Authorized Representative (AR)
An industry engineer (such as a Boeing employee) authorized by the FAA to approve Certification data on behalf of the FAA for an aircraft’s Type Certification. The authorization applies to non-retained regulatory requirements only. An AR is paid by the Commercial Developer, but has an enforceable legal responsibility to the FAA. The term is applicable... read more
Conformity
An FAA-specific term establishing a high level of independent verification that an article or test setup is compliant with its previously established requirements. Roughly equivalent to mandatory government witnessing in DoD development and production, except that certain supplier personnel might be permitted to conduct the inspection on behalf of the FAA. The term is applicable... read more
Design Approval Engineer (DAE)
An industry engineer authorized by the FAA to make major/minor determinations for proposed changes to an aircraft’s Type Certification data in response to a proposed change in the design. A DAE is paid by the aircraft developer, but has a legal responsibility to the FAA. The term is applicable only in the context of Commercial Aircraft.... read more
Designated Engineering Representative (DER)
An industry engineer authorized by the FAA to approve engineering technical data on behalf of the FAA within the limits of his/her specified authority. A DER is paid by the aircraft developer, but has a legal responsibility to the FAA. The term is applicable only in the context of Commercial Aircraft. Contrast with DAE and... read more
Major/Minor Determination
A process used by commercial aircraft developers to determine whether an existing certification remains applicable after incorporating some particular change in the design. This process lies close to the core of how the developer stays in business. The basis of the process is found in 14 CFR 21.93.a : “A ‘minor change’ is one that... read more
Retained Regulatory Requirements
Provisions of the Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR) for which the FAA has retained direct approval authority (that is, no AR is authorized to approve certification data). The term is applicable only in the context of Commercial Aircraft.