Avionics News February 2015 - 68

Advertisers Index
Aero Standard. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Aerospace Electronics . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Aircraft Electronics Association. . . . 59, 61
Astronics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Aviation Instrument Services . . . . . . . . 36
Aviation Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
AVweb. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Becker Avionics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
BendixKing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Cal Labs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Castleberry Instruments and Avionics . . 70
Cobham Aerospace Communications . . 45
Dallas Avionics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IFC
Device Technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
EDMO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BC
Flight Display Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Flying Magazine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
FreeFlight Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Garmin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Genesys Aerosystems . . . . . . . 70, 71, 72
Georgetown Instrument Services . . . . . 63
GlobalParts.aero . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Gogo Business Aviation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Gulf Coast Avionics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Hangar One Avionics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Mid-Continent Instruments and Avionics. . . 1
Pacific Southwest Instruments . . . . . . IBC
Precision Aviation Group. . . . . . . . . . . . 16
ProCal Laboratories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Sandia Aerospace. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Sun Aviation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Tech-Aid Products. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Tri-Star Technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Universal Avionics Systems Corp. . . . . 37

68

AVIONICS NEWS

*

FEBRUARY

2015

THE VIEW FROM WASHINGTON
Continued from page 13

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, including:
* Aircraft requiring equipment replacements.
* Aircraft receiving avionics system upgrades.
* Business aircraft with long lead times for installations and
upgrades.
* International operations.
* Aircraft currently operating in high-density areas where
onboard traffic is a real safety benefit.
* Aircraft currently operating in diverse weather environments
where onboard weather is a real safety benefit.
Remember, while the mandate is for ADS-B Out and traffic and
weather information is from ADS-B In, an aircraft is not eligible to
receive ADS-B In (from any source) without an approved ADS-B Out
system installed. So again, any customer who wants the safety benefits of ADS-B In must equip with ADS-B Out.
Of course, there is the cost factor. How many times have we heard
it simply costs too much? Or what about the argument that the hull
value of the aircraft doesn't support the installation of the ADS-B Out
system? Well, I'm not sure the "hull value" of my motorcycle justifies the expense of my new technology either - but I still bought it.
Or what about the hull value (literally) of fishing boats and justifying new electronics? Is an engine change predicated on the hull value
of the aircraft? Oh no, we can't change the engine, because the hull
value can't support it! I don't think so, and that's not how people
make buying decisions.
What about the cost of the ADS-B equipment? That is the same
question I find myself asking. Oh my, the dollar value seems high,
and why can't it be the same as when I started flying? According to
the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index inflation
calculator, a $4,000 ADS-B solution with both ADS-B Out as well as
ADS-B In costs about $1,800 in 1985 dollars, or about the same as the
old TSO-C74c transponder it's replacing.
But we also don't like to buy the latest technology only to have
next week's advertisement offering the equipment at half the price.
I acknowledge that we are seeing a modest amount of competitive
pricing taking place, but the prices are reasonably stable. And while I
would never predict things I don't control, I seriously doubt we will
see the kind of price fluctuations seen in consumer electronics.
I think we are all fiscally conservative for the most part. We prefer
to not purchase anything more than we need. And of course, procrastination is a human trait. But as British actor Christopher Parker said,
"Procrastination is like a credit card: It's a lot of fun until you get the
bill." Or in this case, time catches up with you, and you can't fly your
aircraft where you want and when you want. 
Avionics News February 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Avionics News February 2015
