Understand how aircraft in the Civil Aviation domain get certified right now in this ½ day on-demand training course. As a pre-requisite to the DO-254 and DO-178C training, and suitable for all team members—including management—for avionics projects, this course defines what it means to be certified and how that process works. It clarifies the use of the word “certification” in this context and answers why this has to be done, where the requirements come from, and who you must work with to get your project certified. It covers the hierarchy of regulation and how the rules feed down to and utilize industry standards, such as ARP 4754B, DO-254 and DO-178C. It describes the authorities involved, the process from concept to aircraft certification, and all the steps in between.
This on-demand course, which is a recording from a live training session, is rich with all the essential information that avionics development teams should know regarding certification. Taught by industry-renowned certification expert and FAA DER, Tammy Reeve, this course offers all the information and tips you need to start your systems, software or hardware development project with your eyes wide open with respect to the certification process.
You will learn where the requirements for certification come from and how to navigate the CFRs (or CSs) to find the parts and sub-parts pertinent to aircraft certification. You will learn about the hierarchy of this regulation and how it flows down through systems and safety to the item (i.e., software/hardware) level.
You will be introduced to the regulatory authorities involved in the process, the internal organizations that in part hold this authority, and their approved designees. You will understand how industry organization like SAE and RTCA contribute to this process and how their products become means to comply with the regulations. You will learn about the various types of approvals for aircraft and systems and the differences between them.
By the end of the course, you gain an understand of the top down, safety-driven flow towards aircraft certification and how your role fits within this context.
1. Civil Aircraft Certification and the FAA
- Certification Authorities
- ODAs and DERs in this process
- CFR Regulations
- Systems Development objectives and tailoring based on DAL
- Types of Approvals
2. Means of Compliance and the FAA Regulation
- FAA Advisory Circulars & EASA AMCs
- DO-178C
- DO-254
- DO-160G
- ARP 4754B
3. ARP 4754B overview
4. References
5. Acronyms
IMPORTANT—READ CAREFULLY: This End-User License Agreement (“EULA”) is a legal agreement between you (or designee) and Airworthiness Certification Services, LLC (“COMPANY”) for the training that accompanies this EULA (“Training”). The Training is licensed, not sold. YOU AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THE TERMS OF THIS EULA BY ACCESSING, DOWNLOADING, OR OTHERWISE USING THE TRAINING. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE, DO NOT ACCESS, DOWNLOAD, OR USE THE TRAINING.
- LICENSE GRANTS.
1.1 The purpose of this EULA is to provide you with Training for your education. Therefore, all licenses granted for Training are granted solely for the purpose of your education. COMPANY reserves all rights not expressly granted.
1.2 COMPANY grants to you a personal, non-exclusive, nontransferable, perpetual, royalty-free license for a single student to use and download the Training solely for your individual use. This Training may not be shared with other individuals as is available for your use for as long as it is available from COMPANY.
This Training is proprietary to COMPANY and should not be distributed or copied in any format without written permission. It is to be used solely as the basis of education for the purchaser of this Training. Also, it should not be viewed as FAA opinion or regulatory guidance and presents only opinion and interpretation of FAA information by COMPANY.
All references to DO-178C and/or DO-254 material are copyrighted by and used with permission from:
RTCA, Inc.
1150 18th Street NW, Suite 910
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 833-9339
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- TERM AND TERMINATION.
This EULA shall continue perpetually but may be terminated by either party upon prior written notice. Without prejudice to any other rights, COMPANY may terminate this EULA if you fail to comply with the terms and conditions of this EULA. In such event, you must destroy all copies of the Training and all of its component parts.
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This Agreement shall be construed and controlled by the laws of Washington, and you consent to the jurisdiction and venue in the courts sitting in Pierce County. You waive all defenses of lack of personal jurisdiction and forum non conveniens. Process may be served on either party in the manner authorized by applicable law or court rule. If either COMPANY or you employ attorneys to enforce any rights arising out of or relating to this Agreement, the prevailing party shall be entitled to recover reasonable attorneys’ fees.
- ENTIRE AGREEMENT; SEVERABILITY.
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Purchasing this Training signifies you have read and accepted these conditions, and that you have access to a legally acquired/purchased copy of RTCA/DO-178C
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Description
This on-demand course, which is a recording from a live training session, is rich with all the essential information involved with DO-178C compliance, including many inside tips for success in your DO-178C program! Taught by industry-renowned certification expert and FAA DER, Tammy Reeve, this course offers all the information and tips you’ll need to get started. If you are an engineer or manager with new or upcoming compliance requirements and are trying to understand what DO-178C entails –and how to be successful in your program — this course is for you.
This course first talks about where the policy comes from and how it fits into the overall aircraft certification process, giving the student the regulatory background of which DO-178C is a part. It introduces other documents that interface with and influence DO-178C compliance. Then the class dives into the DO-178C life cycle, exploring the compliant development process in detail, including introducing the stage of involvement (SOI) audits that will occur at various phases. Finally, the course examines the additional considerations that involve so many programs, including how to handle previously developed software, what needs to be done for tool qualification, alternative methods, software reliability models, and product service history. What the Supplements are and how to use them is also included. Emphasis is placed on understanding the RTCA/DO-178C document and how to interpret and use it most effectively.
This course includes nine lectures, exercises to help reinforce the lecture material, and a comprehensive set of supplemental (publicly available) policy and guidance documents that are involved with and help clarify DO-178C compliance.
Course Includes:
- Introduction to the Class
- Module 1: Aircraft Certification and SW
- Module 2: Systems Safety and SW
- Module 3: How DO-178C fits into the Certification Process
- Module 4: The Software Life Cycle – Part 1
- Module 4: The Software Life Cycle – Part 2
- Module 4: The Software Life Cycle – Part 3
- Module 4: The Software Life Cycle – Part 4
- Modules 5-6-7: Additional Considerations and Supplements

