Impact of Numerical Model Verification and Validation Within FAA Certification

Abstract

The mission of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is to provide the safest, most efficient aerospace system in the world. The FAA Aircraft Certification Service is responsible for the design and production approval and airworthiness certification of all U.S. civil aviation products. Historically, design approval has required physical tests, however the FAA allows for the use of modeling and simulation (M&S) to demonstrate compliance with federal regulations. This allows an applicant to reduce the number of tests required to certify a design by relying on the results of M&S. As with all M&S use, verification and validation are fundamental in establishing the credibility of the computational models of aircraft components. Through several government-industry workshops, there is an apparent need for better guidance and training for both parties to understand how to communicate M&S and Verification and Validation (V&V) activities to support certification decisions. Current efforts focus on the level of detail required to document the M&S and V&V activities by an applicant such that the FAA can make an informed certification decision resulting in safe aircraft.