When I started out this topic on certification, I pointed out that many certification projects are very late and very expensive. I went on to say that it doesn’t have to be this way. Here, I offer you four steps to software (RTCA DO-178B) or complex electronic hardware (RTCA DO-254) survival. No these steps will not make a perfect project, however by focusing on these four things all the really bad stuff that happens to certification projects will be successfully avoided.
Archive for the ‘FAA Certification’ category
Four Ways Out of DO-178B Certification Hell
July 7th, 2009Ready to Certify: Chicken or Egg?
June 20th, 2009
Talk of Federal Aviation Administration software or hardware certification leaves anyone “in the know” with a dark feeling of dread. Therefore, it’s hard to tell folks that the process of certifying hardware and software for use on FAA certified aircraft is a straightforward and an enlightened process. Justifiably, they think I’m nuts.
The truth is that these processes are straightforward. The problem is really one of chicken and egg, egg and chicken, ad nauseum. Most certification projects experience a seemingly never ending set of surprise delays and costs. It doesn’t have to be this way. The problem is one of getting set up and understanding the key project control points.
Analytics: The House Always Wins
June 8th, 2009
In the wake of Air France’s recent loss of flight 447, and the resulting deaths of over 200 passengers, I am forced to revisit one of the most irritating analytic farces (and one of the most long lived). Aviation experts, pundits and safety professionals will often flippantly instruct the less worthy that flying in an airplane is safer than driving in one’s own car. If you Google for this, you will see a variety of arguments (concocted) to support this claim. It’s all Bull.
