Testifying yesterday before the Senate subcommittee on aviation on the status of NextGen ATC implementation, FAA deputy administrator Michael Whitaker told lawmakers that “both the FAA and industry must be held accountable if NextGen is to succeed.”

He asserted that the agency is on track for completing the foundational technology for ADS-B well before the 2020 deadline by which the industry has to equip with ADS-B out. He warned against procrastination: “Let me be very clear–the 2020 deadline is not going to change.”

At last week’s NATA Air Charter Summit, Richard Peri, vice president for government and industry affairs with the Aircraft Electronics Association, told attendees that now is the time for operators of the more than 140,000 transponder-equipped N-registered aircraft to be scheduling installation with their avionics shop. With approximately 1,400 work days left until Dec. 31, 2019, he said 130 aircraft a day need to be upgraded to ADS-B if the transition to the new equipage requirement is to be seamless. The pace now is approximately 100 aircraft a month.