Integrating Research Development Programs with FAA Certification to Expedite the Introduction of New Technology into Production Aircraft

摘要

Many Research & Development, (R&D), programs have been initiated since the inception of the aerospace industry with the goal of developing improvements which would eventually be applied to production aircraft. While good results have been obtained from past programs, a relatively small number of them have actually found their way into production aircraft. Many factors are responsible for this including the failure of research program planners to consider the significant impact which Federal Aviation Administration, (FAA), certification rules would have on a production design. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, (NASA) recognized this problem and surmounted it in their Aircraft Energy Efficiency, (ACEE), program by requiring FAA certification to be obtained concurrently with the design, testing and manufacturing of new components manufactured as a result of the research. These components were then installed on inservice transport aircraft where valuable service history was obtained. NASA's approach was successful and led to the timely, widespread use of composite structure on new commercial aircraft. A similar approach is currently being followed by Japan's New Energy and Industrial Technology Organization, (NEDO) for the development of fuselage structural components. This paper discusses the past history of R & D projects and focuses on current certification procedures and how they can be used to obtain FAA approval for aircraft components developed using new technology.