Since DAPA enacted the "Military Aircraft Flight Safety Certification Act" in August 2009, it has modified and improved the relevant procedure and system to develop military aircraft and to boost the domestic market. Military aircraft could freely fly...
Since DAPA enacted the "Military Aircraft Flight Safety Certification Act" in August 2009, it has modified and improved the relevant procedure and system to develop military aircraft and to boost the domestic market. Military aircraft could freely fly and be modified before 2009, but now it must pass the well-established airworthiness certification test for flight and export to another country.
Typical operational aircraft is continuously modified at the structure, system or component level. This modification is, however, subject to a safety check and the corresponding certification procedure and system, even if the original aircraft passed the airworthiness certification test.
This thesis first introduces the current certification procedure and system being adopted by Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) for aircraft modification, and checks if ROKAF’s current certification procedure and system have sound capability of decision-making with regard to the safety of modified aircraft. This check is based on the comparison to the standard procedure, MIL-STD-882, being adopted by the Department of Defense in the US.
Then, this thesis makes two constructive proposals that may help to improve ROKAF’s certification procedure and system after revisiting previously performed aircraft modification cases in Korea. One of the proposals is the need of introducing a dedicated department in charge of risk analysis. Although the current certification procedure and system allow for systematic risk analysis, this risk analysis must be more formally performed according to the standard procedure (MIL-STD-882) and continuously improved by the dedicated department.
Another proposal is the promotion of a user-oriented decision-making system which accommodates the aspect of human engineering. There was a case in which a design improvement proposal on a power control unit for reducing pilot’s mistakes could not be accepted because of the absence of a proper decision-making system. It will be useful in the future if a scientific decision-making system, such as making use of questionnaires, can be established for assisting in the safety analysis.