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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How do you know when a software tool needs qualification?
Certification teams often make one of two expensive assumptions: every tool must be qualified, or a commercial tool never does. Both miss the decision that matters—what certification credit the project takes from the tool’s output. Short answer: Under DO-178C, a tool generally needs qualification when the project uses it to eliminate, reduce, or automate an…
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What is a PSAC and when do you submit it?
Most teams first encounter this plan as one more document on a certification checklist. It is actually the document that tells the certification authority what software is being proposed and how the team plans to show compliance—before most of that work is done. Short answer: A Plan for Software Aspects of Certification (PSAC) is the…
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How deeply does the FAA get involved, and what gets delegated?
Your program may hear that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will be “highly involved,” that a designee will handle the software, or that a lower software level means little review. None of those phrases is a complete review plan. The real question is how the certification authority will obtain enough visibility to make its compliance…
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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