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April 15, 2015
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Keeping the general aviation industry connected
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The Current
News from the general aviation industry
 AEA Convention Sets Attendance Record
The 58th annual AEA International Convention & Trade Show, which took place April 8-11 in Dallas, Texas, attracted 1,897 attendees with more than 350 avionics repair shops and 20 countries represented. The attendance figure breaks the event's previous high mark of 1,873 attendees back in 2005, a year in which the event also took place in Dallas. This year's attendance figure also marks a 21 percent increase over the 2014 event in Nashville, Tennessee, which drew 1,568 attendees. In addition, more than 135 companies displayed their products and services in the AEA Exhibit Hall, which sold out for the first time since 2005. Next year, the 59th annual AEA International Convention & Trade Show takes place April 27-30, 2016, in Orlando, Florida. A variety of high-resolution photos from the event have been made available by the AEA online. Click here to access the photographs taken by Jeff Kirchhoff, AEA's creative director. More...
Kestrel and Eclipse Become ONE In an announcement released earlier this morning, the executives of Kestrel Aircraft and Eclipse Jet announced they are merging to form ONE Aviation.
"We are excited to announce the formation of ONE Aviation. I feel privileged to lead this experienced team of aviation professionals as we increase production of the Eclipse Jet, further the development of the Kestrel turboprop, and build a suite of general aviation products second to none in the industry," stated Alan Klapmeier, CEO of ONE Aviation.
ONE Aviation will focus on providing high-performance aircraft owners an uncompromising aviation experience -- from producing innovative aircraft to delivering industry-leading training and customer support services. ONE Aviation will immediately gain operational and marketing efficiencies by consolidating and leveraging the Eclipse and Kestrel business operations, supply chain, marketing and sales teams all under a single and seasoned management team.
"I am particularly excited about the Eclipse 550. As our pilot experience and aircraft needs grow, we look to move up -- to fly higher, faster and safer. For many pilots and aircraft owners, the Eclipse Jet, with its incredible efficiency and safety record, provides that next step," further stated Klapmeier.
"Combining the synergies of Eclipse and Kestrel under the leadership of Alan Klapmeier is a perfect fit. I believe that our current, as well as our future, customers will appreciate Alan's vision and his prior experience in leading the design, development and production of one of the world's most successful aircraft programs. Alan knows our customers, he is a champion for them, and he is recognized throughout the aviation industry as an innovator and transformational leader," stated Mason Holland, Chairman of ONE Aviation.
The Eclipse Jet is currently in production and is the world's only twin-engine light jet priced below $3 million. The Kestrel K350, currently under development, will redefine the industry's single-engine turboprop market. More...
 FAA Launches New ADS-B Resource Online Starting in 2020, aircraft must be equipped with ADS-B Out to fly in most controlled airspace. Will you need to equip? It depends on where you fly.
- How should you equip your aircraft?
- What equipment has been FAA certified?
- What are the benefits of ADS-B Out and ADS-B In?
The Federal Aviation Administration recently launched a new online resource to help answer commonly asked questions about ADS-B. More... |
 Regulatory Update
All the latest from the international aviation authorities
Frequently Asked Questions in the U.S.
Can you deviate from the equipment configuration specified within an AML STC? Learn the answer in this month's Avionics News.
More...
 ADS-B Countdown ... 56 Months to Deadline
Can an avionics shop install a universal access transceiver in an aircraft that is technically capable of operating above flight level 180 on the basis that the aircraft is not operated above FL180, or does the maximum operating altitude dictate that 1090 extended squitter be installed? Basically, does the equipment dictate the operation, or does the operational capability dictate the choice of equipment? Learn the answer in this month's Avionics News. More...
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 On the Radar
Upcoming AEA and industry events
International Rotorcraft Safety Conference, April 21-23
The FAA's Rotorcraft Directorate will host the 2015 International Rotorcraft Safety Conference, April 21-23, 2015, at the Hurst Conference Center in Hurst, Texas, a Fort Worth suburb. The conference will feature presentations, exhibits, break-out sessions and speeches from leaders in the helicopter community. The purpose of the conference is to reduce the national helicopter accident rate, particularly in the personal/private, instructional/training and aerial application industries.
