The Aircraft Electronics Association (AEA) will randomly award five aircraft owners with $1,000 each toward an ADS-B compliant upgrade this week at EAA AirVenture. The association is giving the cash prizes to aid in incentivizing general aviation aircraft owners to meet the FAA ADS-B Out equipage mandate. This is the fifth year that the AEA has made the cash award available.

"The repair shop industry in the U.S. has less than 18 months to equip the general aviation fleet of more than 100,000 aircraft with ADS-B Out avionics," said AEA president Paula Derks. "Aircraft owners who wait to equip will face scheduling pressure and likely higher installation costs as we get closer to the Jan. 1, 2020, deadline. By awarding $1,000 to five different aircraft owners to help them become compliant as quickly as possible, the AEA hopes to send a message to owners of general aviation aircraft that the time to act and upgrade is now."

Aircraft owners may enter to win at Booth 2035/2036 and a winner will be announced each day through this Friday. Each of the winners must use an AEA-member avionics repair station to complete the installation, which must be scheduled by Aug. 1, 2019.

The AEA is also distributing its just-released annual avionics Pilot’s Guide this week at AirVenture. The guide is free and provides a directory of avionics service providers and details on all the current avionics technologies available for general aviation aircraft. Details on the ADS-B mandate and equipment available to meet the mandate are also provided in this year's Pilot's Guide.