Duncan Aviation recently completed an upgrade and installation of ADS-B OUT-compliant equipment on the Bombardier Challenger 850 SE. Duncan’s satellite avionics shop in Las Vegas installed a Rockwell Collins TDR-94D transponder on a Challenger 850 SE, along with displays, GPS sensors and software, bringing the aircraft into compliance with the U.S. ADS-B OUT mandate.

The installation, which Duncan said marked a first in the U.S., involved an STC that was developed by Calgary, Alberta-based Avmax and approved by the FAA for use in the U.S. The work also involved a Rockwell Collins-developed STC for wide area augmentation system/localizer performance with vertical guidance (WAAS/LPV).

Duncan’s Las Vegas shop prepared the Challenger for WAAS/LPV and then upgraded the aircraft for ADS-B OUT, finishing the installation in three weeks.

“Prices will go up, so we decided not to wait,” said Lyn Johnson, director of maintenance for Gaughan Flying, the owner of the aircraft. “It was all on time and on budget.” Duncan’s satellite shop has worked with Gaughan for more than two decades.