The key principle of systems engineering, a process now becoming widely applied in the commercial aircraft industry, is that an aircraft should be considered as a whole and not as a collection of parts. Another principle is that the requirements for the aircraft and its subsystems emanate from a logical set of organized functions and from economic or customer-oriented requirements as well as the regulatory requirements for certification. The resulting process promises to synthesize and validate the design of aircraft which are higher in quality, better meet customer requirements and are most economical to operate.

This book aims to provide the reader with the information to apply the systems engineering process to the design of new aircraft, derivative aircraft and to change–based designs. The principles of this book are applicable to passenger and cargo carrying aircraft and to commuter and business aircraft. It explains the principles of systems engineering in understandable terms, but does not attempt to educate the reader in the details of the process.

Incorporating the latest thinking by FAA and JAA to utilize the systems engineering in the aircraft certification process, the author shows how current guidelines for certification of systems with software are in agreement with its main principles. These in turn can be applied at three levels: the aviation system, the aircraft as a whole and the aircraft subsystem levels.

By providing guidelines for managing a commercial aircraft development using the principles of systems engineering, the book will enable engineers and managers to see the work they do in a new light. Whether developing a new aircraft from scratch or simply modifying a subsystem, they will be assisted to see their product from a functional point of view and thus to develop new vehicles which are better, cheaper and safer than before.

The readership includes the aircraft industry, suppliers and regulatory communities: especially technical, program and procurement managers; systems, design and specialty engineers (human factors, reliability, safety, etc); students of aeronautical and systems engineering and technical management; and government agencies such as FAA and JAA.

In an age of shrinking development cycles, it is harder than ever to bring the right product to the market at the right time. Good product - especially complex products - are underpinned by good systems, and systems engineering itself is recognized as the key tool of product development.

This book covers the principles of systems engineering in an easy-to-read format.

The authors have decades of practical industrial experience, and the material is ideal for industrial project teams. For academic courses, the book acts as a component for graduate and undergraduate engineering studies, particularly those on systems engineering.

It covers how to handle requirements, architectural design, integration and verification, starting from the perspective of a simple linear lifecycle. The book then gradually introduces recent work on the complexity of real-world systems, with issues such as multi-level systems development, software within systems, and iterative development. There is also coverage of the impact of systems engineering at the organizational level.