Avionics Installation

The safety of our nation’s skies has been entrusted to analog-based equipment for 80 years. In the early 1990s, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) proposed changes to transition the air traffic control (ATC) infrastructure from the aging analog-based radar to today’s affordable, highly accurate digital terrestrial and satellite systems.

Collectively referred to as Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen), the initiatives will provide ATC with greater accuracy when tracking air traffic in the air and on the ground by improving communication between ATC and pilots. Additionally, ATC and pilots will know the exact location of all vehicles on the ramps and runways at airports and all aircraft sharing airspace. As a result, operators will reap huge benefits, experiencing fewer delays and enhanced safety.

Duncan Aviation prides itself on innovation and communication, and we have developed this page as a collection point for resources and information about the NextGen intiatives, including:

• ADS-B Out
• FANS 1/A, CPDLC
• ATN-B1-CPDLC
• TCAS II 7.1

Wi-Fi, or Wireless Fidelity, is a Wi-Fi Alliance communication standard that provides the basis for wireless networks and the devices (such as smartphones, iPads, laptops, etc.) that use the network. The wireless network on an aircraft operates essentially the same as a home- or office-based network, allowing wireless devices to connect to it and access information and/or the Internet. To access the Internet, devices on an aircraft will also need a high-speed data (HSD), also known as broadband, connection.

Duncan Aviation is an authorized dealer for Gogo Biz, Honeywell, EMS (now part of Honeywell), Rockwell Collins, ICG (now part of Rockwell Collins), True North Avionics, Cobham, Thrane & Thrane (now part of Cobham) and other partners. Duncan Aviation provides installation services at our three main facilities in Lincoln, Nebraska, Battle Creek, Michigan and Provo, Utah, and at satellite facilities across the country. 

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has mandated an overhaul of the air traffic surveillance system, and the initiative is referred to as Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen). New digital-based technologies play a considerable role in the overhaul.

Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B)—available for aircraft with Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers—transmits location, altitude, velocity and identification information to air traffic control (ATC) and properly equipped aircraft in the area.

ATC uses this information to fit multiple aircraft in a fixed position horizontally. Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum (RVSM), which was implemented in January 2005, reduces the vertical separation minimum from 2,000 feet to 1,000.

Benefits of ADS-B-equipped aircraft

• Improved safety
• Priority over non-ADS-B-equipped aircraft
• More optimal flight levels than non-ADS-B-equipped aircraft
• Broadcasts position info automatically and no longer requires position reports

There are three levels of Directive Orders (DO) that provide the minimum standards for this technology: DO-260, DO-260A and DO-260B, and DO-260B is required throughout the United States by January 1, 2020.

Duncan Aviation knows that today’s business jet owners want to have the same ease-of-use and access to entertainment in your cabin as you have in your family room at home. Widescreen, high-definition televisions have replaced the grainy monitors of old, and many cabins now feature media servers and Blu-ray players. The systems can store and stream media, and passengers expect high-definition systems with high-quality sound.

Check with our avionics installation sales reps for information, quotes, downtimes or scheduling for any of the following cabin upgrades:

• Passenger information systems
• Cabin monitors
• In-flight entertainment
• Lighting
• Switch control panels

Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS II) was created to reduce the possibility of mid-air collisions. TCAS requires an appropriate transponder in order to communicate with air traffic control (ATC) and similarly equipped aircraft in the area. Each TCAS-equipped aircraft interrogates the other TCAS-equipped aircraft in a determined range about their position (via the 1030 MHz radio frequency), and those aircraft reply to those interrogations (via 1090 MHz).

Duncan Aviation's Avionics Satellite shops are strategically based at more than 25 business aviation airports across the United States. Each location is interdependent, sharing staff and resources to support customers anywhere they land, live or hangar their aircraft.

Operators located at airports with a Duncan Aviation avionics Satellite facility nearby use these shops for their front-line avionics service needs. In addition to avionics line services, we are able to provide avionics service and support to aircraft operators during times of critical, casual or remote location need and have the skilled personnel and equipment to provide popular avionics installations, like:

• Airborne Broadband with Wi-Fi
• ADS-B
• Cabin Management Systems
• FANS-1/A
• Flight Management Systems
• Systems upgrades of all types

We will also coordinate any repair, overhaul, exchange, loaner or part needed for any jet, turbine, piston-powered aircraft or helicopter.

Avionics and ECS (Environmental Control Systems) failures are unexpected and expensive with maintenance and repair easily costing thousands of dollars. Aftermarket warranty programs for avionics and ECS offer a fixed-price guarantee that will help to avoid unnecessary downtime and control expenses.

Available Aftermarket Warranty Programs

• CASP (Rockwell Collins Corporate Aircraft Service Program)
• HAPP (Honeywell Avionics Protection Plan)
• Honeywell MPP (Mechanic Protection Plan)
• Flight Assure (Universal Avionics)

Learn more about our available aftermarket warranty programs.