AC 21-16G, a circular recommendation, describes versions D, E, F, and G of the DO-160 standard published by the Radio Technical Aviation Commission (RTCA), defining environmental conditions and test methods for airborne equipment. These versions include acceptable environmental attributes to demonstrate compliance with specific airworthiness requirements. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) strongly encourages the use of the RTCA DO-160G standard.
The appendix to that AC 21-16G advisory contains a summary of the changes made from the RTCA DO-160C standard to the RTCA DO-160D standard, versions D to E, versions E to F, and versions F to G. AC 21-16G circular is valid for manufacturers and installers that use the RTCA DO-160 standard for the environmental qualities of their airborne equipment.
The RTCA DO-160 standard (previously the RTCA DO-138 standard) has been used as a standard for environmental testing since 1958. This standard provides environmental test conditions and test methods applicable to airborne equipment. These test methods provide a laboratory tool that demonstrates the performance characteristics of airborne equipment in the environmental conditions that arise during use of the equipment on aircraft. It is not the purpose of this standard to determine the service life of airborne equipment subjected to these tests.
As the realities of equipment use under real environmental conditions are better understood and new needs emerge within the aviation community, the RTCA DO-160 standard has been revised several times to include emerging and improved testing techniques. Categories developed over time reflect a reasonable understanding of the severity of environmental pressures, the degrees of improvement achieved in the design of an installation, and the robustness that equipment must be designed to perform in operation.
The Radio Technical Aviation Commission (RTCA) is a non-profit organization established to advance the science of aeronautical and aeronautical electronic systems in the public interest and develops consensus-based recommendations on contemporary aviation issues.
Our organization also provides environmental testing services for airborne equipment within the scope of AC 21-16G standard, with its trained and expert staff and advanced technological equipment, among the numerous test, measurement, analysis and evaluation studies it provides for businesses in various sectors.
To get an appointment, to get more detailed information or to request an evaluation, you can ask us to fill in our form and reach you.
