The avionics industry will rise to the challenge of equipping the U.S. aircraft fleet with ADS-B Out by the Jan. 1, 2020, deadline says an industry leader. Ric Peri, the VP of government and industry affairs for the Aircraft Electronics Association, told AVweb in a podcast interview that as demand warrants, the industry will respond by working overtime, weekends and holidays to get the job done. “Why does everyone keep asking this industry if the fundamentals of business apply to us as they do everyone else,” he said. While many shops have one or two month backlogs at the moment, supply is essentially meeting demand. He said human nature dictates that most aircraft owners and operators won’t spend the money until they have to and he expects activity to increase as the deadline approaches. “This industry, like any other business, will ramp up as the demand warrants,” he said.
Meanwhile Peri said he believes the FAA’s $500 payment to 20,000 early adopters of the gear is working but not necessarily the way some might have expected. He said the vast majority of the 4,000 people who have applied for the money are doing avionics upgrades of which ADS-B is just a part because it makes sense to do it while the panel is apart. He said those planning to install the minimum to stay legal will inevitably wait until the last minute, including those planning to take the government incentive money. He said there will also be those who miss the deadline and will get caught up in the months after the deadline passes, likely when their next annual is due.