More...
AEA Europe Regional Meeting, May 5-6
The first AEA Regional Meeting of 2015 takes place in Barcelona, Spain, May 5-6. An optional half-day SMS training session is available on May 4. Registrations are now being accepted online.
More...
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 The Connection
Meet the leaders in the general aviation industry
ALTO Aviation Masters the Art and Science of Sound
The acoustic experts at ALTO Aviation spend their days analyzing audio to give business aviation passengers rich, gorgeous, immersive sound. The team crafts sound performance at 40,000 feet that rivals the best home theater systems, but it's not an easy task, according to founders Don Hamilton and Steve Scarlata.
An aircraft cabin's shape and size leave little space for speakers and other components. The environment includes background noise registering in the mid-70s for decibel of sound pressure level, which is equivalent to a vacuum cleaner or a busy road. ALTO Aviation starts with a premium audio entertainment system made up of speakers, subwoofers and amplifiers manufactured at the company's home base in Sterling, Massachusetts. The size and type of aircraft determines which kind and how many components comprise each individual system. Discover more about this AEA member company in this month's Avionics News.
More...
Award Winners for 2015
Three prestigious industry awards were presented during the opening session of the 58th annual AEA International Convention & Trade Show in Grapevine (Dallas), Texas, on Wednesday, April 8. Joe Braddock of Southeast Aerospace in Melbourne, Florida, was named the 2015 AEA Member of the Year, while L-3 Aviation Products was honored as the AEA Associate Member of the Year. In addition, Gary Kelley was presented with the AEA Lifetime Achievement Award.
More...
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 In the Classroom
Professional development opportunities
 Avionics Installation for Experimental Aircraft Training Course, April 29-May 1
This three-day professional development training course is designed for the aircraft technician or homebuilder who is looking for guidance in completing an installation on an experimental aircraft with the popular Garmin G3X Touch large-format flight display system. From the do-it-yourselfer to the avionics shop looking to carve a niche in this ever-expanding market, this class has something for everyone. Students will spend a significant portion of this course learning, hands-on, how to wire the G3X system as well as how to plan, install, interface and configure the system. Registrations are now being accepted for the class scheduled for April 29 through May 1 at the AEA's international headquarters in Lee's Summit, Missouri. More...
Basic Wiring & Avionics Installation Training Course, May 11-13
This course is designed for currently employed repair station personnel, A&P mechanics, and others interested in improving or acquiring the skills necessary to perform avionics installations in general aviation aircraft. 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. It is FAA-accepted for 26 hours toward IA renewal training. More...
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 The Raw Feed
Industry buzz on social media
 AEA Convention Livestreaming
A continuous loop of the Aero-News Network's livestreaming coverage of the AEA Convention is currently available online. Eventually, the opening session of the convention will be available on YouTube, and this will be noted in a future edition of AEA Wired when it becomes available. More...
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 The Static
News from AEA member companies
SUN AVIATION
completed the purchase of the assets of Vero Beach Avionics, integrating all of the avionics shop's equipment, facilities, technicians and leadership team into the services provided by Sun Aviation.
DUNCAN AVIATION announced that four of its project managers have earned their Project Management Professional certification, which is an internationally recognized credential. TAMMIE BURNS, RYAN DEVALL, MATT LENTEL and WILL MORRIS completed 12 hours of college credit and then took and passed the PMP certification exam.
WESTERN AIRCRAFT was selected as one of BendixKing's AeroVue authorized dealers capable of installing and servicing the new systems on the King Air 200/B200. This authorization was added to the company's current agreement with Honeywell/BendixKing as an expansion of its avionics modification programs.
