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Avionics Certification            
        A Complete Guide to
          DO-178 (Software)
          DO-254 (Hardware)

     
The first book on the most important safety certification documents (DO-178B and DO-254)  for  commercial and military avionics. 

           by Vance Hilderman and Tony Baghai

   
       The authors take you step-by-step through each milestone on the way to certification. They describe hundreds of examples, cases and actual experiences  acquired while winning approvals for over 300 programs.

      DO-178B and DO-254, they explain,  are intentionally written to be vague.  The documents contain  considerations, not requirements----but you won't get certified without them. To reach that goal, the authors offer practical advice  acquired over two decades of  certifications now flying aboard every major airliner and numerous military projects. "We don't teach regulations,"  they say, "but how to think like the FAA."

     They fill the book with  anecdotes that show how  many companies make false starts, waste time and break budgets.  Each  myth and misconception about DO-178B and DO-254 is dissected and debunked..  You'll also find  the best way to get a  project started (begin with  the "big bang" or  an "evolutionary" approach). There is even guidance on  how to staff a project.  

     After traveling  the certification route so often, the authors have strong opinions,  and they don't hold them back.   For example;  when should you argue with your government auditor, how to deal with  a DER (Designated Engineering Representative) and  what are typical  numbers for lines of code?  Then there's story of  how one little comma (,) in the wrong place  cost $125 million on a trip to  Mars. You'll get a chuckle over  software that  deteriorates into  "science projects,"  or dealing with  engineers who  become "artists."  There are suggestions on when to  give your manager a raise.

      There's advice on which tools to use and what to avoid, the merits of  different programming languages, what the "D" in DO-178B should really mean, when  planning can be too good, why some managers get it right the first time, some the second, some the third (and when it's too many times). There's  the sad tale of  a Very Light Jet manufacturer who ignored the authors' advice about unacceptable software  in redundant systems.  The FAA rejected it and the company lost $10 million.  

     This book is not a typical  tutorial.  Besides their software services,  are active  trainers.  Between them, they've taught DO-178B/DO-254  to more students than all other seminars combined.  Their wisdom can  provide valuable  insights  to  bring your  project to a successful conclusion.

     
    The Authors
Vance Hilderman spent 25 years designing and testing over 150 aerospace systems.   He holds BSEE and MBA degrees, and a computer engineering MS from the  Univ. of  So. California. He founded the world's largest avionics software organization and completed several hundred programs for 50 major avionics companies. Tony Baghai  has over 20 years' experience in software certification. He holds a BS degree in Mechanical Engineering and an MS in Aeronautical Engineering. He was one of the youngest Designated Engineering Representatives  ever to earn FAA certification for Systems and Level A software.  

     The authors are co-founders of HighRely, a company that has provided software certification services for nearly every Boeing commercial transport (737, 747, 757, 767, 777) and Airbus 380, as well as many military programs. More than 6000 engineers  over the world have been  trained  by the authors.

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Contents of "Avionics Certification"

 

1. Introduction
2. Real World of DO-178B 
3. Planning the Project 
4. Criticality Levels 
5. What is “Certified”?
6. Cost Vs Benefits
7. Military Certification
8. Getting Started
9. Safety Assessment
10. Planning, Development and Correctness
11.  Quality Assurance Plan 
12.  Configuration Management
13.  Software Development Plan
14.  System Requirements|
 

15.  Software Design
16.  Unit Testing
17.  Software Testing
18.  Structural Coverag 
19.  Test and Tools
20.  DO-254 (Hardware)
21.  Hardware Design Life Cycle
22.  Gap Analysis
23.  Verification
24. Project Organization
25.  PSAC
26.  Tool Qualification
27.  Software Design Aspects
28.  Cost Estimation and Metrics
Glossary
 
Avionics Certification
A Complete Guide to DO-178 (Software), DO-254 (Hardware)
  Cat. No. 178-01
  Pages
:   244
  Price: $95.00
 
 ISBN 978-1-885544-25-4