The certification process of the Boeing 787, starting in 2005, marked a watershed for airworthiness regulation. The “Dreamliner,” the first true “flying data center,” could no longer be certified for airworthiness ignoring “sabotage,” like the classic safety regulation for commercial passenger aircraft. Its extensive application of data networks, including enhanced external digital communication, forced the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), for the first time, to set “Special Conditions” for cybersecurity. In the 15 years that ensued, airworthiness regulation followed suit, and all key rule-, regulation-, and standard-making organizations weighed in to establish a new airworthiness cybersecurity superset of legislation, regulation, and standardization. The resulting International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) resolutions, US and European Union (EU) legislations, FAA and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) regulations, and the DO-326/ED-202 set of standards are already the de-facto, and soon becoming the official, standards for legislation, regulation, and best practices, with the FAA already mandating it to a constantly growing extent for a few years now—and EASA adopting the set in its entirety in July 2020. This emerging superset of documents is now carefully studied by all relevant actors—including industry, regulators, and academia—as the aviation ecosystem moves forward with DO-326/ED-202 set training, gap analysis, and even with certification itself. This report suggests a deeper analysis of these sets of regulatory documents and their effects on the aviation sector as they gradually become the law of the land, starting with their expected effects on the aviation ecosystem, the issues they pose to supply chains, and the challenges they present to the airworthiness certification process itself. Then, this report examines the major DO-326/ED-202 set gaps, inherent dilemmas, and methodological uncertainties. For each such unsettled domain, six aspects are reviewed. Finally, practical solution-seeking processes are proposed, and some specific potential frameworks and solutions are pointed out whenever applicable. It is the intention of this report that these insights and observations would assist regulators, applicants, and standard makers through, at least, the 2020s with accommodating this new regulation and start adjusting it to emerging realities. NOTE: SAE EDGE™ Research Reports are intended to identify and illuminate key issues in emerging, but still unsettled, technologies of interest to the mobility industry. The goal of SAE EDGE™ Research Reports is to stimulate discussion and work in the hope of promoting and speeding resolution of identified issues. SAE EDGE™ Research Reports are not intended to resolve the challenges they identify or close any topic to further scrutiny. Click here to access The Mobility Frontier: Cybersecurity on the Air & Ground Click here to access the full SAE EDGETM Research Report portfolio. https://doi.org/10.4271/EPR2020013

A large international airport is a microcosm of the entire aviation sector, hosting hundreds of different types of aviation and non-aviation stakeholders: aircraft, passengers, airlines, travel agencies, air traffic management and control, retails shops, runway systems, building management, ground transportation, and much more. Their associated information technology and cyber physical systems—along with an exponentially resultant number of interconnections—present a massive cybersecurity challenge. Unlike the physical security challenge, which was treated in earnest throughout the last decades, cyber-attacks on airports keep coming, but most airport lack essential means to confront such cyber-attacks. These missing means are not technical tools, but rather holistic regulatory directives, technical and process standards, guides, and best practices for airports cybersecurity—even airport cybersecurity concepts and basic definitions are missing in certain cases. Unsettled Topics Concerning Airport Cybersecurity Standards and Regulation offers a deeper analysis of these issues and their causes, focusing on the unique characteristics of airports in general, specific cybersecurity challenges, missing definitions, and conceptual infrastructure for the standardization and regulation of airports cybersecurity. This last item includes the gaps and challenges in the existing guides, best-practices, standards, and regulation pertaining to airport cybersecurity. Finally, practical solution-seeking processes are proposed, as well as some specific potential frameworks and solutions. Click here to access The Mobility Frontier: Cybersecurity on the Air & Ground Click here to access the full SAE EDGETM Research Report portfolio. https://doi.org/10.4271/EPR2021020

