order to keep their aircraft flying. If aircraft are sitting on the ground, they aren’t useful to anyone.

Click below for information on scheduling a time to upgrade your fleet or aircraft.

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Everyone at Duncan Aviation laughed along with most of the rest of the business aviation industry on April Fool’s Day when the spoof press release claimed the deadline for the Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) mandate had been extended until 2040. Not long after the laughter died down, though, the FAA reiterated that the agency’s deadline will not change, saying, “We have a sense of humor, too, but an April Fool’s joke that the FAA is extending the ADS-B deadline is just that.”

The FAA went on to say:

As stated in the final rule published with industry input in May 2010, all aircraft flying in designated controlled airspace—generally the same busy airspace where transponders are currently required—must be equipped with ADS-B Out avionics by Jan. 1, 2020. Only aircraft that fly in uncontrolled airspace, and aircraft without electrical systems, such as balloons and gliders, are exempt from the mandate.

The joke brought attention to the rumor mill that has consistently insisted that the FAA will delay the deadline. Not only did the FAA take the opportunity to squelch those rumors, but it also reminded the businees aviation industry that there are only 21 months remaining until the mandate deadline.

Because time flies and aircraft without ADS-B probably won’t after the deadline, Duncan Aviation would like to remind its customers that the company has numerous certified paths to upgrade equipment to comply with the FAA’s ADS-B mandate. Duncan Aviation holds (or has access to) 42 STCs for dozens of aircraft models.

Additionally, the experienced avionics installation techs at the three main facilities (in Battle Creek, Michigan; Lincoln, Nebraska; and Provo, Utah) and at all 26 Duncan Aviation Avionics Satellite Shops and workaway stations throughout the country have performed hundreds of upgrades during the last several years, often combining the upgrade to ADS-B with inspections and other routine maintenance to condense downtime.

The company currently has space available for ADS-B work. Call the shop nearest you to schedule a time to upgrade your aircraft or fleet (www.duncanaviation.aero/locations/#satellites).

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DOM Greg Donegan, at Cincinnati, Ohio-based Cin-Air, had an inspection due on a G-200 in October 2016. While it was down, he had the Duncan Aviation techs from the Satellite Shop at Lunken Field in Cincinnati cross the ramp from their hangar to his and upgrade the G-200’s avionics equipment for ADS-B.

Greg has worked on aircraft at the Cincinnati, Ohio Municipal Airport for 30 years, and he has his own maintenance and inspection crew for his fleet of six aircraft. However, he now relies on Manager Bruce Miller and the proximity of the Duncan Aviation Cincinnati Satellite Shop for avionics repair, installations, and upgrades.

Three of Greg Donegan’s six airplanes have had the necessary upgrades for the FAA’s ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast) mandate, and he has two others scheduled. He knows exactly when the deadline for ADS-B is, and Greg intends to have all of his aircraft completed long before that.

“We didn’t want to wait until the last minute and get burnt,” says Greg. “The deadline isn’t going to change, and we don’t want to be on the outside knocking on the door, waiting to get in on Jan. 1. My goal when I took over as DOM last year was to have the entire fleet upgraded at least a year ahead of the deadline.”

Duncan Aviation Cincinnati Satellite Manager Bruce Miller (left) with DOM Greg Donegan

The skilled technicians at the Duncan Aviation Satellite facilities and workaway stations have upgraded hundreds of aircraft, so they’re ADS-B-compliant well before the midnight deadline on December 31, 2019.

Located at 27 of the busiest business aviation airports around the country, most have hangars in which they can perform the upgrades, but all Satellite facilities and workaway stations have technicians who will travel to your hangar, particularly if your aircraft is down for routine maintenance. The upgrade itself usually takes less than two weeks, so getting upgraded for ADS-B while your aircraft is already undergoing engine work, an inspection, or any other routine maintenance means you only put it down once.

To schedule an ADS-B upgrade at one of the Duncan Aviation Satellite Avionics Shops near you, call any of the Satellite shops (www.duncanaviation.aero/locations/#satellites) or Regional Avionics Sales Manager Mark Francetic.

Duncan Aviation has a network of 27 Satellite Avionics Shops and work-away stations located at the busiest airports in the United States. Each shop has knowledgeable, experienced avionics technicians who have already brought dozens of aircraft into compliance with the ADS-B mandate. As the January 1, 2020, deadline rapidly approaches, Duncan Aviation is taking the lead to get the word out about the urgency of installing ADS-B in your aircraft now.

