FlightAware updated its ADS-B equipage report to include data through April 2019. According to the latest report, 71% of turbine-powered business aircraft registered in the United States are now equipped in advance of the Jan. 1, 2020, deadline mandated by the Federal Aviation Administration. The equipage rate is up from 69% from the March 2019 report.

The FlightAware report also includes a current breakdown of equipage by aircraft type. The company intends to update and publish the report monthly moving forward. To see the April report, click here. To see a graph online, click here.

According to the FAA's Aerospace Forecast that was recently unveiled for fiscal years 2019 through 2039, the active general aviation fleet is expected to hold steady with 211,800 aircraft in 2039, compared with 212,885 aircraft in 2018. Fixed-wing turbine aircraft are expected to grow at a rate of 1.8% per year, single-engine piston aircraft decline at a rate of 1% per year, and rotorcraft grow at a rate of 1.7% per year. General aviation hours flown are forecast to increase from 25.6 million in 2018 to 30.3 million in 2039, an average annual growth rate of 0.8% a year. In addition, fixed-wing turbine aircraft hours flown are expected to grow at a rate of 2.5% per year, single-engine piston aircraft hours flown decline at a rate of 1.1% per year, and rotorcraft hours flown grow at a rate of 2% per year. More...

The Aircraft Electronics Association recently partnered with 15 other industry trade groups to submit comments on Draft Advisory Circular 65-30B: Overview of the Aviation Maintenance Profession. The comments were sent May 6 to the FAA and included both a cover letter and suggested edits to the AC. In part, the comments stated: "Since the process of rewriting this AC has been ongoing for nearly five years – and that more than 17 years has passed since the November 2001 release of AC 65-30A – these comments were produced after careful review of the previous agency and industry drafts. As a result, the enclosed 'draft industry submission' was created by combining the best aspects of each prior effort with intelligence gained from years working with industry members and policy makers on workforce development issues." More...

If the aircraft is equipped with a compliant ADS-B Out system, does the aircraft still need reduced vertical separation minimum equipment, approval and maintenance? Learn the answer to this frequently asked question in the May issue of Avionics News. More...

In early 2018, a fire engulfed Tim Siemens’ aircraft maintenance hangar at Northern Rockies Regional Airport in Fort Nelson, a small town in northeast British Columbia. Along with the hangar, the flames destroyed two aircraft, a large parts inventory, tooling and equipment. Despite the setback, the resilient team rented hangar space from a charter operator at the airport and continued working. 

“The insurance company investigated but couldn’t find a definitive cause; the hangar was completely destroyed,” said Siemens, who purchased the existing repair station in 2014. “We do maintenance for a small charter company here at the airport. They rented half their hangar to us so that we were not working in the snow.” More...

Here’s an interesting fact about Steve Brunsden. As an international business executive, Brunsden said he was born near the River Thames, west of London, and grew up, went to college, got married and worked all within a 10-mile radius of where he was born. That was the first 40 years of his life.

According to Brunsden, he “fell into” aviation – not as the fulfillment of a childhood dream, but by merely responding to a help wanted ad in a local newspaper. “I got the job with Chelton Electrostatics, later part of the Cobham Group, and 30-plus years later, I’m still in the same industry,” he said. More...

Pitot-Static & Transponder Testing and Inspection with ADS-B Implementation

May 31, 2019 -- 3 weeks away!

Lee's Summit, Missouri

Attendees will learn the proper methods for conducting pitot-static and transponder tests and inspections. 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. With so many questions surrounding ADS-B, this course will provide the answers and what you need to know to meet the mandate.

Certified Repair Station Training Course

June 3-7, 2019

Lee's Summit, Missouri

This weeklong course provides an interactive environment to learn, understand and implement the regulations that govern repair station design and operations. It is for current quality managers, technicians, mechanics, and repairmen who are involved in the management of a repair station as well as individuals looking to establish a 14 CFR Part 145 repair station.

Basic Wiring & Avionics Installation

Aug. 5-7, 2019

Lee's Summit, Missouri

This course is designed for certificated repairmen, new avionics technicians, aviation maintenance technicians and recent graduates interested in improving or acquiring the skills necessary to perform avionics installations. This three-day seminar employs in-depth theory and hands-on lab exercises to immerse the attendee in the best practices used to plan, manage and install a general aviation avionics panel.

