With the ADS-B equipage mandate deadline just seven months away, 71 percent of the U.S.-registered turbine-powered business aircraft fleet has been equipped, according to the latest statistics by industry data provider FlightAware. Of the 17,759 currently registered aircraft, 5,088 or 29 percent have not yet been upgraded, down from 51 percent a year ago.
Among the models with the highest rate of compliance are the Cirrus Vision (99 percent), HondaJet (96 percent), Dassault Falcon 7X (91 percent), Cessna Citation CJ4 (90 percent) and Latitude (88 percent), Beechcraft King Air 300 (88 percent), Bombardier Global Express (88 percent), Embraer Legacy 450 (88 percent), Gulfstream V-series and G650 (88 percent), and Mitsubishi MU-2 (88 percent).
The model ranking lowest on the list was the Gulfstream III, with one-third of the 42 registered aircraft ADS-B-equipped, followed by the Piaggio Avanti, Hawker 4000, and Citation III, all with less than 50 percent of their U.S.-registered fleet having been modified.
“As was expected, we are seeing the equipage pace gain speed as we get closer and closer to the Jan. 1, 2020, deadline,” said Geoff Hill, director of communications for the Aircraft Electronics Association and editor of Avionics News Magazine. “Not surprisingly, we have many AEA member repair stations throughout the U.S. that are reporting an ADS-B installation backlog of three to six months.”
He told AIN that while the industry has installation capacity for measured demand, the lines will continue to grow and produce longer wait times for aircraft owners who procrastinate and do not reserve an installation appointment. “Some repair stations are already getting booked up for the remainder of the year, so it is imperative that aircraft owners make a reservation today, if they haven’t already,” he said.