A Learjet 31A. (Alan Radecki, CC)
Butler National has expanded its ADS-B Out offerings on legacy Learjet platforms after receiving an STC for a solution on Learjet Models 31 and 31A with traffic collision avoidance system (TCAS) II.
Butler’s modification provides Learjets with an independent ADS-B Out system using Garmin GTX 3000 transponders, GDL 88 ADS-B with wide-area augmentation system GPS sensor and Flight Stream 210 Bluetooth transmitter.
With the FAA’s ADS-B mandate coming up at the start of 2020, this STC gives Learjet operators who have yet to upgrade an additional option. Butler now has FAA approval for ADS-B Out solutions on Learjet models 24, 25, 31, 31A, 35, 35A, 36 and 36A without TCAS II and 31, 31A, 35, 35A, 36, 36A and 60 series with TCAS II. Butler primarily deals with Lear frames but has also completed ADS-B upgrades on King Air and Citation aircraft.
“The FAA-approved Butler National ADS-B STC solution not only provides ADS-B(Out) compliance but also allows access to very useful pilot information on an iPad,” said Clark Stewart, Butler president and CEO.
In addition to providing upgrades at its Olathe, Kansas facility Butler Avionics, Butler also sells the use of its STCs and installation kits to other avionics shops. Butler Avionics still has availability for ADS-B upgrades in 2019, according to Director of Sales Chad Caylor, but its “install schedule is getting worse on a daily basis.”
Caylor also said the company is working on adding additional Learjet airframe STCs but is aware that time has “become a major issue” with the mandate’s implementation less than a year away.