It's Labor Day, 2018! How's your ADS-B Out Project Coming?

Scott Sherer

I can't believe it's labor day and summer is winding down, but only up north where I live in Wisconsin. For most of the country there's plenty of summer left but the handwriting is on the wall, so to speak. That said, there's only 15 months of ADS-B free flying left. One of the shining moments in the ADS-B world is the uAvionix and their new wing tip and tail light ADS-B Out units. Unfortunately, they are currently in a patent infringement suit brought on by Garmin and the outcome is uncertain. It's going to be a David and Goliath slug fest and I'm not sure what effect this will have on uAvionix but this will certainly dampen their sales and throw cold water on their roughly $1,500 solutions. I hope they are cleared of any wrong doing and rapidly get back to business. We need competition in the marketplace and they've brought an innovative solution to the ADS-B marketplace. Also, and just thinking on this, my favorite avionics shop has been slammed during this summer of 2018 and the backlog is evident. Small aircraft owners like us are competing for shop time from the large airplane owners. Cessna 340's 414's 421's other turbine planes pay a lot more for ADS-B than we do and the profit margin for shops is higher than our small piston aircraft so they are getting priority over us.

Enjoy what's left of summer, everyone!