Online DO-178C and DO-254 Avionics Training Workshop

Want smoother, more cost-effective Avionics projects with less headaches? All you need is just five days with our comprehensive Avionics training course! Join our practical Avionics workshops covering the key terms, tech, and best practices involved within Aviation’s most important guidelines, from DO-178C and DO-254 to ARP 4754A/4761 and DO-330, and more! Click/tap here to sign up today and get ready to reach new heights with ConsuNova! A little more about this course: ConsuNova’s fall aerospace and avionics training classes offer our most interactive and informative experience yet, all online, so you can take them from anywhere you need. Just log Continue Reading > > >

The Aircraft System Safety Assessment in Four Steps

There’s a lot to consider when developing and engineering aircraft. All those considerations come with a lot of QA and analysis. If only more people knew how many assessments like these occurred, fear of flying would be a thing of the past. Ultimately, all the trials and tests come down to ensuring safe, reliable flights, no matter the conditions, cargo, or crew. For aircraft systems specifically, the multistep process gets lengthy and difficult to navigate at times. So, we developed a four-step review covering the key milestones in aircraft system safety assessment, centered around the primary standard, ARP-4761A. First, a Continue Reading > > >

The Most Common DO-254 Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)

In our 20+ years in avionics and aerospace engineering, we’ve rarely seen an organization easily and quickly build and certify a project to DO-254 standards. That’s no surprise; DO-254 is vague, ironically software-centric, and complex. In truth, DO-254 is rarely cost-effective in its first usage, however, the competitive landscape of avionics, both commercial and military, is just that: competitive and focused upon long-term cost effectiveness and continual safety. Meaning, if you know DO-254, you have a key advantage over your competition. But how do you know what to expect with such an elusive guideline? What mistakes and complications can come Continue Reading > > >

DO-331 Model-Based Design for DO-178C Project Verification

Last week, we talked about the “pudding” of DO-178C projects. That, of course, being the implementation stage of a DO-178C guided avionics software project. We touched on establishing implementation decisions and standards in your PSAC plan and the key considerations involved in making your implementation stage run as smooth as possible. So, by now you’ve implemented your product in code and are able to see it running. What’s our next step? Verification. With numerous activities, conditions, and considerations involved, DO-178C project verification can be, in a word, overwhelming. We’ve written about a few of the activities in DO-178C verification, but Continue Reading > > >

Implementation in DO-178C Projects

Not long ago we showed how cooking and avionics project development have a lot in common. In keeping with culinary concepts, I wanted to take a look at the “the pudding” of Aerospace engineering, i.e. where the proof is. I’m talking, of course, about the implementation phase of the DO-178C project lifecycle. First, a quick note: I was surprised to learn that the saying, “The proof is in the pudding” is actually a recent twist on the original phrase, “The proof of the pudding is in the eating” (and I was more surprised to learn that ‘pudding’ referred to the Continue Reading > > >

Join ConsuNova’s New On-Demand Training Portal

Last week, we announced some really big news. The launch of a first in avionics—a revolutionary interactive knowledge base for professionals of all experience levels and specialties, The ConsuNova Avionics On-Demand Training Portal. This interactive video collection offers premium training and educational content for Avionics professionals of all experience levels, all at the click of a button. Available at www.consunova.com/trainingnow, this on-demand portal offers over 20 pieces of modularized, focused content based on FAA and EASA rules and regulations. Created by certified DERs and CVEs, content topics cover the full gamut of avionics and aerospace software (DO-178C), hardware (DO-254), systems (ARP 4754A) Continue Reading > > >

Couples Retreat: The Importance of Data Coupling and Control Coupling

With the barrage of dating shows coming at us from every streaming and TV angle, I couldn’t help but think about couples, which led me to think about how cool the concept of code “coupling” really is, especially in avionics. Indeed, two things working together to ultimately make something greater than the sum of their parts is the most important idea in all-things aerospace and aviation. Rather, aviators and aerospace engineers of all specialties and functions know that strong relationships between entities are vital to every task, plan and project in this field. So, the coupling we’re talking about today Continue Reading > > >