ADS-B 2.0 Configuration, Testing & Troubleshooting

Aug. 8, 2019

Lee's Summit, Missouri

This updated version of the “ADS-B: All the Ins and Outs” course is designed for currently employed repair station personnel and installers of ADS-B systems. More than 10% of all ADS-B installations are non-compliant based on the FAA’s ADS-B Performance Monitoring System. This course focuses on the proper configuration and testing of ADS-B installations to ensure your installation meets the performance requirements and regulations. Also included are troubleshooting tips and tricks that will help you resolve the common problems found in ADS-B installations.

Digital Databus Theory & Analysis Training

Aug. 9, 2019

Lee's Summit, Missouri

As today’s modern airplanes become much more technologically advanced, so must the professionals who maintain them. The advanced avionics and instrumentation systems used in these aircraft rely on various forms of digital databus communication. Understanding digital databus theory is becoming more and more important for avionics technicians, and even A&P mechanics, to effectively test and troubleshoot these highly advanced aircraft systems.

Avionics Installation and Integration Training

Aug. 19-21, 2019

Lee's Summit, Missouri

This course is designed for technicians who have completed the AEA’s Basic Wiring & 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 touch screen nav/comm/GPS, Garmin GTX 345 transponder and an Aspen EFD1000 primary flight display.

Pitot-Static & Transponder Testing and Inspection with ADS-B Implementation

Aug. 22, 2019

Lee's Summit, Missouri

Attendees will learn the proper methods for conducting pitot-static and transponder tests and inspections. 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. With so many questions surrounding ADS-B, this course will provide the answers and what you need to know to meet the mandate.

RVSM Maintenance

Aug. 23, 2019

Lee's Summit, Missouri

Attendees will be introduced to the regulations, documentation, test equipment and maintenance practices associated with performing RVSM maintenance. This course assumes the attendee has good operating knowledge of Federal Aviation Regulations 91.411 and 91.413.

The Regulations of Maintenance

Sept. 19-20, 2019

San Diego, California

Held in conjunction with the University of Kansas Aerospace Short Course Program

Understanding the regulations of the repair station is only part of the equation. Like pieces of a puzzle, each regulation is needed to fit together in order to fully view the repair station’s requirements. Understanding the regulatory relationship between the business (Part 145); the maintenance it performs (Part 43); the parts it uses (Part 21); as well as the needs of customers (Part 91) are essential to provide regulatory compliant services in aviation maintenance. This session will cover the basics of the maintenance and modification regulations, but more importantly, it focuses on their integrated relationship with the business.

Attention avionics technicians! How well do you think you know your avionics inside and out? New and old? Then put your knowledge to work.

What is the product make and model shown in this image? Also, do you know where it was made or any history of the product?

The individual who submits the best answer will be awarded a $100 Visa gift card, courtesy of Southeast Aerospace, and the winner will be announced in the next edition of AEA Wired.

In addition, each award recipient in 2019 will be entered to win a random drawing for a $500 Visa gift card at the end of the year, also from Southeast Aerospace. Email your answer...

For individuals interested in pursuing professional opportunities in the avionics industry, the career listings page on the AEA website is your one-stop resource. The AEA careers page provides informational links on how to get AET certified, an avionics technician job summary and wage review, along with scholarship opportunities within the industry. Search the AEA's career listings and see what's on your horizon. Are you up to the challenge? More...

Is your business hiring? Looking for a new avionics technician or A&P mechanic? Want to buy or sell a business in the general aviation industry? Post these professional opportunities to a target-rich environment: the AEA's career listings website. For $200 a month, you can place a listing online AND receive a print advertisement in Avionics News for FREE! For more information, contact Rachel Hill, AEA advertising executive, at [email protected]. 

Founded in 1957, the Aircraft Electronics Association represents nearly 1,300 member companies in more than 40 countries, including government-certified international repair stations specializing in maintenance, repair and installation of avionics and electronic systems in general aviation aircraft. The AEA membership also includes manufacturers of avionics equipment, instrument repair facilities, instrument manufacturers, airframe manufacturers, test equipment manufacturers, major distributors, engineers and educational institutions.