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Do you really need regulatory approval to change a battery design or battery type in a commercial plane?

by NoPiece 14y ago

josephlord 14y ago
I think that the battery is used to restart the engines in some emergency situations. Do you really want critical components that have been tested for many hours/weeks/months in the aeroplanes systems to be replaced without an approval process? Now would you let Boeing make that choice? The customers American Airlines, Al Italia, Aeroflot, Air Timbuktu? Remember the rules have to apply to all planes, manufacturers and airlines including the ones about to go bankrupt. In my view the answer would be a definite YES although I would hope the approval could be expedited if there are clear issues with the existing solution and good reasons to believe the new solution will solve it without causing other issues.
- NoPiece 14y ago
  Heh, I meant it as an actual question, is there a regulatory process for changing batteries. I could see something like this either being covered or not.
  - ubernostrum 14y ago
    The FAA directive covers this: http://rgl.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Guidance_Library/rgAD.nsf/0/8a1a8dc3135b60dd86257af60004cf4a/$FILE/2013-02-51_Emergency.pdf http://rgl.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Guidance_Library/rgAD.nsf/... Look on page 2 for what's expected to be done and how it'll be approved.
  - josephlord 14y ago
    Sorry I read it as a 'it is only a battery' and 'regulation sucks the government can stay out the free market will be self regulating' post. Apologies if this was not your meaning.
  - HeyLaughingBoy 14y ago
    I have little experience with the aviation industry besides once having been a student pilot, but I have a fair amount of experience in the medical device industry. If this were a medical device, there would not be a regulatory process specifically for changing batteries, but there would a process for changing anything about the design of the product. Briefly, that means that a Risk Assessment of the proposed design change must be made, the design change will be controlled (i.e., Requirements, Design, Testing and Reviews of all phases will be performed and properly documented), then the Design Output must be reviewed for correctness and the results may be used to update the initial Risk Assessment if needed. Similar processes will apply to an airliner, the question is will they be more or less rigorous. So yeah, changing a critical component is a time consuming and expensive process.

Do you really need regulatory approval to change a battery design or battery type in a commercial plane?

by NoPiece 14y ago

Do you really need regulatory approval to change a battery design or battery type in a commercial plane?

I think that the battery is used to restart the engines in some emergency situations. Do you really want critical components that have been tested for many hours/weeks/months in the aeroplanes systems to be replaced without an approval process? Now would you let Boeing make that choice? The customers American Airlines, Al Italia, Aeroflot, Air Timbuktu? Remember the rules have to apply to all planes, manufacturers and airlines including the ones about to go bankrupt. In my view the answer would be a definite YES although I would hope the approval could be expedited if there are clear issues with the existing solution and good reasons to believe the new solution will solve it without causing other issues.

NoPiece 14y ago
Heh, I meant it as an actual question, is there a regulatory process for changing batteries. I could see something like this either being covered or not.
- ubernostrum 14y ago
  The FAA directive covers this: http://rgl.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Guidance_Library/rgAD.nsf/0/8a1a8dc3135b60dd86257af60004cf4a/$FILE/2013-02-51_Emergency.pdf http://rgl.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Guidance_Library/rgAD.nsf/... Look on page 2 for what's expected to be done and how it'll be approved.
- josephlord 14y ago
  Sorry I read it as a 'it is only a battery' and 'regulation sucks the government can stay out the free market will be self regulating' post. Apologies if this was not your meaning.
- HeyLaughingBoy 14y ago
  I have little experience with the aviation industry besides once having been a student pilot, but I have a fair amount of experience in the medical device industry. If this were a medical device, there would not be a regulatory process specifically for changing batteries, but there would a process for changing anything about the design of the product. Briefly, that means that a Risk Assessment of the proposed design change must be made, the design change will be controlled (i.e., Requirements, Design, Testing and Reviews of all phases will be performed and properly documented), then the Design Output must be reviewed for correctness and the results may be used to update the initial Risk Assessment if needed. Similar processes will apply to an airliner, the question is will they be more or less rigorous. So yeah, changing a critical component is a time consuming and expensive process.