L-3 AVIATION PRODUCTS announced that its Display Systems business has been selected by Northrop Grumman Corp. to supply the multifunction displays for a digital cockpit upgrade from the U.S. Army's UH-60L to the UH-60V configuration Black Hawk helicopters. In addition, the
Lynx NGT-9000 MultiLink Surveillance System models received TSO authorization from the FAA.
GULF COAST AVIONICS recently completed a full-panel upgrade on a former Austrian Air Force Pilatus PC-7 for Legacy Warbirds.
HONDA AIRCRAFT announced that the HondaJet received provisional type certification from the FAA. In addition, the
HondaJet will begin a world tour in late April with the advanced light jet making its first appearances in Japan and Europe.
LANDMARK AVIATION
named its Miami International Airport general manager, ISAAC LEE, as the 2014 General Manager of the Year.
STANDARDAERO acquired DutchAero Services from GE/Avio and will take over the existing operations to establish a European Support Center providing military MRO services for Pratt & Whitney F100 and future F135 engines.
THOMAS GLOBAL SYSTEMS launched the new LCD TFD-8601 cockpit retrofit solution for regional and corporate aircraft. The company also reached a production milestone at its facility in North America. The Group's 15,000th avionics cathode ray tube display was produced at the Irvine, California, facility just 18 months into operations at the site.
GULFSTREAM AEROSPACE CORP. named Duncan Aviation as a company-authorized warranty facility for three of its mid-cabin aircraft models. In addition, the company's service center in Beijing, China, received Part 145 approval from the FAA.
GARMIN announced new capabilities and operational benefits for the King Air C90 aircraft, which are made available through the latest software upgrade. This latest update offers new features including NextGen components such as ADS-B compliance, user-defined holding patterns and the approval of optional equipment, which expands global operational capability.
TRUENORTH AVIONICS announced that its Simphonē FANS-1/A+ Data Link Unitplus received an FAA TSO.
JEPPESEN signed an
agreement with Mainline to collectively discuss enhancing business aviation operations in China. The two companies are coming together to determine strategies for increasing operational efficiency with the burgeoning Chinese business aviation market. In addition, the company agreed to supply its Airport Mapping Database as a new flight data element for the InSight Integrated Flight Deck from UNIVERSAL AVIONICS.
DALLAS AVIONICS completed the equipping of an Australian Airvan for a California-based law enforcement agency in conjunction with Air Bear Tactical Aircraft.
FREEFLIGHT SYSTEMS received EASA certification for the 1203C SBAS/GNSS sensor. The system is currently FAA certified to TSO-C145c, and now has the additional certification of ETSO-C145c. In addition, the company announced the release of ADS-B View 2.0 -- a free NextGen aviation iPad app that provides graphical weather, traffic and textual data to the aircraft pilot and crew. Weather and traffic information is received by the RANGR ADS-B system, transmitted to the tablet via Wi-Fi, and overlayed on the ADS-B View map.
JETTECH released Garmin GTX 3000ES ADS-B capable transponder to its existing STC covering Garmin GTN install on Citation and Citation Jet aircraft equipped with TCAS II. In addition, the company
amended its Garmin GTN autopilot coupled LPV FAA STC for the Citation 500 series to include all Primus 1000 equipped Bravo, Ultra, Encore and Excel aircraft.
ASPEN AVIONICS
introduced its integrated Evolution Angle of Attack indicator. Unlike other AOAs, Aspen's patent-pending solution integrates AOA technology directly into its Evolution primary flight and multifunction displays.
ACCORD TECHNOLOGY introduced
the
TSO-C199 uniquely compliant GPS source, the new
NexNav Micro-i
.
Leveraging the FAA-approved
NexNav MAX
&
mini
GPS SBAS/WAAS product family, Accord's new
Micro-i
is the only advanced, lightweight GPS SBAS OEM solution for light and experimental aircraft surveillance equipment applications.
Micro-i
,
exclusively, provides TSO-C145c integrity functionality for "commercial" GPS receivers.
