The case study requires detailed design information about a manufacturer’s UAS, sufficient to establish the type certification basis, as well as interaction with the manufacturer to understand the design and intended operational scenarios or use cases. The case study would follow the practices used for establishing a type certification basis for a manned aircraft, but would benefit from leveraging existing work by the FAA on the theoretical applicability of the current body of regulations to UAS. The process involves development of issue papers as per Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Order 8110.112 as the means for accomplishing the steps in the type certification process. The expectation is that the process of determining a proposed type certification basis for a UAS would help identify: (1) existing regulations that clearly apply to the proposed UAS, (2) existing regulations that may need modification or UAS-specific interpretation to apply, (3) existing regulations that do not apply and should be exempted, and (4) where special conditions may be needed to identify safety issues not addressed in the FARs or other guidance, or for novel or unusual design features specific to that UAS. Documenting the rationale for all of these findings is an important part of the case study.
This case study would provide an empirical evaluation of airworthiness requirements for UAS to help validate the theoretical work, would lay the groundwork for type certification of the UAS under study, and could expedite establishment of a UAS certification process that could be implemented by the FAA. Because any single case study would only address those regulations relevant to the particular UAS under study, the results would not represent a comprehensive assessment of all regulations or those necessary for other UAS. However, the potential exists to provide an initial step in the type certification process for one or more UAS to operate in the National Airspace System (NAS) for civil use.
The case study is targeting UAS platforms that weigh more than 55 lbs; that are fixed wing, rotary wing, or hybrid aircraft; and that are intended to operate within the U.S. National Airspace System for commercial/civil application. NASA prefers vehicles that represent a broad segment of UAS types rather than a narrow segment or a unique vehicle. Special purpose operations typical of a restricted category aircraft (e.g., aerial surveying, pipeline patrolling, agricultural spraying or monitoring, and forest and wildlife conservation) are targeted in addition to those operations typical of normal category aircraft. UAS used exclusively for experimental or recreational purposes, or whose operation is within the purview of FAA regulation expected for “small” UAS, are beyond the scope of this effort.
The intended partnership between NASA and one or more industry partners will jointly: define the intended mission or use case for a UAS, evaluate the UAS design to identify potential certification issues, develop a certification basis worksheet that will identify all applicable requirements, exemptions, and special conditions that are anticipated, develop a compliance checklist, document rationale for all findings, and evaluate the results for applicability to other UAS. At a minimum, the draft type certification basis and any reports on the process and extension of the results are intended for open and public distribution.
Qualified providers are considered to be U.S. commercial entities that are established and recognized developers of UAS, who have previous history in the successful development and production of a UAS. Experience with FAA certification processes is desirable, but not required.
To view in full, click here