The Duncan Download Blog: Business Aviation Advice & Observations

As the January 2020 ADS-B deadline gets closer every day, the questions keep pouring in. At Duncan Aviation, it is our goal to provide operators with the most accurate information in a clear, concise manner and to answer their most pressing questions.

Mark Francetic, a regional avionics sales manager with Duncan Aviation, will be doing just that at the Aircraft Electronics Association's (AEA's) 58th Annual International Convention and Trade Show being held April 8-11 in Dallas.

Francetic will give a presentation at 8 a.m. on Friday, April 10, where he will present useful, practical information about not only the technology but also precisely what equipment operators need to outfit and/or retrofit aircraft to comply with the mandates stipulated in the rapidly approaching 2020 deadline

Experience. In Action.

In addition to Francetic's class, Duncan Aviation will be educating and assisting attendees at the show in the company's booth at #411/510. Back by popular demand, Duncan Aviation's four Avionics and Instrument Tech Reps, Curt Campbell, Dan Magnus, Scott McKenzie and Larry Troyer, will be fielding live technical troubleshooting questions on-site during open Exhibit Hall hours.

They will be answering emails and phone calls from operators in the field and will be available for one-on-one consultation with AEA show attendees. Attendees with avionics questions or who need troubleshooting assistance should make a point of stopping by Duncan Aviation's booth to talk with them and other Duncan Aviation representatives.

To learn more about Duncan Aviation's avionics and instrument repairs services, visitwww.duncanaviation.aero/parts/avionics_instruments.php.

NextGen Mandate Timeline

Transitioning the safety of the skies from ground-based tracking systems to satellite-based systems of air traffic control requires new standards and upgraded avionics equipment.Check our timeline to see what mandates may apply to your aircraft and when.

In 2014, Mark Francetic, Regional Avionics Sales Manager for Duncan Aviation, hosted several free, day-long NextGen seminars. Because interest in information and equipment is increasing as we draw closer to the 2020 deadline for the NextGen mandates, Mark will once again host a series of free seminars in 2015.

“We’ve been talking about the mandates and how they affect all of us for several years now,” says Mark, “and the discussion is shifting from the theoretical to the practical. Instead of asking, ‘What is ADS-B?’ and ‘What is FANS 1A,’ we are now asking, ‘What equipment do I need to outfit or retrofit my aircraft so it complies with the mandates stipulated in the rapidly approaching 2020 deadline?’”

Mark’s mission is to provide practical information about precisely what equipment owner/operators need and what certified equipment is currently available or will be soon.

Many of our channel partners now offer certified equipment that fulfills the ADS-B and FANS 1/A mandates. As Mark hosts NextGen seminars at key locations throughout the United States in 2015, many of those partners, including Cobham, Universal, Safran Engineering Services, GoGo Business Aviation, Satcom Direct, ICG, Honeywell, L-3 and True North, will join him.

The free seminars feature presentations about new and existing NextGen products and Q&A sessions. The seminars are popular and fill up quickly.

“Last year, we had one attendee who drove 445 miles to attend the seminar in Seattle, Washington,” says Mark.

Mark will kick off the seminar series at the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on January 29. Space is limited for these free seminars, and lunch is included.

Mark is also hosting a seminar in Salt Lake City on February 19 and one at AEA in Dallas on April 7. He plans to host five more throughout the year but dates and locations for those are not yet determined.

Contact Mark for information about registration or to RSVP.

Mark.Francetic@DuncanAviation.com

702.303.4888 (Mobile)

702.262.6142 (Office)

NextGen is shorthand for the Next Generation Air Transportation System, and it’s all about tapping into the technology available in our digital age to make air travel and communications safer and more efficient. Shifting from a ground-based air-traffic system to a satellite-based system will give air-traffic controllers (ATCs) greater ability to track and communicate with aircraft.

Monitoring aircraft over land and sea will result in shorter, more direct routes (reducing fuel consumption and saving time) and fewer delays. When ATCs can see and communicate with all of the aircraft in their airspace, they can put the aircraft closer together so fewer aircraft will stack up on runways, awaiting takeoff.

When you consider the cost of upgrading your avionics equipment and are tempted to take advantage of the exemption, be sure to weigh the following factors. And keep in mind that you’ll usually be flying oversea routes at night.

Cost / Benefit Analysis

Without the upgrade, you will:

• Fly outside the six, optimal tracks
• Use more fuel per trip, increasing costs
• Fly less safe routes—less situational awareness from flying crowded routes at night, relying solely on sight as opposed to ATC guidance
• Experience flight delays—priority is given to aircraft that are in compliance

If you go with the upgrade, here are a few of the benefits—tangible and intangible:

• Faster flight times—priority given to aircraft in compliance
• Use one of the six North Atlantic tracks (NAT), increasing fuel efficiency and time
• Enhanced safety with constant pings from ATC

NextGen Mandate Timeline

Transitioning the safety of the skies from ground-based tracking systems to satellite-based systems of air traffic control requires new standards and upgraded avionics equipment.Check our timeline to see what mandates may apply to your aircraft and when.

Duncan Aviation's Avionics Satellite are located within 200nm of 90 percent of the 50 busiest general aviation airports in the United States.

In addition to your everyday and AOG avionics needs, they lead the industry for avionics installations to meet upcoming NextGen Mandates.

Featured Installs

• APA/BJC - Gulfstream IV: Aircell Axxess II with Gogo Biz® Wi-Fi install

• FXE - Broadband/Wi-Fi install on a charter fleet for flight in Caribbean

• HOU/IAH - Duncan Aviation’s Wi-Fi STC for Learjet 45 aircraft was engineered in HOU on a customer’s fleet

• MKC/SUS - Falcon 900B: Dual NZ-2000 6.1 software upgrade with WAAS/LPV in customer’s hangar

• PDX - Global Express: First Inmarsat high speed data upgrade with Broadband/Wi-Fi router

• STP - Installing USB power port installations on a fleet of eight aircraft

• TEB/MMU - Falcon 2000: Broadband/Wi-Fi install

• VNY/BUR - Boeing 727: Future Air Navigation System (FANS) compliance including: Flight Management System (FMS), Universal UniLink, Iridium phone, Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR), Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance (TCAS) 7.1, Cobham SwiftBroadband and transponder (TDR) upgrades to Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) DO260A

Avionics Satellite Directory

Duncan Aviation's Avionics Satellites are strategically based at more than 25 business airports across the United States. Each location is interdependent, sharing staff and resources to support customers anywhere they land, live or hangar their aricraft. 

Click on photo to the right to download your copy of the Duncan Aviation Satellite Directory.