Webinar: Optimizing and Automating DO-178C and DO-254 Certification

As aerospace and avionics evolve and projects become more complex, learn how to keep things on-time and accurate with our free webinar!  Join ConsuNova’s CEO and FAA DER, Reza Madjidi, and Visure Solutions’s CTO, Fernando Valera, as they discuss how to manage changes in avionics projects while also presenting the next step in software and hardware project compliance and completion: our project checklist automation platform, that automate DO-178c and DO-254 tasks. Details: What: Optimizing DO-178C/DO-254 Certification by Automating Proof of your Review Evidence When: Wed, May 25, 2022 · 8:00 AM · PDT (US & Canada) Duration: 1 hour Language: English What you’ll learn: Coverage Continue Reading > > >

Avionics Certification Course

Check out our upcoming avionics certification and training course! Classes run June 27 through July 1. The amount of topics and dense details in avionics certification combined with the need for tangible application of engineering concepts means that just reading manuals and articles will never be enough to keep your aircraft knowledge “flying high.”  That’s why we’re hosting a comprehensive five-day interactive online avionics certification course. Topics include: DAY 1:– Understand ARP 4754A & ARP 4761 DAL Determination– SAE ARP 4754A Certification Considerations– ARP 4761 Functional Hazard Assessment– ARP 4761 Safety Assessment Process: PSSA & SSA DAY 2:– Avionics Configuration Continue Reading > > >

3-Step Guide to Defining Requirements for DO-178C Software Development

To verify and complete any DO-178C guided software project, every part of that project needs to be requirements driven.   Requirements are what enable an avionics software project as a whole, and act as a “control group” throughout the rest of the project’s lifecycle. And it should go without saying that control is key in avionics and flying aircraft, benefiting every project and function of the industry. Most aerospace professionals know that building requirements takes careful consideration, read: time. But if you have a good plan for building your requirements definitions, like the three-step approach ConsuNova developed to help said Continue Reading > > >

The 5 Key Ingredients to Get Your Avionics Software Code Implementation Cooking

Cooking and avionics are incredibly similar. At their cores, they’re both made of meticulous processes that involve numerous steps and require numerous elements to be prepared and altered in just the right way, all in the hopes of creating an exceptional end-result experienced by numerous people. So, in this article, we’re covering an important section of the avionics software project recipe: implementation. When the “base” parts of your software dish—requirements and design—are ready, the next step is to get your code implemented in your product. While this particular step isn’t as complex or time-consuming as the entirety of your project, Continue Reading > > >

The 3D Experience: Avionics Software Design, Development and Data Coupling

Not every profession has to use three dimensions. Artists, musicians, writers, and tax attorneys alike usually only need to consider two planes of existence in their professional lives. But aerospace engineers and avionics professionals have a unique relationship with all dimensions. Dealing with all planes all the time (pun absolutely intended) is no small feat, and it’s especially important (and ironic) when working within a platform that only uses two dimensions: Avionics Software Design. So, for this article, we’re going to cover a different, non-spatial “3D;” let’s talk about the design, development and use of data coupling for Avionics software. Continue Reading > > >

The Aerospace Coverage Sack: Structural Coverage Analysis in DO-178C Verification

Sunday marks the end of the 2022 NFL season with the stupendous spectacle that is the Super Bowl. So, it should be no surprise that (American) football jargon was in the ConsuNova air this week. The “Power sweep,” “nickel package,” and “icing the kicker” are just a few of the phrases expressed on “any given Sunday,” though one stands out as an avionics and aerospace crossover: “the coverage sack.” For good measure, put simply, a “coverage sack” occurs when the defending team tackles the quarterback because no receiver was “open” to receive a pass. Though the analogy is a stretch, Continue Reading > > >

