During its spring meeting, the Program Management Committee (PMC) of RTCA conducted a comprehensive review and approval process, resulting in the endorsement of one new publication and the approval of four Terms of Reference (ToR) changes. Chaired by Dr. Chris Hegarty from The MITRE Corporation, this 21-member committee plays a crucial role in ensuring aviation system interoperability and innovation.

PMC Approved the Following Publication:

DO-230M – Standards for Airport Security Access Control Systems. This document provides guidance on acquiring and designing Airport Security Access Control Systems, as well as the integration, testing, system performance evaluation, and operational requirements related to such access control systems.

DO-230M is available with detailed descriptions in the RTCA Store.

The group discussed how to engage Technical Pilots and all operational SMEs from RTCA Membership organizations in standards development. The FAA presented and discussed their Order on Development and Use of Voluntary Consensus Standards (8000.376). They confirmed their need for standards under development by RTCA.

Mark your calendars for the next PMC meeting on June 27, 2024, where further advancements and discussions are anticipated.

RTCA’s New President and CEO Carol Huegel kicked off a Listen and Learn tour with industry associations, FAA and other Standards Development Organizations. The purpose of the engagement is to connect and collaborate with leading industry organizations and identify opportunities to work together to better understand our members’ needs for standards as the aviation industry embraces advanced technologies and new airspace users. With regard to advanced technologies, the RTCA technical team was invited to tour MITRE’s Integrated Demonstration and Experimentation for Aeronautics (IDEA), Immersion, and Mobile Autonomous Systems Experimentation (MASE) labs. The RTCA team also met with AI/ML experts from MITRE’s Artificial Intelligence and Autonomy Innovation Center whereby the group engaged in thoughtful dialogue about the role of AI/ML in the aviation industry. A special thank you to The MITRE Corporation for hosting RTCA!

In January, Rebecca Morrison, Senior Director, Standards and Technologies presented at “Unlocking the Full Potential of Uncrewed Aviation: RPAAS-Related Standards Workshop” at the Royal Aeronautical Society Headquarters, in London, UK.  Rebecca presented on RTCA standards which address Remote Piloted Autonomous Aircraft Systems and highlighted our upcoming standards, DAA Supporting Taxi Operations and Navigation for Automatic Taxi.

In January and March, James Venslauskas, Program Coordinator, participated in the FAA AI/ML Technical Exchange with nearly 200 other participants. The exchange addressed critical challenges and opportunities inherent in the integration of AI/ML technologies within aviation systems. The exchange highlighted the significance of collaborative efforts between regulatory bodies, such as the FAA and EASA, to harmonize standards and facilitate global interoperability of AI/ML-enabled aviation systems. RTCA is continuing to work with our members to support their needs for AI/ML integration.

RTCA is looking forward to seeing our members at industry events throughout 2024!