This year marks two short years before the FAA Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) Out mandate hits…but who’s counting? I’m very pleased to say that we experienced incremental increases in Flight Management System (FMS) purchases and upgrades in 2017, confirming that our customer base is making the needed changes in preparation for the January 1, 2020 mandate.

It’s been nearly 10 years since the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) introduced the first Localizer Performance with Vertical Guidance (LPV) approach procedures in the National Airspace System (NAS). Since then, LPV approach procedures have gained a lot of steam; there are currently over 4,236 available in the United States and Canada. For aircraft equipped with LPV capability, the approach has become a lifeline for their operations.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has implemented Controller-Pilot Data Link Communications (CPDLC)-Departure Clearance (DCL) service at a large number of busy airports. CPDLC-DCL allows Air Traffic Control (ATC) to send departure clearances through digital communications, rather than voice communications.

Thank you to everyone that joined us during the 2017 NBAA – Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (BACE) in Las Vegas, Nevada. We believe that NBAA President and CEO, Ed Bolen, said it best:

The ADS-B Out mandate in the United States is a mere two years and four months away. While some have questioned whether the mandate will change, the FAA has been clear. In July this year, FAA Administrator Michael Huerta, spoke at AirVenture in Oshkosh and again reinforced that the agency stands firm behind the mandate.