In 2017, the 26 Duncan Aviation Satellite Avionics shops installed ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast) systems in dozens of different models of aircraft, performing 237 upgrade/installs. The main facilities in Lincoln, Nebraska; Battle Creek, Michigan; and Provo, Utah; performed an additional 83 upgrades. Counting installations performed before 2017, Duncan Aviation has completed more than 520 installations.
“For 2017, we allocated space and labor for 300 upgrades. The more upgrades on different models we performed, the more we increased our efficiency and ability,” says Manager of Satellite Operations Matt Nelson. “As a result, we’ve increased our capacity to 460 installations in 2018.”
Because of the great numbers of aircraft that still need updating in the 19 months until the FAA’s ADS-B mandate deadline, Duncan Aviation is encouraging owners and operators to take advantage of this increased capacity.
“We’ve been saying the same thing for years–upgrade now, don’t wait until the last minute, the deadline isn’t going to change, and prices are not going to drop,” says Matt. “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.”
All of the upgrades performed by Duncan Aviation equate to expertise–expertise that Duncan Aviation is willing to share. We have lots of technical know-how, plenty of experience, and we share technical and engineering resources across facilities. This knowledge can help operators determine the best path for compliance for their specific aircraft and their specific needs.
In Atlanta, Georgia, for instance, Satellite Shop Manager Edduyn Pita had a full shop last year, and he and his crew upgraded the following models for ADS-B:
For the first quarter of 2018, the Atlanta Satellite Shop was booked for ADS-B upgrades, and they added a Cessna 421 to their growing list of expertise.
In America’s heartland, Kansas City, Missouri, Shop Manager Jeff Aman and his crew upgraded the following models for ADS-B compliance:
On the West Coast, Sacramento, California, Satellite Manager Bob Hazy and his crew performed ADS-B upgrades to the following models:
Many of these upgrades could not have been performed at all had it not been for the Duncan Aviation Engineering and Certification teams who have developed several of the STCs (Supplemental Type Certificates). We hold or have access to 42 FAA-approved solutions for ADS-B, and that lets all of our facilities, Satellite Shops, and workaway teams perform upgrades on more than 100 aircraft models.
By Senior Avionics Sales Representative, Gary Harpster
I have been in the aviation world for more than 45 years now, and the one thing you come to recognize is patterns. This ADS-B mandate is just that–a pattern. Owners and operators need to comply with it. There are a lot of factors starting to truly affect the choice of when it gets completed. This video is an effort to help clarify those factors. I want owners and operators to understand that they absolutely MUST have ADS-B, or flying as they know it today will quickly become a fading memory after midnight on December 31, 2019.