Introduction to DO-254

DO-254 has been around for over 15 years and has been applied almost exclusively in the commercial Aerospace industry. Because it has been focused in a subset of the electronic hardware market, many engineers and companies have little to no knowledge of DO-254.

However, in recent years, the airplane manufacturers have sought to create or update aircraft with newer technology to make them more functional, efficient and safer. As a consequence of this initiative there are two challenges have come to the surface:

1. Newer electronic components are being incorporated in airborne electronic hardware which were not used before. Consequently, a broader range electronic component vendors are being asked to provide or assist in documentation to support certification efforts.
2. Engineering companies which design airborne electronic hardware are seeking to minimize cost and schedule of the development of hardware incorporating these electronic components with more functionality and more complexity. Some also incorporate new technology. The desire is to use advanced verification languages as well as advanced verification tools which are already being used in the commercial industry to address this.

The purpose of this track is to provide engineers or technical leads with a basic understanding of the key concepts of DO-254. The hope is that with this information it will allow them to:

1. Accurately assess the impact of how these challenges affect their ability to produce a hardware item that will meet criteria set forth in DO-254.
2. Devise a solution to the challenges that will be compliant to guidance provided in DO-254.