In a meeting at the Aircraft Electronics Association’s international headquarters office in Lee’s Summit, Missouri, on Monday, Nov. 3, AEA President Paula Derks welcomed Trish Fritz, senior advisor to the FAA deputy administrator; Michael Whitaker, FAA deputy administrator and chief NextGen officer; Earl Lawrence, manager, FAA Small Airplane Directorate; John Speckin, FAA deputy regional administrator; and Joe Miniace, FAA regional administrator, Central Region.
Discussions included the challenges faced by the repair station industry as well as the challenges faced by avionics manufacturers in meeting the Jan. 1, 2020, mandate for ADS-B Out equipage. Derks reiterated remarks she made Oct. 28 at the FAA’s ADS-B “Call to Action” Summit in Washington, D.C., noting that the repair station industry is ready, willing and able to equip the expected 150,000-plus general aviation fleet by the deadline. However, the streamlining of installation approvals, readiness of OEM products and service bulletins, and an enhanced working relationship with the FAA FSDOs must take place to ensure an on-time compliance.
“Both industry and the FAA are taking steps in the right direction by sitting down together and discussing the obstacles we must overcome to get these airplanes equipped to operate in a modernized national airspace system,” Derks said. “Obviously, the FAA is highly dependent on all segments of the aviation industry to work toward a successful mandate. The AEA pledged to assist through avionics technician product-installation training, regulatory requirements, and identifying challenges from the ADS-B avionics manufacturers, of which the AEA represents nearly 200.”
From left to right: AEA President Paula Derks; Trish Fritz, senior advisor to the FAA deputy administrator; Michael Whitaker, FAA deputy administrator and chief NextGen officer; Earl Lawrence, manager, FAA Small Airplane Directorate; John Speckin, FAA deputy regional administrator; and Joe Miniace, FAA regional administrator, Central Region.