Concerned about the looming 2020 ADS-B deadline, the Helicopter Association International (HAI) and FAA’s Rotorcraft Directorate are hosting a forum on March 3 at Heli-Expo 2105 in Orlando to discuss means to encourage early equipage. This follows a recent HAI government-industry forum where FAA officials expressed concerns about slow equipage progress.
To meet the deadline, six helicopters need to be equipped every day, “but that doesn’t seem like it’s happening,” Lance Gant, acting manager of the FAA’s rotorcraft directorate, said at the recent government-industry forum.FAA Flight Standards director John Duncan encouraged operators to report issues that develop during the installation. “I know I’ll hear horror stories about installations,” he said, noting varied expertise on the technology and installation in the field.
Both officials stressed that the agency is working to smooth out equipage approvals. “We’re going to take advantage of delegation or whatever we can to streamline these approvals,” Duncan said. “Despite the challenging deadline, HAI and the FAA believe there may be creative solutions to the challenge. And they wantHAI member input,” the association said in announcing the March 3 forum.