Insitu has successfully completed the first interim Type Certification Board Meeting (TCBM) in support of the ScanEagle3 FAA type certification program.

Key FAA teams including Aircraft Certification (AIR), Aircraft Flight Status (AFS), Air Traffic Organization (ATO), and Aircraft Unmanned Systems (AUS) recently came together at Insitu’s Bingen, Washington headquarters for the TCBM, which was a first for the group of FAA teams.

The FAA teams participated in an overview of Insitu’s Project Plan for Certification. During this overview, they examined Insitu’s “Detect and Avoid” (DAA) capability planning, along with its Safety Management System and proprietary model–based engineering.

The three-day agenda included a number of items, including launch-to-capture flight tests, as well as standards, flight training and technical publications and manuals reviews to find out Insitu’s proposed basis for 2019 UAS Type Certification.

Insitu showcased its “stringent culture of safety,” which rivals the FAA’s extremely strict safety standards. Insitu also highlighted the innovative design and technology milestones that the ScanEagle3 has achieved, and showed that it was a “mature aircraft company.”

Via Insitu, “the aircraft type certification (TC) under 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 21.17(b) requires that an aircraft and its subassemblies are manufactured according to the approved design (known as the “type”) and that the design ensures compliance with appropriate standards. At that point a standard Certificate for a special class vehicle (UAS) will be issued by the FAA.”

“This exercise was to underscore our collaboration with the FAA, and to be completely transparent with our engineering details, software, and proprietary information,” says Jeff Raymond, Insitu program manager.

“This certification will allow us to operate UAS without delay — which currently is due to seeking permits and temporary flight restrictions — making us agile and ready to serve at a moment’s notice.”