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Wired Header June 12
June 25, 2014
The Current
Save the Date
The Static
 
The Short

  


SHADIN AVIONICS 
successfully delivered a DO-178 Level A custom AIS-360 data converter less than 30 days after initial contact by the customer, Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. 
 
FLIGHT DISPLAY SYSTEMS introduced a new Dual USB Charger that has received FAA parts manufacturer approval.
 
NEW UNITED GODERICH announced the recent FAA certification STC of its ADS-B Out Honeywell integrated solution for Embraer 135/145 aircraft.
 
PRO STAR AVIATION named THOMAS KENNEDY director of maintenance.
 
EDMO DISTRIBUTORS increased its laser wire marking capabilities for more expedient order and delivery process.
 
LANDMARK AVIATION named TREVOR KING general manager of its London Luton Airport location. In addition, the company's aircraft management and charter division expanded its managed fleet with seven new aircraft.
 
CARLISLE INTERCONNECT TECHNOLOGIES introduced Heatless Crimp Splices, a solution when maintenance is required on or near a gas supply.
 
AAR CORP. became the first MRO operator to sign a data-sharing pact with the Federal Aviation Administration's Aviation Safety Information Analysis and Sharing (ASIAS) program. 
 
FREEFLIGHT SYSTEMS is offering a "Wrangle A RANGR" promotion for U.S.-registered aircraft owners; the company will award certified ADS-B transceiver, installation credit and other prizes at AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. 
 
MID-CONTINENT INSTRUMENTS AND AVIONICS named DAVID COPELAND and ERIK RITZMAN account managers for its True Blue Power division. 
 
ACR ELECTRONICS announced its new ELT 1000 (emergency locator transmitter) received Cospas-Sarsat approvals and is available for sale.
 
TRINE AEROSPACE & DEFENSE named LEE TAYLOR chief operating officer.
 
Danish Air Transport gained authorization from the Danish Transport Authority to operate with JEPPESEN FliteDeck Pro as its mobile electronic flight bag solution. 
 
AERO DYNAMIX received an EASA NVG STC on a Bell 412EP.
 
SKYTRAC SYSTEMS added a NOTAMs (notice to airmen) feature to its asset management program, SkyWeb. 
 
METRO AVIATION was selected by EagleMed LLC, a critical-care air medical transport company, as its preferred provider of helicopter simulator training for its pilots. 
 
HONEYWELL AEROSPACE, one of four business divisions of the 129-year-old Honeywell, celebrated 100 years of aviation innovation on June 18.
 
AVIDYNE CORP. announced its new IFD540 FMS/GPS/NAV/COM Free Play Simulator for the Apple iPad is available through the App Store at no charge.
 
TRIG AVIONICS is now a partner with the NextGen GA Fund, which is designed to help general aviation aircraft owners pay for their ADS-B equipment and related installation costs. 
 
DUNCAN AVIATION is opening its newest aircraft maintenance hangar in Lincoln, Nebraska, to the business aviation community with an open house celebration on July 15. During the event, Aircell will demonstrate its new Gogo Text & Talk service, which allows passengers to use their own smartphones and numbers to call and text in the air.


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U.S. General Aviation Caucus Update

 

General Aviation Caucuses were formed in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate in 2009, to inform members and staff about the importance of GA to the nation's economy and transportation system. To date, more than 200 members of the U.S. Congress have signed on to the General Aviation Caucus. Click below to see if your elected representative is a member. If not, please contact them immediately and ask them to join the GA Caucus to promote the value of the general aviation industry to our nation's economy.


CURRENT LIST OF CAUCUS MEMBERS

 

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New Products

 

Aerospace Optics was one of 23 companies that unveiled new products and services during the 2014 AEA Convention. In case you missed it, here is the company's presentation by Joe Stiffler to convention attendees earlier this year. 

 

 

Watch Now! 

 

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Huffington Post Writer Rips Inaccurate Reporting of General Aviation Safety 

It wasn't just the general aviation industry that took exception with a series of misleading articles recently published by USA Today. For example, Jeff Schweitzer, a pilot, scientist and former White House senior policy analyst, responded with a strongly worded column in the Huffington Post titled "Unfit for Publication: How USA Today Got Everything Wrong." 

