With the mandatory equipping of
ADS-B OUT for aircraft flying in controlled European air space only two years
away, Flying Colours Corp. has secured approval from the European Aviation
Safety Agency (EASA) to install the tracking technology on Bombardier Challenger
300 airframes operating within its jurisdiction.
The announcement, made just ahead of
EBACE 2018, follows hard on the heels of gaining the same approval from
Transport Canada Civil Aviation (TCCA), and complements the existing Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA) approval issued in 2017. Flying Colours already
holds supplemental type certificates for the installation of ADS-B Out equipment
installation on Bombardier Challenger 600-2B16 (604 and 605), from the FAA, EASA
and TCCA.
Flying Colours will maximize the
latest approval during EBACE at Booth W105 when the executive team will outline
key considerations and recommendations for ADS-B Out installations to delegates.
To date Flying Colours has installed more than 30 ADS-B Out solutions on a
variety of aircraft types, including 20 Challenger 604s in its home territory of
North America.
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The list of approvals
for ADS-B Out installation continues to grow for Flying Colours
Corp. |
It has prepared for the uptick in
installation demand by investing in additional equipment, inventory and team
members to boost its ADS-B Out installations by approximately 30%. The business
currently has capacity for seven to ten installations per month across its two
North American facilities with the St. Louis, KSUS facility operating 24/7
shifts to meet the demand. As a Bombardier Authorized Service Facility, the
business has extensive maintenance experience on the Challenger 300 model and is
well positioned to offer efficient, cost effective flight deck and cabin
upgrades on the model.
Flying Colours has already
received enquiries from European owners sourcing major flight deck and cabin
upgrades. “We want to try and future proof the aircraft by giving owners the
best advice in terms of avionics upgrades. For some European customers it is
more attractive, and often more cost efficient, to bring their aircraft to our
facilities to have maintenance, installation and interior upgrades all conducted
under a single roof,” explains Flying Colours Director of Sales
Kevin Kliethermes.
“This latest approval will help us support existing clients in their move
towards NextGen capabilities, and hopefully attract new ones as the installation
slots become rapidly booked up.” The European mandate will come into force just
six months after the North American obligation.
Flying Colours has also seen
extensive growth in the company’s avionics business overall with the team
working on more than 30 different avionics projects in the last year. It has
fitted the Pro Line 21 Advanced package, Ku-band, Ka-band installations, and
GoGo’s latest AVANCE L3 and L5 systems, as well as outfitting the first Canadian
registered aircraft with the Rockwell Collins network’s Future Airspace
Navigation System (FANS) 1/A upgrade, installed in combination with the ADS-B
solution. “Our avionics business is growing, and as we add more approvals to the
business, this will support continued development in this area” says Kliethermes. |