Development of a Means of Compliance Model to Support Model-Based Regulatory Analysis

The diverging forms of aircraft concepts in development present an impending challenge for designers and regulatory bodies who face the prospect of reevaluating existing regulations which are primarily posed for traditional aircraft configurations. One approach to enable more streamlined and agile regulatory development and certification processes for aircraft is by utilizing Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) to capture regulations, aircraft designs, and the interconnecting relationships between the two. The relationships between these elements in an MBSE approach form a knowledge graph that can be systematically queried to provide insights. This knowledge can potentially aid in reducing the certification burden by partially automating aspects of the certification process such as the creation of certification checklists and process specific certification plans. This paper builds on previous research and details the formulation of a model-based approach for mapping out valid means and methods of compliance for regulatory paragraphs and aims to lay the foundation for future model-based certification efforts. There is upfront investment required to build the models necessary to support such activities, but there are many potential persisting benefits that justify this investment such as the partial automation of certification plan creation, validation, and document generation.