ADS-B Installs Still Lag as MRO Availability Tightens

More than 30,000 aircraft are now equipped for ADS-B, but the pace of equipage is still well behind what is necessary to meet the requirements and raises concerns that a number of operators will not be able to fly in controlled airspace on Jan. 1, 2020, industry leaders said.

GAMA president and CEO Pete Bunce said he is encouraged that some operators “have finally seen the light that they are going to have to equip, and the [2020 ADS-B] mandate is not going to slip.” But he is concerned by how late people have accepted that fact. On the light end, repair stations are booked “really solid,” Bunce said. On the business aircraft end, operators are booking slots in 2018 an 2019, which he said is good, “because if you don’t reserve a slot, you’re probably not going to get equipped by the mandate.”

Aaron Hilkemann, president of Duncan Aviation, noted that the 30,000 aircraft completed is out of an estimated 100,000 to 160,000 that will need to be equipped. “We are not making progress on a monthly basis to get done by the end of 2019,” Hilkemann said. On Part 25 aircraft alone, installations are continuing at a pace that is less than half what industry leaders expect is necessary for the fleet to meet the ADS-B equipment deadline.

He also warned that reservation slots at repair stations will become increasingly difficult to find for work that involves only ADS-B upgrades, because the repair stations will need to be available for other maintenance. Operators should consider coordinating the upgrades with major airframe inspections or interior work, he said.

Repair stations also are still seeing a lot of miscommunication and hesitancy as operators believe a better or less expensive technology may come to market.“We see a number of excuses; we see a number of reasons that aren’t necessarily correct in terms of what they think the ADS-B requirement is,” Hilkemann said.

Industry leaders and the FAA have been working to get the message out about the importance of preparing for equipage, Hilkemann addedBut the clear message, Hilkemann and Bunce said, is "don’t delay." “Why would you wait? Why would you put yourself in that position?” Hilkemann asked. “If people don’t get serious about equipping pretty soon, they’re going to be out of luck,” added Bunce.