A 501(c)(3) nonprofit
Advancing aviation safety for the public good.
Free, plain-language education on FAA regulations and the software safety standards that keep every flight safe — for students, small businesses, and curious citizens.
Our mission
AeroCert Institute protects the flying public by making aviation safety knowledge freely accessible to everyone — so that anyone can understand the FAA regulations and software safety requirements that keep every flight safe.
Our focus
Founded by aviation safety professionals with FAA credentials, we build free educational infrastructure in three areas.
Public education
Free plain-language guides that help students and the public understand FAA aviation safety regulations and requirements.
Small business support
Helping small businesses and startups navigate the FAA certification process for aviation software products.
Community outreach
Building pathways for underrepresented communities to enter the aviation safety field through accessible resources.
Latest articles
Stories and explainers on how software earns its place in the sky.
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What decides whether you use DO-178B or DO-178C?
You are starting a new software program—or reopening a legacy baseline—and the same question appears almost immediately. Many teams brace for a simple answer: DO-178C is newer, so DO-178B must be obsolete. Aviation certification is more deliberate than that. The version that applies is set by your program’s certification basis and the means of compliance…
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What decides your DO-178C design assurance level?
If you are planning a DO-178C program, one question quickly becomes expensive: which software level applies? It is tempting to answer from the code—how large, complicated, or new it looks. Certification starts somewhere else. The system safety process sets the minimum software level from the severity of the failure conditions the software can cause or…
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What Happens When the FAA Looks at Your Software? SOI Reviews, Explained
The FAA’s four Stage of Involvement (SOI) reviews aren’t audits to survive – they’re maturity gates timed so mistakes are caught when they’re cheapest to fix. A plain-language walkthrough for small teams.
Safer skies are built with knowledge.
Every dollar helps make aviation safety knowledge free and accessible to all — from the student dreaming of an aerospace career, to the small business navigating FAA certification, to every passenger trusting the software on their flight.
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