Autopilot Engaged? Automated vs. Manual DO-178C Verification

UPDATE – Sept 27, 2022 In just the last six months, we’ve seen some incredible ways AI is helping aviation and aerospace development. As a leader in Avionics certification and aerospace engineering solutions, ConsuNova is at the forefront of new, “smart” technologies in aviation, and we’d like to show you what we’re developing in our upcoming webinar, “Applying AI to Design Assurance in Aerospace”. Topics to be covered include:• Design Assurance overview – Regulations, processes, and safety assurance steps.• Certification challenges using AI – How to deal with the potential risks and difficulties when using AI to deliver intended functionality.• Continue Reading > > >

Higher Standards: Best Avionics Software Quality Assurance Practices (Part 2)

Welcome to part 2 of our 2-part article series – Higher Standards: Best Avionics Software Quality Assurance Practices. If you haven’t read part 1 yet, we encourage you to do so whenever convenient, though we did our best to make sure both parts can fly solo, so to speak. That said, the articles make a phenomenally informative pair for comprehensively explaining the processes, procedures and best practices involved in Software Quality Assurance (SQA) for Avionics and Aerospace. In part 1, we discussed why SQA is such a crucial part of any avionics software development lifecycle, laid out the phases of Continue Reading > > >

Higher Standards: Best Avionics Software Quality Assurance Practices (Part 1)

In the age of internet dating and unprecedented restaurant closures, you might need to occasionally lower some standards to make the most of daily life. Generally, however, it’s always good to set standards high for your professional, personal, and yes, cuisine-related interests. One (professional) aspect of life where it’s always important to keep high standards: software quality assurance. A related aspect where the highest standards should be applied, and never lowered: Avionics software quality assurance. Without the proper quality assurance processes and practices in place, you run the risk of missing errors and flaws in your Avionics software’s design and Continue Reading > > >

The Importance of Avionics Software Project Planning

No matter the industry or role, planning is a crucial part of any task’s successful completion. Well thought-out, SMART-goal driven plans help set the scene for activities, letting every stakeholder “see” the desired outcome, and how, when and even why that outcome will be achieved. When it comes to avionics, a great plan and “sticking to it” will invariably make or break your project. In this article, we’re focusing on avionics software development and how to plan with DO-178C and related DALs in mind. We’ll start with a quick list of the primary components that every good DO-178C-related plan, and Continue Reading > > >

It All Starts with DAL

I was tempted to title this article “DAL starts with DAL,” the first abbreviation read as if to say the should-never-exist contraction “it’DAL…” and I’m glad I didn’t. The beginning of any project, be it writing an article or developing aerospace software, is crucial. Arguably, it’s the most crucial piece of its success. For virtually every avionics and aerospace project type or discipline, it really does “all start with DAL.” DALs, Design Assurance Levels, are the key measures assigned to software and hardware functions used to determine the level of stringency applied to different components of an avionics system. Be Continue Reading > > >

DO-178C In a Nutshell

If you’re reading this, it’s a safe bet that you have something to do with the aerospace industry. And it would be a safer bet that you’ve (at least) heard of what most avionics professionals consider the quintessential avionics document, DO-178C. The multifaceted and highly technical go-to guideline for all commercial software-based aerospace systems, DO-178C is vital to modern-day avionics project planning and development. Although there are many dense details to cover, we wanted to quickly note some of the key concepts of 178C (the latest version of DO-178) and a couple ways it’s applied to today’s aerospace projects. We’ll Continue Reading > > >

CAST-32A and AMC 20-193 Compliance for Multi-core Processors

he use of multicore systems brings extra complexity to software behavior, and as a result to the certification and verification activities that must be performed to provide sufficient design assurance. As multicore systems were not used in avionics when DO-178C was released, DO-178C itself includes no guidance on certification concerns for multicore systems. This was addressed by the CAST team in CAST-32A, which is due to be superseded by AMC/AC 20-193. To understand more about CAST-32A and AMC 20-193, read ConsuNova Resource Page. ConsuNova also provide CAST-32A Training and AMC 20-193 Training under their Advanced DO-178C Training.