While being the first to fly, the Wright Brothers were also the first and last complete “one stop shop” of aviation: the only case in human flight in which the same individuals personally carried out the research, development, testing, manufacturing, operation, maintenance, air control, flight simulation, training, setup, operation, and more. Since then, these facets gradually fragmented and drifted away from the aircraft. This report discusses the phenomenon of aircraft operation’s “fading humans,” including the development of flight instruments to support it, its growing automation, the emerging artificial intelligence paradigm, and the lurking cyber threats that all over the place. Controlling Aircraft – From Humans to Autonomous Systems: The Fading Humans examines the “fading” process itself, including its safety aspects, current mitigation efforts, ongoing research, and the unsettled topics that still remain. Click here to access The Mobility Frontier: Cybersecurity on the Air & Ground Click here to access the full SAE EDGETM Research Report portfolio. https://doi.org/10.4271/EPR2023014

Traditional physical infrastructure increasingly relies upon software. Yet, 75% of software projects fail in budget by 46% and schedule by 82%. While other systems generally have a “responsible-in-charge” (RIC) professional, the implementation of a similar system of accountability in software is not settled. This is a major concern, as the consequences of software failure can be a matter of life-or-death. Further, there has been a 742% average annual increase in software supply chain attacks on increasingly used open-source software over the past three years, which can cost up to millions of dollars per incident. Developing the Role of the System Software Integrator to Mitigate Digital Infrastructure Vulnerabilities discusses the verification, validation, and uncertainty quantification needed to vet systems before implementation and the continued maintenance measures required over the lifespan of software-integrated assets. It also proposes a certified System Software Integrator role that would be responsible for public safety in traditional infrastructure. Click here to access The Mobility Frontier: Cybersecurity and Trust Click here to access the full SAE EDGETM Research Report portfolio. https://doi.org/10.4271/EPR2023028

The extent of automation and autonomy used in general aviation (GA) has been accelerating dramatically. This has huge potential benefits for safety given that 75% of accidents in personal and on-demand GA are due to pilot error. However, an approach to certifying autonomous systems that relies on reversionary modes limits their potential to improve safety. Placing a human pilot in a situation where they are suddenly tasked with flying an airplane in a failed situation, often without sufficient situational awareness, is overly demanding. This, coupled with advancing technology that may not align with a deterministic certification paradigm, creates an opportunity for new approaches to certifying autonomous and highly automated aircraft systems. Unsettled Topics in the General Aviation Autonomy Landscape discusses how these new approaches must account for the multifaceted aviation approach to risk management which has interlocking requirements for airworthiness and operations (including training and airspace integration). If implemented properly, autonomy can take GA safety to the next level while simultaneously increasing the number and variety of aircraft and transportation options they provide. Click here to access the full SAE EDGETM Research Report portfolio. https://doi.org/10.4271/EPR2022004

In the aerospace industry, competition is high and the need to ensure safety and security while managing costs is paramount. Furthermore, stakeholders—who gain the most by working together—do not necessarily trust each other. Now, mix that with changing enterprise technologies, management of historical records, and customized legacy systems. This issue touches all aspects of the aerospace industry, from frequent flyer miles to aircraft maintenance and drives tremendous inefficiency and cost. Technology that augments, rather than replaces, is needed to transform these complex systems into efficient, digital processes. Blockchain technology offers collaborative opportunities for solving some of the data problems that have long challenged the industry. This SAE EDGE™ Research Report by Rhonda D. Walthall examines how blockchain technology could impact the aerospace industry and addresses some of the unsettled concerns surrounding its implementation. Click here to access the full SAE EDGETM Research Report portfolio. https://doi.org/10.4271/EPR2020021

Advanced air mobility (AAM) refers to urban transportation systems that move people and goods by air. This has significant implications for reducing traffic congestion in cities and for providing an integrated approach to urban mobility. With the emergence of drone technology and the possibility of more autonomous aircraft, interest has grown considerably in AAM. Unsettled Issues in Advanced Air Mobility Certification discusses the impact of AAM on private sector solution providers including aerospace and technology companies and goes into solutions for urban planners and transportation professionals for better integration across all AAM modes. Click here to access the full SAE EDGETM Research Report portfolio. https://doi.org/10.4271/EPR2021014