DRONE CERTIFICATION

Technical Overview

Airworthiness, also known as airworthiness, is a property of civil aircraft.

Refers to the safety and physical integrity of an aircraft (including its components and subsystems, performance, and control characteristics) when operating in the expected usage environment and within the declared and approved usage restrictions.

Policy Requirements

Policy Background:

Issued on June 28, 2023, and implemented on January 1, 2024.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Flight Management Provisional Regulation (State Council Order No. 761)

Chapter 2, Article 8: For activities such as design, production, import, flight, and maintenance of medium and large civil unmanned aerial vehicle systems, legal application for airworthiness certificates shall be made to the civil aviation authority of the State Council.

Article 14: For major design changes to civil unmanned aerial vehicle systems that have already obtained airworthiness certificates and are intended for flight activities, re-application for airworthiness certificates shall be made.

CCAR92 Part《Civil Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Operation Safety Management Rules》Provisional Regulation August 3rd to September 3rd, 2023.

Scope: For activities such as design, production, import, flight, and maintenance of medium and large civil unmanned aerial vehicle systems, legal application for airworthiness certificates shall be made to the civil aviation authority of the State Council.

Definition:

Medium-sized civil unmanned aerial vehicles: 25kg < maximum take-off weight ≦ 150kg; or empty weight > 15kg and maximum take-off weight ≦ 150kg.

Large-sized civil unmanned aerial vehicles: maximum take-off weight > 150kg.

Medium-sized/large-sized civil unmanned aerial vehicle systems: medium-sized/large-sized civil unmanned aerial vehicles + related radio control stations + control links, etc.

Policy Framework

Related Documents

First Level Law:

People's Republic of China Civil Aviation Law

Second Level Airworthiness Regulations:

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Flight Management Provisional Regulation

Third Level Civil Aviation Regulations:

Civil Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Operation Safety Management Rules

Fourth Level Management Procedures (AP) and Advisory Circulars (AC)

AP-21-AA-2022-71 Civil Unmanned Aerial Vehicle System Airworthiness Certification Management Procedure

AP-21-AA-2022-40 Civil Unmanned Aerial Vehicle System Airworthiness Certification Grading and System Safety Analysis Guide

...

Policy Requirements

CCAR-92, the leading regulation for unmanned aerial vehicles, is a comprehensive regulation that includes various aspects such as operators, registration management, airworthiness management, air traffic management, and operation and management. Article 92.617: Requirements for unmanned aerial vehicle systems and equipment specify one of the prerequisites for operational approval: the unmanned aerial vehicle system must obtain the corresponding airworthiness certificate.

Commonly referred to as airworthiness certification, it refers to the certificates issued for aviation vehicles.

Process Phases

Design approval, production approval, and airworthiness approval

Acquisition Process

Certification Process

Model Certificate (TC) Determination Process
Civil Unmanned Aerial Vehicle System
Airworthiness Certification Management Procedure
Model Certificate Determination Process

Application
Acceptance
Familiarity Introduction
Establishment of Review Team
Review of Design Assurance System to Determine Certification Basis
Determination of Certification Plan and Compliance Methods Manufacturing Compliance Inspection
Compliance Verification and Confirmation Final Comprehensive Review
Issuance of Design Approval Certificate File Archiving
Post-License Management

Certification Process

Production License Determination Process

1. Submit Application Materials：Applicant submits production license application materials to the Civil Aviation Administration.
2. Application Material Review：The Civil Aviation Administration reviews the submitted materials for compliance.
3. Whether the Materials Meet the Requirements：
   • ifmeetsrequirements: enter theacceptancestage and issue the "Notice of Acceptance of Application by the Civil Aviation Administration of China".
   • ifdoes not meet the requirements: enter thesupplementary submission of materialsstage, supplement and review again until the materials are compliant.
4. Acceptance：After the materials are compliant, the Civil Aviation Administration formally accepts the application and issues an acceptance notice.
5. Establish "Production License Determination Committee"：According to the project complexity, decide whether to establish a specialized committee.
6. Establish Review Team：Establish a professional review team responsible for the determination work.
7. Conduct Production License Determination Activities：The review team conducts on-site inspections and evaluations of the applicant's production facilities and quality control.
8. Whether the Regulations Are Met：
   • ifmeetsrequirements: enter thereport compilationstage.
   • ifdoes not meet the requirements: terminate the process and notify the applicant in writing.
9. Compile "Production License Determination Project Review Report"：The review team issues the determination conclusion and recommendations.
10. Issue Certificate：The Civil Aviation Administration issues a production license certificate to the applicant who meets the conditions.
11. Post-License Management：Conduct daily supervision, compliance inspections, and other subsequent management for license holders.

Core logic of the process

The process takes "application review acceptance approval certification management" as the main line, and ensures the legality and safety of the production license through the judgment of two key nodes: "data compliance" and "regulatory compliance". The executing entity and document basis (such as acceptance notice and review report) of each link must strictly comply with civil aviation regulations (such as the "Production License Approval and Supervision Procedure").

Certification Process

Currently, drone airworthiness approval involves: special airworthiness certificates, special flight permits

Applicable to unmanned aerial vehicle systems with limited use, possessing a type certificate.

Application->Acceptance->Airworthiness Inspection->Issuance

Requirements

Design Assurance System and Quality System Conforming to Airworthiness Requirements

Design assurance system: refers to the organizational structure, responsibilities, procedures, and resources required by the applicant or holder to implement the measures specified in the design assurance regulations. To ensure that the design meets airworthiness requirements.

Quality System: A quality system that meets the requirements of civil aviation regulations, including quality manuals, management procedures, operational documents (process specifications, inspection specifications, test specifications, charts, inventories, and tables, etc.) and quality measurement required for the production of components for civil aviation products.

Requirements

Document preparation: varies depending on complexity, typically 1-3 months

Review process: varies depending on complexity, typically 3-12 months

Airworthiness certificate: approximately 6-18 months in total

Enterprise product model XXXX: estimated cycle is 6-9 months, subject to actual circumstances

Note: Generally, the maximum is two years. The application form is valid for three years and can be applied for extension