BlogAviation certification for the future
This is a legal certification showing an aircraft to be safe for use through a process to obtain a Type Certificate (TC). This certification is carried out by the highest Civil Aviation Authority, EASA in Europe, or the FAA in the USA, among others. EASA and FAA certifications are mutually recognised, so approval from one almost directly implies approval from the other. Likewise, Authorities from other countries recognise both EASA and FAA approvals.
Moreover, EASA guides us through the entire process of obtaining the TC. It does prohibit the use of unmanned aircraft for air passenger transport. Accordingly, our aircraft will be flown conventionally.
There are many companies worldwide currently working on the development of vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft, so there is no shortage of competitors to contend with. This has led the Authority to establish a legal framework to regulate this type of aircraft.
The regulations are very similar to those applying to general aviation (light aircraft, helicopters). The implementing regulations exist and are well known in the aeronautical industry: CS-23 for “Normal, Utility, Aerobatic and Commuter Aeroplanes”, CS-27 for “Small Rotorcraft” and SC-VTOL “Special Condition for VTOL”.
Due to all these advances, the Authority has established regulations for infrastructure, called vertiports, whose applicable regulation is the PTS-VPT-DSN; as well as for VTOL aircraft pilot training, to which Regulation (EU) No 1178/2011 applies.
In order to complete the Certification process, it is necessary to obtain a Design Organisation Approval (DOA). As with the TC, EASA will guide us through the entire process of obtaining a DOA. This procedure is highly standardised by EASA as it provides guidelines for meeting the requirements. In fact, at present many companies have obtained a DOA, each with its own capabilities.
Where is CRISALION Mobility?
We have completed a market and user study as well as a review of the regulations to obtain a design that meets the needs of potential customers and complies with all the certification requirements.
The regulatory framework takes into account logistical aspects for transporting the aircraft, which requires 40-foot containers, as well as operational aspects: flight over water (rivers, seas, lakes, reservoirs) and snow, and the required equipment, pilot training and adaptation of vertiports.
We are faced with a variety of critical design cases, as well as demanding components and equipment, for which we have both well-known and specific standards, and the continuous engineering support of experienced and pre-eminent global manufacturers.
For example, for avionics equipment, such as autopilot, we have the DO-254 and DO-178 standards, as well as the support of the manufacturers Honeywell, Garmin and Collins Aerospace, with whom we are collaborating.
Also hugely important when it comes to design are batteries, to which the DO-311 standard has been in force and applied for years in the aeronautical industry. Propellers and electric engines also have specific standards (CS-P and SC E-19, respectively).