Avionics News February 2015 - 13

Most of the advanced technology is with ADS-B In.
So installing an ADS-B Out compliant system today makes
perfect sense for a significant portion of the industry.

and received extensions for rules that impacted avionics
repair stations and maintenance. But as for the ADS-B
Out equipment mandate, this one is different. For example, there is a 10-year implementation schedule, five
years of ground structure operations and new approaches
being implemented utilizing the enhanced surveillance
every year. In addition, it is an airspace rule, not an aircraft rule. So this time, it very well may be different.
Earlier this week, I heard the most common question
I receive regarding ADS-B: Is the industry ready, and
can it meet the deadline? My answer is always the same:
absolutely. But I also clarified the answer by saying if
the aircraft owners and operators choose (yes, choose) to
delay ADS-B Out compliance until the last minute, there
are no guarantees they can get the job done where and
when it is convenient for them. Their preferred avionics repair shop is likely to be the preferred shop of other
customers, as well. As we get closer to the mandate's
deadline, availability should become scarce, and the
expectation of overtime charges are very real.
As of Feb. 1, there are roughly 1,233 workdays
remaining before the mandate's deadline.
As I write this month's column, the annual Consumer
Electronics Show is taking place in Las Vegas. So it
seems appropriate that the topic of changing technology
would also arise. It seems you cannot buy a new computer these days without the technology being outdated
by the time you get back to the office. Why rush and buy
a five-year-old technology when you don't need it until
2020? I think this is a fair question. But keep in mind
the ADS-B mandate is for ADS-B Out, not ADS-B In.
ADS-B In is still considered NORSEE, or nonrequired,
safety-enhancing equipment that is used for advisory
information only.

For the past five years, our industry has encouraged aircraft owners to purchase ADS-B Out compliant transponders when the installed equipment in the
aircraft needs replacement. Assuming a 20-year life for
the classic Mode A/C (TSO-C74c) transponder, half
of all transponders should have been replaced through
normal attrition during the 10-year implementation. If
we assume a 30-year life, one-third should have been
replaced.
The technology standard for ADS-B Out is fixed in
regulations. So while we may see near-constant advances
in cellphones and televisions, the standards for ADS-B
Out are reasonably fixed. But in the last couple of
years, we are reading a lot of advertisements about the
advanced technologies of ADS-B products. This is true.
But it isn't ADS-B Out that the technology is impacting; it's all the bells and whistles incorporated into the
equipment such as imbedded WAAS position sources,
Bluetooth or Wi-Fi interconnectivity and touchscreens.
And of course, the inclusion of ADS-B In.
Still, as the daily reports surface from the Consumer
Electronics Show, you cannot dismiss the constantly
changing technologies and the ongoing fear that what
we buy today will be trumped by newer, faster, better
equipment tomorrow. I think this is a fair assumption,
and if last year was any indication, this year's new
product introductions session at the AEA International
Convention & Trade Show in Dallas should be one of
the best in years. I can't wait to see the connectivity,
functionality and interfaces of the new equipment.
But this also doesn't mean that the operators should
wait until the last minute to upgrade. Most of the
Continued on page 68
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Avionics News February 2015

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