 

According to Schweitzer's column, "Nearly every inference about aviation in the article is wrong ... The real story here is media bias and editorial malpractice, not the dangers of aviation or manufacturing defects ... The USA Today author demonstrates a terrible ignorance of aviation ... The sensationalism of the article in USA Today does nobody any service. They got it wrong completely. Flying is relatively safe because we have made it so by managing inherent risk and minimizing operational risk; piling on manufacturers with exaggerated claims, bloated numbers and inaccurate conclusions does not help us advance toward a better record of safety. USA Today made itself part of the problem rather than contributing to a solution." To read Schweitzer's response in its entirety here, click here!

 

Aircraft Electronics Association President Paula Derks said, "USA Today's irresponsible and biased article largely ignores the tremendous efforts made by the various stakeholders in the general aviation industry to improve safety ... It's simplistic journalism to write such an extensive piece that focuses only on tragic instances without the balance of citing some of the cooperative efforts to combat general aviation accidents. It is apparent the author was intent on slanting his story and distorting facts and figures to produce a highly sensational article." To read Derks' statement in its entirety, click here! 

 

AEA Seeks Input on Labor Rates and Technician Pay

The AEA is asking repair station members to complete the annual survey for the AEA Rate & Labor Survey. Your input is vital to this annual report, which is a worthwhile benefit for all AEA members and the entire general aviation industry. The survey examines and compares shop and labor rates by national and international regions. It also shows employee benefit/compensation package information, a profile of technician experience, regional employment demand and a new business outlook perspective.

This may be the most valuable tool for a repair shop when hiring its next technician or manager. No company data is made public. Each AEA member company may only take the survey once.
 
To take the survey, AEA members should click here!

 

Save the Date Jan 13
2014 AEA Regional Meetings Announced
The Aircraft Electronics Association has set the dates and locations for each of its Regional Meetings in 2014. The first event of the year took place April 14-15 at the 28th annual AEA Europe Regional Meeting in Vienna, Austria. Visit the AEA website for more details on each event, including continuous updates on training schedules, exhibitors, hotel reservations and registration information. More...
  • AEA Latin America: Aug. 20-21, Bogota, Colombia
  • AEA Canada: Sept. 3-4, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
  • AEA U.S. East: Sept. 16-17, Orlando, Fla.
  • AEA U.S. West: Sept. 30-Oct. 1, Reno, Nev.
  • AEA U.S. Central: Oct. 9-10, Kansas City, Mo.
  • AEA South Pacific: Nov. 12-13, Sydney, Australia  
AEA Latin America Regional Meeting in Bogota, Aug. 20-21
For the first time, Bogota, Colombia, is the site for the AEA Latin America Regional Meeting scheduled for Aug. 20-21 at the Ar Hotel Salitre. The event took place in Sao Paulo, Brazil, each of the last three years. To make a hotel reservation and/or register to attend the fourth annual AEA Latin America Regional Meeting, click here.  

The AEA annually hosts regional meetings in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Latin America and the South Pacific. The AEA Regional Meetings offer a forum to see, hear and learn about all the new technology on the market, network with industry peers and discover best practices for the aviation repair station industry. Attendees and exhibitors gather for two days of regulatory and technical seminars, business management sessions and exhibits.
TGH Aug 13
AEA President Testifies Before U.S. House Committee on Small Business
On June 11, Paula Derks, president of the Aircraft Electronics Association, told members of the U.S. House Small Business Committee that FAA leadership needs to refocus its efforts for a more rapid adoption of the safety-enhancing NextGen technologies it has invested so heavily in. To watch the congressional hearing in its entirety, click here!

Upcoming Regulatory Activities at Transport Canada
With the introduction of the new Canadian Aviation Regulation Advisory Council process, Transport Canada Civil Aviation will be moving ahead with several regulatory amendments and advisory circular publications. The most significant of these is the changes to CAR 521. More...

