Genesys Aerosystems Updates Customers On Status Of Projects

The partial government shutdown is affecting more than just Air Traffic Controllers at the FAA.

In a blog post shared by Genesys Aerosystems, the company says its STC work has been stalled including Type Inspection Authorization (TIA) flights that are needed to gain approval to install the company's HeliSAS Stability Augmentation System and IDU-450 EFIS displays on the EC145e helicopter.

"Aside from being hard on our business, it’s seriously delaying our ability to get these safety-enhancing systems in the hands of pilots," writes Jamie Luster, director of sales and marketing at Genesys Aerosystems in the company blog.

"It’s also drastically impacting our aggressive – or at least they were – STC programs. We have several aircraft sitting in our hangar here in Mineral Wells all awaiting some kind of FAA approval or another. The worst case is one of them is ready for delivery, but because the FAA representative is not available, we can’t return it to the Standard Category and therefore we can’t deliver it back to the owner.

"And it’s not just bad for our business, avionics shops all over are unable to get field approvals on the work they are doing. Owners can’t get their aircraft and the shops can’t get paid. I, and many others in the industry, don’t believe that once this is all settled that the FAA will rush to get these approvals done. Word on the street is that things like this will have a very low priority on the local FSDO’s to-do list.  

"While I’m on the subject of backlogs, let’s not lose sight of the fact that the FAA’s ADS-B mandate is rapidly approaching and that both aircraft owners and avionics shops are in a full-court press to meet the deadline. Even with no FAA shutdown, avionics shops are already backlogged through the summer. I can only imagine how the current stalemate will impact the tens of thousands of ADS-B installations that will need to be done and signed-off by January 2020.

"Will there be an extension of the deadline? Who knows? But what’s clear is that there will be more than one thing to keep the folks at the FAA busy when the government does re-open for business.

"While all these issues are becoming painfully obvious for our industry, on a much more personal level, I have a goal to get current (it has only been 10 years since I’ve flown) and before I can do that, I need my 3rd class medical – which I can’t get until Oklahoma is open again. I’m just hoping that won’t be long."

(Image from file)

FMI: genesys-aerosystems.com