The exhibit hall for the 60th annual
Aircraft Electronics Association Internatio
nal Co
nvention & Trade Show opened today at the Ernest N. Morial Co
nvention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. More than 135 exhibitors are showing their avio
nics wares and services in the sold-out exhibit hall, as avio
nics installers, engineers, manufacturers and dealers co
nverge in New Orleans to learn the latest a
bout their industry.
Hot topics at this year’s AEA Co
nvention include the growing pressure on aircraft owners and operators to upgrade for NextGen, especially to meet the U.S. ADS-B deadline after Dec. 31, 2019. Avio
nics manufacturers and installers are respo
nding with an increasing number of options, even for business jets, and they are hopeful that this will accelerate bookings in avio
nics shops as the deadline draws closer. So far, o
nly 30,000 of the more than 150,000 U.S. aircraft that need ADS-B equipment have complied, and much work remains to be done.
During the new product introduction session held yesterday, the first day of the convention, 29 companies offered a glimpse into what’s coming in the avio
nics field, from a new Vivisun lighted switch that will lower the cost of ADS-B installations for business aircraft; to new ADS-B STCs; cabin interior products such as Appareo’s Stratus USB charging port; test equipment; a new voice safety services satcom from Latitude Technologies; and more.
AEA show attendees can also partake of more than 75 hours of training sessions and free Aircraft Electro
nics Technician certification and endorsement exams courtesy of the AEA Educatio
nal Foundation and its partnership with the Natio
nal Center for Aerospace and Transportation Technologies (NCATT) and ASTM International.