We have been hearing about ADS-B Out extensively over the last few years, and while everyone is gearing up for this to come into effect in June of 2020, there are precautions that need to be made that many people are unaware of for this to not negatively impact their aircraft during resale either now or in the future.
ADS-B Out is an avionics system that stands for ‘Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast Out’. This is system of aircraft communications that broadcasts out to other aircraft and air traffic control where your aircraft is, where it is going, how fast and a variety of other parameters. It is already a requirement in Asia and will be required for EU aircraft in June 2020 and USA aircraft in January 2020. Those aircraft not equipped will be prohibited from flying in most airspace, effectively grounding them.
As the deadline approaches, we are finding that more aircraft on the market are being upgraded with ADS-B Out. If you are a buyer in the European Union, you must look at how this modification was done. (see The Number One Thing to Know When Modifying Your Jet for more on this). If you intend to register the aircraft on an EASA register, you have to know if the modification is EASA approved. Many of them are, but some are not, which can create significant obstacles to registering the aircraft on an EASA register. This is especially important for aircraft that are not in production anymore and the manufacturer is no longer issuing service bulletins for these aircraft, so they are performed under an STC. It is common for a USA approved STC to not be approved in Europe, requiring a lengthy and often expensive approval process. For those aircraft who are still receiving service bulletins from the manufacturer, the modification will more than likely be accepted under EASA as it is a manufacturer bulletin.
We are seeing non-European aircraft having ADS-B Out installed without getting the proper EASA approval for the STC. To import such an aircraft would require a) getting the STC validated which can take 6-10 months or b) uninstalling and reinstalling ADS-B Out under EASA regulations which is incredibly costly in money and time. Many American owners are doing the ADS-B Out modification as cheaply as possible and are not thinking about it prohibiting or delaying an export/import when they come to sell their jet to a European buyer. They are focused on the install, not the resale.
If you are a European buyer, the modification and STC status of the aircraft becomes a key determinant of its ability to import onto an EU register and needs special due diligence. A good aircraft broker will research which aircraft are eligible for you to import as easily and cost effectively as possible.
EU owners need to make sure the proper paperwork is completed when installing ADS-B Out so there is not an issue if they export their jet outside of the EU on resale. Your management company should research that your STCs and modifications are EASA and FAA approved, but you need to discuss with them that this is a priority for you, so you don’t get an unexpected surprise during a resale.
Blogs are written from real world experience by Colibri Aircraft’s individuals. If you have any questions or comments about the topic of this blog, please feel free to contact us at enquiries@colibriaircraft.com
