Airworthiness Approval of Design Firms

Abstract

Aviation as a mode of transportation requires that the aircraft designed, developed, and
operated must be maintained under airworthy condition. The basic tenet of airworthiness is that
the aircraft designed and developed are certified by the independent airworthiness regulatory
organisations. This requires strict vigil during the development stages. With quantum jump in
the design and development activities, it has been extremely difficult for the regulatory bodies
to cope up with the demand of certification. Delegating this responsibility to a few approved
firms prove very effective in maintaining the design control through approved agencies and
personnel. Airworthiness approval of design firms taken up by the Centre for Military
Airworthiness & Certification, Bangalore, which is the airworthiness approval authority for military
aircraft in India, is one such step. This paper discusses the scope and extent of such approvals.