Session Category: AIAA AVIATION Forum 2021

Keynote: “Certification: From the Outside Looking In”
Nicholas Borer, Advanced Concepts Group Lead, NASA Langley Research Center

Safety is often the intent behind standards and regulations. These may be used to indicate a minimum level of required performance, an acceptable way to meet a requirement, or best practices in design, operation, or verification. Certification is a process used to show that a particular design or operation meets these regulations and standards. Applicants – those that seek approval from safety regulators for new or modified designs and/or operations – need to make their case that they meet or exceed the existing rules or standards. This can be particularly challenging with new technologies, designs, or operational paradigms. This discussion will provide an overview of the process as viewed from someone outside of the regulator or applicant domain, and outline some of the challenges and opportunities with emerging aircraft systems.

1200-1330: Panel Session: A Little Thing Happened on the Way to the Market! Manufacturers Share Their Stories

Certifying Electric Vehicles and Motors. The challenges, lessons learned and key takeaways of getting airplanes certified under CS-23 (EASA) of Part 23 in the US. The victories behind certification of electric motors. Things that happened on the way to creating self-piloted air taxis and leaving behind the human-centric paradigm. Each will discuss their certification efforts.

Moderator:
Herb Schlickenmaier, President, HS Advanced Concepts

Panelists:
Tom Gunnarson, Lead, Regulatory Affairs, Wisk

1330-1400
Lunch Break

1400-1530: Panel Session: We’re from NASA and We’re Here to Help! NASA’s Contributions to Standards and Requirements

Given the importance of new standards and requirements that are needed to certify the next generation of electrified air vehicles, this segment will highlight the ways that NASA is contributing to the development of these new standards and requirements. NASA is helping through ongoing involvement in standards organizations in concert with contributing research and development efforts including the X-57, Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstration, and the Advanced Air Mobility Mission.

Moderator:
Lee Noble, Director, Integrated Aviation Systems Program, NASA Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate

Panelists:
Davis Hackenberg, NASA
Ralph Jansen, NASA
Vince Schultz, NASA
David Zahn, FAA

1530-1700: Panel Session: Making Flying as Simple as Driving

Simplified Vehicle Operations (SVO) addresses reducing pilot error-related accidents and making flying easier to learn, and proficiency easier to maintain. While the technologies behind SVO are broad, they include replacing “stick and rudder” skills with fly-by-wire systems that have more intuitive pilot action to vehicle reaction mapping. These fly-by-wire systems will also have envelope protections that range from preventing loss of control to “refuse to crash” functions that prevent controlled flight into terrain. SVO will also simplify flight management functions and operation of aircraft systems. The technologies are evolving rapidly, making SVO a technical reality. However, current certification requirements do not offer a straight-forward path to certifying aircraft with SVO. As a simple example, and aircraft with speed control that causes it to maintain speed when vertical flight path angle is changes does not pass the current longitudinal stability requirements. SVO vehicles pilot control and advanced synthetic vision systems may eliminate the need for a traditional pitch ladder, but certification requires them. Assuming the vehicles are certified, there are also questions around the regulations that drive pilot training. This panel will discuss current technical and regulatory hurdles that must be cleared to allow widespread adoption of SVO for Urban Air Mobility and General Aviation aircraft initially, then the broader fleet.

Moderator:
Keith Hoffler
President, Senior Research & Development Engineer, Adaptive Aerospace Group

Panelists:
Buddy Denham, Joby
Ken Goodrich, NASA
Wes Ryan, NASA