AVIDYNE announced that certification of the IFD440 FMS/GPS/NAV/COM and Release 10.1 software for the IFD540 FMS/GPS/NAV/COM should be completed in May 2015. The company also introduced its new MK10 Mini Keyboard that gives pilots an additional method of controlling and entering flight plans into Avidyne's IFD540 and IFD440 FMS/GPS/NAV/COM systems wirelessly via integrated Bluetooth.
APPAREO SYSTEMS Stratus ESG,
a 1090 Extended Squitter all-in-one ADS-B Out solution with certified WAAS GPS, was introduced at the AEA Convention. Stratus ESG will provide pilots with a simple solution to comply with the 2020 ADS-B mandate and seamless integration with their Stratus ADS-B portable receivers and ForeFlight Mobile app.
GOGO BUSINESS AVIATION announced the ATG 1000 -- a new connectivity system particularly well-suited for light jets, turboprops and owner-flown aircraft. Via the Gogo Biz network service, the ATG 1000 enables high-performance email with attachments and calling and texting with passengers' own smartphones and mobile numbers. In addition, the company announced a series of additional data plans now available to business aircraft operators.
COBHAM AVCOMM introduced the new ATC-5000NG NextGen ATC/DME Test Set for testing transponders and distance measuring equipment.
ROCKWELL COLLINS announced a new offering that combines its Future Airspace Navigation System 1/A upgrade for Bombardier Challenger 604, Falcon 50EX, Falcon 2000 and Falcon 2000EX aircraft -- equipped with the company's avionics -- with an annual subscription to its premium suite of ARINCDirectSM flight support mobile applications and services.
ASTRONICS entered into an agreement with SmartTray International to exclusively market, sell and manufacture SmartTray's new passenger device-friendly aircraft tray table solutions that facilitate hands-free use of portable electronic devices including smartphones.
AEROSPACE OPTICS introduced NEXSYS, a premium product line of flexible avionic system interface solutions offering system designers and engineers the ability to solve system-to-system communication challenges. The NEXSYS brand joins VIVISUN in positioning the company as one of the industry's leading innovation solutions manufacturers for illuminated and non-illuminated interface devices.
CUTTER AVIATION named NED BATCHELOR avionics manager to the Phoenix Sky Harbor facility.
ALTO AVIATION launched its new line
of Passenger Interface Solutions. Under the umbrella name of ALTO Acapella Series Keypads, ALTO engineers developed a full line of elegant and flexible switches designed to provide each passenger in the cabin with an outstanding listening experience.
UNIVERSAL AVIONICS SYSTEMS CORP. teamed with ROCKWELL COLLINS to bring an integrated ADS-B Out solution to business aircraft operators. The solution was designed to allow operators to add the Rockwell Collins TDR-94(D) Mode S Transponder to their Universal Avionics SBAS-Flight Management System installation to meet the ADS-B Out mandate. In addition, operators are able to equip for Controller-Pilot Data Link Communications and Localizer Performance with Vertical Guidance. Also, nine additional aircraft have joined the growing list of platforms with Universal Avionics Future Air Navigation System (FANS) 1/A+ solutions.
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 GA Caucus
Industry advocates on Capitol Hill
In 2009, General Aviation Caucuses were formed in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate to inform congressional members and staff about the importance of general aviation to the nation's economy and transportation system. Today, the House GA Caucus has grown to become one of the largest caucuses in the House of Representatives. A listing of current House and Senate GA Caucus members is available on the AEA website. More...
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About the AEA
Founded in 1957, the Aircraft Electronics Association represents nearly 1,300 member companies in 43 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.
Contact:
Aircraft Electronics Association
3570 NE Ralph Powell Road
Lee's Summit, MO 64064
Phone: 816-347-8400
Fax: 816-347-8405
Email: [email protected]
Web: aea.net |
Advertising:
Lauren McFarland, director of marketing
Phone: 816-347-8400
Email: [email protected]
The "AEA Wired" e-newsletter is published twice a month by the AEA.
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