FAA Announces Organization Designation Authorization For Chelton Flight Systems

BOISE – The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced that Chelton Flight Systems, part of the Cobham Avionics & Surveillance Division, has been certified under the Organization Designation Authorization (ODA) program for Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) projects. Under ODA, the FAA delegates an organization the authority to perform its own certification activities under FAA oversight.

The FAA first established the ODA program in August 2006 with the intention of making their overall certification process more safe, effective, and efficient. ODA establishes a systems-based approach for FAA safety oversight of experienced manufacturers. These manufacturers must have considerable experience and a detailed, documented competence in part-by-part compliance with regulatory standards.

In return, by establishing and implementing the ODA program, the FAA is able to concentrate its resources on the most safety-critical areas of aviation and the development and application of new technologies. As an STC ODA, Chelton Flight Systems is now eligible to apply to the FAA for responsibility for multiple aspects of future certification projects, minimizing the time and expense required for any of these activities.

Jim Shirey, Chelton’s General Manager, says “We’ve greatly enjoyed working with the FAA to achieve ODA Certification. We’re confident that this development will allow us improve customer service and product delivery time, while helping to free up the FAA to continue to bring safe and innovative products to the commercial and general aviation markets much more quickly and economically.”

Chelton Flight Systems, part of the Cobham Avionics & Surveillance Division, is the manufacturer of the world’s first FAA-certified synthetic vision EFIS, which is now STCd on over 740 airplane and helicopter models. Chelton Flight Systems’ parent company is Cobham plc.

Cobham plc is an international company engaged in the development, delivery, and support of advanced aerospace and defence systems in the air, on land, at sea, and in space. The company has five technology divisions and one service division which collectively specialise in the provision of components, sub-systems, and services to keep people safe, improve communications, and enhance the performance of platforms.