Computer Science Masters Degree Seminar Paper
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Exploration of a Process to Distribute FAA Certified Flight Critical Embedded Software via the WWW |
Exploration of a Process to Distribute FAA Certified Flight Critical Embedded Software via the WWW |
AbstractAn avionic computer, including the
resident version of its flight software (OFP), must be certified as
airworthy and granted approval for inclusion on an aircraft. The Federal
Aviation Administration allows manufacturers to provide airline operators
with a floppy disk containing updated versions of flight software.
Unfortunately, the process to create and deliver the floppy is costly,
time consuming, and creates a delay between software release and delivery
to the airline operator. This paper will use the Unified Modeling Language
as the method to study and document the delivery process. The current
floppy delivery process is examined. A new process that uses the World
Wide Web to deliver flight software to airline operators is designed and
presented. Delivering flight software using the Internet has been found to
be feasible. A web site and associated software management system can be
implemented to: configure released software, verify delivery integrity,
provide airworthiness documentation, track software delivery history and
allow regulatory oversight and control. |
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