Bigfork Montana-based uAvionix said last month it expected a TSOed version of its popular skyBeacon ADS-B Out solution would soon be ready for a marketplace hungry for low-cost options to meet the FAA’s 2020 mandate. Yesterday, the company announced the agency had signed the documents that will allow FAA certified aircraft owners to use the plug and play ADS-B system to meet the mandate. Until now, the skyBeacon could only be installed in experimental and LSA aircraft.
Supplemental type certificates for multiple Cessna and Piper aircraft are expected within just a few weeks, at which point uAvionix will begin shipping pre-orders. The STC data and installations will enable subsequent skyBeacon installations to be performed on any “suitable aircraft” without an STC as a minor alteration. A suitable aircraft will allow skyBeacon installation without airframe modifications.
The skyBeacon‘s TSO certifications include TSO-C154c, Class B1S for the ADS-B receiver, TSO-C145d, Class Beta 1 for the GPS, TSO-C88b for the barometric altitude sensor, TSO-C30c, Type I for the aircraft position lights and finally the anti-collision light that meets TSO-C96a, Class II.
Responding to news of the new certification and comments from the people who made it happen, Paul Beard, uAvionix CEO said, “I have never seen a more dedicated, sustained, and high intensity effort. The patience and guidance of the Chicago ACO and FAA Headquarters staff, and feedback from our customers, has kept us pressing forward. Not only has a special product been created, but a roadmap for bringing similarly innovative and cost-effective technology to aircraft has been drawn.”
The company also reported no changes to legal proceedings announced last month after Garmin avionics sued uAvionix, alleging the microminiaturization company incorporated some Garmin patented technology without permission.
