AIRCRAFT DEVELOPMENT & CERTIFICATION
From requirements definition to final certification, our team has a deep understanding of the entire aircraft development lifecycle. Our customers count on us to leverage our expertise and past experience to guide their program through this complex process and help them avoid pitfalls along the way.
AIRCRAFT DEVELOPMENT & CERTIFICATION
From requirements definition to final certification, our team has a deep understanding of the entire aircraft development lifecycle. Our customers count on us to leverage our expertise and past experience to guide their program through this complex process and help them avoid pitfalls along the way.
Conceptual Design
During the conceptual design phase, we’ll define various architectures, configurations and/or solutions to your design challenges. Next, we’ll perform analysis on each design option to identify benefits and limitations based on the following criteria: technology maturity, weight, system safety, complexity, reliability, producibility, regulatory compliance, schedule, costs and risks. During this phase, plans are drafted for proof of concept and prototyping, certification planning (PSCP), test and analysis planning, and the planned use of simulation tools, culminating in Conceptual Design Review (CoDR).
Preliminary Design
Upon selection of a particular design, AeroTEC designers and engineers proceed with the preliminary design phase to refine and optimize the design selected. All major analyses, simulation, prototyping, initial lab, coupon and wind tunnel testing are conducted to confirm or to finalize sizing of structure, systems, controls, loads, and interfaces. Technical risks are typically mitigated during this phase by implementing the risk mitigation tasks which might be a mix of research, simulation, analysis and/or rigs. The design is adjusted as required and a Preliminary Design Review (PDR) is conducted to help make decisions as the design progresses or to ensure that the design is optimized. For schedule mitigation purposes, long-lead item orders may be made, particularly if it is related to materials or supplier components that require advance notice for their manufacture.
Detail Design
Once the design is finalized, it is reviewed at the Critical Design Review (CDR) where the responsible engineer demonstrates that the design is mature and receives approval to proceed with the preparation and release of engineering drawings or models. During CDR, the design is validated to ensure it can be produced, maintained (man-machine analysis), and the cost of the build is finalized. The build processes are validated and specific documents are released in a final form, including the Indented Parts List (IDL), the drawing tree structure, and the Bill of Material (BOM).
This is a critical interface point between engineering and fabrication where detail drawings are released to manufacturing and assembly/installation drawings are released to production. Although individual component designs may be finalized during this phase, the sizing of any element of the design does not change. During this phase, Methods Engineering finalizes and executes the manufacturing planning which includes ordering parts, material and tooling, manufacturing processes, parts flows, kitting, and assembly, both at the sub-assembly level, assembly level and at the aircraft level. Specific tests may be conducted at this time, particularly if required for certification, or to demonstrate the design assumptions related to airworthiness, margins, and component qualification such as environmental DO-160 testing, flammability testing, and fully-integrated rig testing.
Certification
Once the manufacturing, modification and testing phases of your program are complete, our certification team will prepare all required certification reports and aircraft manual updates needed to submit to the FAA (or other regulatory agency) for final approval.
We’ve successfully performed over 100 certification programs. Click the link below to learn more about our STC experience.
