View Full Version : Aircraft "Design Authority"
A chum mentioned that he had seen mention in a BAE Systems press release that, following the demise of the 146/RJ/RJX programme, the "design authority" for the '146 was to be passed on to British European Aviation Services.
Dunno if it's correct but - What does ownership of the "design authority" mean?
The "owner" of the type certificate data sheet, engineering and flight test reports, abd carries out all the airworthiness related issues related to the type.
In lay mans terms...the "manufacturer"
Genghis the Engineer
3rd Dec 2001, 16:49
To elaborate upon what Zeke said, the design authority is recognised by the authority (CAA, FAA, whoever) in the country of origin as the organisation responsible for the design. This gives them both rights (such as to make it very hard for somebody else to make parts for it) and duties (such as the requirement to investigate defects and assist the relevant organisations in accident investigations).
In fact the term "design authority" is normally only used in a military context. In civil aviation the more proper term is "type certificate holder".
G
Thanks Gents,
very useful answers.