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Flying Colours gets Euro green light on Bombardier tracking technology
Flying Colours Corp. has secured approval from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to install ADS-B OUT tracking technology on Bombardier Challenger 300 airframes operating within its jurisdiction. The approval comes with the mandatory equipping of ADS-B OUT for aircraft flying in controlled European air space only two years away.
This announcement follows on the heels of gaining the same approval from Transport Canada Civil Aviation (TCCA), as well as an 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 plans to highlight the latest approval during EBACE (May 28 to 31 in Geneva), where company executives 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.
The company explains it is 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 per cent. Flying Colours currently has capacity for seven to 10 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 company has extensive maintenance experience on the Challenger 300 model.
Flying Colours explains it 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,” said Flying Colours Director of Sales Kevin Kliethermes.
The pending European tracking technology mandate will come into force just six months after the North American obligation.
Flying Colours explains that it 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,” said Kliethermes.
May 22, 2018 By Wings Staff
