Flying Colours Notches FANS, ADS-B Combo on CL604

Canadian MRO specialist Flying Colours has delivered the first Canadian-registered aircraft to be equipped with Rockwell Collins Future Airspace Navigation System (FANS) 1/A avionics, in conjunction with Flying Colours' ADS-B solution in a single upgrade. The owner of the Challenger 604 requested the avionics modernization as part of a scheduled 48-month maintenance inspection.

“The combined installation was relatively straightforward as we are very familiar with the Challenger family,” noted Flying Colours executive vice president Sean Gillespie, adding that combining the enhancements during the inspection process reduced aircraft downtime and overall expense. “We’ve quickly become the go-to completions center for mandatory avionics upgrades on Challenger 300, 604 and 605 types, having secured our STC early.”

In January, the company received approval from Transport Canada to install ADS-B OUT on Canadian-registered Challenger 604s/605s and 300s, and it has performed the modification on more than 20 aircraft since then. Its new STC for the FANS-1/A installation complements its existing U.S. FAA certification.

This latest project was completed in less than two months, with the aircraft returned to service last week.