What is an airworthiness process? Why do airworthiness processes exist? What are the key differences between military airworthiness qualification processes and civil certification processes? Why and how is avionics qualification uniquely different from air vehicle qualification? These are basic fundamental questions! But how many of us know the answers? In the rotorcraft industry, it is easy to get bogged down in the day to day nuts and bolts tasks of designing and qualifying rotorcraft avionics. Producing state of the art military avionics for the US Army can be very rewarding. But without some knowledge of why the US Army Airworthiness Qualification process exists, how it works, and how to help it work for you, it can be a potentially frustrating experience! This paper is organized in four succinct sections: I. Understanding Airworthiness Qualification. II. Avionics Unique Issues. III. Key Attributes of the US Army Airworthiness Process. IV. How to Help Make the Process Work for You. A simplified overview of the legal basis for the airworthiness review is provided. Key process customers are identified, and the Army Airworthiness Process products are explained. Avionics Unique Qualification Issues stemming from airspace entry requirements are presented, with the precedence of Military Requirements emphasized. The FAA Act of 1958 Civil Airspace Entry requirements as they apply to military aircraft are explained, and the Equivalent Level of Safety concept introduced. Delta requirements stemming from International Airspace Entry are noted. The first goal of this short paper is to provide an overview of the US Army Airworthiness process generically and from an avionics perspective. The second goal is to identify key parts of the process important to industry, some common pitfalls and how to avoid them, and insight into specific ways the government and industry can work together to avoid them to produce and qualify world class products for a world class user.
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