 

Frequently Asked Questions
For Canada: If I hold an AMO or approved manufacturing certificate in Canada, is there a need to hold a distribution certificate in order to sell to a third party new parts not manufactured by the AMO or approved manufacturer? Learn the answer in this month's Avionics NewsMore...  
Pilot's Guide to Avionics -- New Edition Released at AirVenture
The AEA's 2014-15 edition of the Pilot's Guide to Avionics will be available to all pilots and aircraft owners at this year's AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Free copies will be available to all AirVenture attendees at the AEA booth located in hangar B (while supplies last). 

This annual publication is free and available upon request. If you can't attend AirVenture, place your online request now, and you will receive it later this summer. 

Without a doubt, pilots and aircraft owners don't want just anyone working on their airplane or helicopter. After all, life depends on it. So how do you find the most qualified and experienced personnel to keep your aircraft safe and up-to-date with all the latest and greatest technologies? It's easy -- simply look for these talented experts and members of the AEA listed in the publication. To request a single copy or case, click here.

The Connection 12_12
Avionics and Hackers: An Industry Perspective
Garmin recently published an online blog, which asked the question, "Can an airplane or its avionics really be 'hacked'? There continues to be persistent misinformation and hype related to aircraft electronic security and the ability to deviously tap into today's avionics, from portable units to highly sophisticated digital cockpits, by international terrorists, corporate espionage agents, or others. This misinformation has led to increasing the aircraft and avionics certification burden and delayed the implementation of safety-enhancing functions for pilots and passengers without good cause."
 
To read the Garmin blog in its entirety, click here!

Four Training Classes Available at AEA Headquarters in August
The Aircraft Electronics Association is offering four educational courses during the month of August in the Dan Derby Center for Professional Development at its international headquarters in Lee's Summit,
Missouri. 
  
  • Avionics Installation and Integration Training: Aug. 18-20
  • Pitot-Static and Transponder Certification Training: Aug. 21
  • RVSM Maintenance & Advanced Transponder Training: Aug. 22
  • NCATT AET Review: Aug. 25-27 

 

First, the Avionics Installation and Integration Training course is slated for Aug. 18-20. Presented by Don Dominguez of Radioman Avionics, this three-day course is designed for technicians who have completed AEA's Basic Wiring and Avionics Installation Course and/or have a couple years of basic avionics installation practice and are looking for more experience integrating common general aviation installations. Technicians will learn how to plan, install, interface, configure and check out an installation consisting of a Garmin GTN 650 touchscreen nav/comm/GPS, Garmin GTX33ES remote transponder and an Aspen EFD1000 primary flight display.

 

In addition, the Pitot-Static and Transponder Certification Training course takes place Aug. 21. Attendees will learn the proper methods for conducting pitot-static and transponder certification testing. This full-day course offers hands-on training, including a regulatory review and an explanation of the proper administrative procedures for completing these critical certifications. It also includes a transponder tune-up course. The contents of this course can easily be incorporated into approved training programs for certified repair stations.

 

The RVSM Maintenance and Advanced Transponder Training course immediately follows on Aug. 22. Attendees will be introduced to the regulations, documentation, test equipment and maintenance practices associated with performing RVSM maintenance and will follow with an in-depth look at Mode S transponders. This course assumes the attendee has good operating knowledge of Federal Aviation Regulations 91.411 and 91.413. 

 

Finally, the National Center for Aerospace and Transportation Technologies Aircraft Electronics Technician Review course takes place Aug. 25-27. Presented by Bruce Bessette, who has more than 30 years of avionics and maintenance experience, this three-day course provides a review of all 34 subject areas for the NCATT AET certification exam. At the end of this review, course attendees should be prepared to take the NCATT AET certification test, which will be administered free of charge (a $100 value). Upon successful completion of the AET exam, attendees will be eligible to test for additional ratings, including the NCATT Radio Communications Systems (RCS), Dependent Navigation Systems (DNS) and Autonomous Navigation Systems (ANS) endorsements.

 

For more information or to register for these professional development opportunities, visit www.aea.net/training or contact the AEA at 816-347-8400. Class size is limited, so register today. More...

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