Aerospace Software

Expanding Scope of DO-178C

DO-178C now includes Auxiliary Power Units, whereas DO-178B is not specific about APU. It merely indicated "engines". But what is interesting is that DO-178C qualifies the scope as follows: "... and, by region, Auxiliary Power Units." I am aware that an Indian company has worked on a DO-178B compliant APU Controller for the B787. I therefore wonder what relevance the phrase "by region" has.

Mind Enhancing Problems Embedded in DO-178C

While reading DO-178C I am reminded of the Maths Text Books that have a tantalizing '(why?)' embedded in proofs. The purpose is to invite students to try and think which obvious step the author has skipped while proving a theorem.

I am sure the authors of DO-178C had no such intentions, but one could use open statements within DO-178C to explore beyond. One such example is in para 2.3.1:
... This model is intentionally a simple linear representation. In actual operation, the sequence of events that leads from a software error to a failure condition may be complex and not easily represented by a sequence of event ...

If this were a text book, the following text could have been added: The reader is invited to develop a representation of the real world scenario.

So I say to you. my readers, would you like to develop a more realistic representation?

Dreams Are Free

Sometimes I wonder if this blog had any influence on the drafting of DO-178C. And if yes, in what way. I see my name splashed across aerospace magazines as one of the top 10 influencers of the new standard. And then I wake up.

Reading DO-178C -- An Advice

The single most important piece of advice that I could give as you attempt to read DO-178C is this:
Resist the temptation to read DO-178C with a copy of DO-178B open on the side.
It may seem like a good idea to begin by comparing the changes in DO-178C against what you already know, i.e., DO-178B, but I found - very quickly - that this is also extremely boring task. And anything that is boring will never stick to your mind.
Instead read the document as if you are reading an aerospace software standard for the first time. Just flow with it. And enjoy reading it. There is lots to learn.
And yes, as I have been emphasizing in this blog, reading a standard can be enjoyable.

Change!

The eagle-eyed among you may have already detected a slight change in the Blog Header. Yeah! Time to start exploring DO-178C too. That also explains the long hiatus.
I wish to thank all those who have sent me mails demanding that I start posting again. I will start posting soon and more regularly. I promise.