“In the last two years, we’ve upgraded close to 300 aircraft of all makes and models,” says Matt Nelson, Manager of Satellite Operations. “Because the techs at our Satellite Avionics Shops have done these installations, and they currently have hangar capacity, we’re encouraging our customers to contact the Satellite nearest their home hangar and schedule a two-week time slot.”

Satellite Shops Busy With ADS-B Requests

In Van Nuys, Manager Tony Russo and his team completed FANS (Future Air Navigation Systems) and ADS-B on several business aviation aircraft in the last year, as well as on two 727s and an MD-87. The team is currently installing FANS, ADS-B, SwiftBroadband with Wi-Fi, TCAS 7.1 (Traffic Collision Avoidance System), and an Airshow system in a 737-200.

“Our customers are taking a serious look at their aircraft and fleets, requesting quotes, and determining a good time to put their aircraft down for these upgrades,” says Tony. “To meet the ADS-B mandate, aircraft must have WAAS-compliant GPS sensors and upgraded transponders. Each aircraft is a little different, and that’s what we’re here for—to help you determine what you need.”

The Duncan Aviation Houston Satellite Shop recently completed two ADS-B upgrades on Citation 560s using a Duncan Aviation-owned STC.

“Those installations were flawless; we didn’t have a single issue,” says Houston Manager Mark Winter. “We also delivered a Challenger 601 in January, with FANS 1/A and ADS-B Out, also using a Duncan Aviation STC.”

The Challenger had WAAS/LPV, and the Houston Shop sent the transponder to the DME (Distance Measuring Equipment) bench in Lincoln, Nebraska, for the upgrades.

“We’re encouraging our customers to book their aircraft now,” says Mark. “We have some capacity left in 2017, and with the average downtime right around 2 weeks, we can realistically do two of these a month.”

The Satellite Shop in Kansas City, Missouri, recently upgraded a G150 for ADS-B. The Lincoln DME bench upgraded those transponders, too, and the KC shop installed a fail annunciator and the interfacing for the transponders to the GPS. That customer already had the WAAS sensors, so although Kansas City Manager Jeff Aman quoted 10 days, they finished the upgrade in 6 days, delivering ahead of schedule.

Duncan Aviation’s ADS-B Slot Program

“The ADS-B mandate has presented the business aviation community with some challenges, but our Satellite network has stepped up to help our customers get their aircraft in compliance,” says Matt Nelson. “The Duncan Aviation slot program allocates two spots per satellite per month for ADS-B upgrades. This program holds a confirmed date and hangar space for one aircraft, and operators can call now to reserve the spots for 2018 and 2019 and throughout the rest of 2017.”

Contact the Satellite Avionics Shop nearest you 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.

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During the last several years, Duncan Aviation took the lead in the aviation industry and held dozens of free seminars explaining the ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast) mandate.

Now, Duncan Aviation has once again taken the lead to get the word out about the urgency of installing ADS-B in your aircraft well before the January 1, 2020, deadline.

ADS-B by the Numbers

The math doesn’t favor general aviation operators who wait. Estimates put the number of aircraft that need modification in the many thousands. In the remaining 30 months, operators will need to schedule hangar space at shops with qualified, experienced avionics technicians who have access to STCs (Supplemental Type Certificates), SBs (Service Bulletins), and pairing data.

“Everyone in the industry seems to be putting off the upgrades,” says Ed Hillman, DOM for two Citations. “In our opinion, there’ll be a rush of operators trying to get their aircraft in compliance at the last minute. There won’t be hangar space or enough qualified technicians available.”

Duncan Aviation has a network of 26 Satellite Avionics Shops and work-away stations located at the busiest airports in the United States. Each shop has knowledgeable, experienced avionics technicians who have already brought dozens of aircraft into compliance with the ADS-B mandate.

“In the last two years, we’ve upgraded close to 300 aircraft of all makes and models,” says Matt Nelson, Manager of Satellite Operations. “Because the techs at our Satellite Avionics Shops have done these installations, and they currently have hangar capacity, we’re encouraging our customers to contact the Satellite nearest their home hangar and schedule a two-week time slot.”

Duncan Aviation’s ADS-B Slot Program

The ADS-B mandate has presented the business aviation community with some challenges, but the Duncan Aviation Satellite network has stepped up to help our customers get their aircraft in compliance. The slot program allocates two spots per satellite per month for ADS-B upgrades. This program holds a confirmed date and hangar space for one aircraft, and operators can call now to reserve the spots for 2018 and 2019 and throughout the rest of 2017.

To reserve your slot today, contact the Satellite Avionics Shop nearest you.

For more information call Duncan Aviation or Regional Avionics Sales Manager Mark Francetic (702.303.4888). 

 Learn More About Why NOW is the Time to Complete the ADS-B Mandate