FEA Testing

: Aeromedical flight equipment must meet airworthiness criteria according to Department of Defense Handbook MIL-HDBK-516, Airworthiness Certification Criteria, MIL-STD-810G, and MIL-STD- 1791, which requires restraint of any item that may potentially cause injury to personnel during emergency landings, an overwater ditching, or crash loads. Several government standards provide adequate descriptions of acceleration test methods; however, none formally documents a non-destructive test method to qualify equipment as safe-to-fly (STF). Using the USAF fixed-wing aircraft STF test criteria, this article presents a structured process developed by the Aeromedical Test Branch, 77th Aeronautical Systems Group, to assess equipment as STF. Further, it demonstrates the application of this process to meet the acceleration requirements for aeromedical evacuation equipment.

Aeromedical flight equipment must meet airworthiness criteria according to Department of Defense Handbook MIL-HDBK-516, Airworthiness Certification Criteria, MIL-STD-810G, and MIL-STD-1791, which requires restraint of any item that may potentially cause injury to personnel during emergency landings, ditching, or crash loads.

Several government standards provide adequate descriptions of acceleration test methods; however, none formally documents a non-destructive test method to qualify equipment as safe-to-fly (STF). Using the USAF fixed-wing aircraft STF test criteria, this article presents a structured process developed by the Aeromedical Test Branch, 77th Aeronautical Systems Group, to assess equipment as STF. Further, it demonstrates the application of this process to meet the acceleration requirements for aeromedical evacuation equipment.