Aerospace Systems Engineering Training

Aerospace Systems Engineering Training by Tonex

Aerospace Systems Engineering is a 3-day course where participants learn about systems engineering practices as well as terms and methods. Participants also learn system life cycles used by INCOSE, FAA/RTCA, European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), ESA, DoD and NASA.

Despite being an “above Earth” sector, aerospace systems engineers need to have both feet planted firmly on the ground when it comes to ongoing education.

That’s due to the nature of aerospace systems engineering. The aerospace industry is constantly evolving. New technology posed to disrupt the world is continuously in development even though it may not be publicly seen for decades to come.

In other words, aerospace systems engineers need to pay attention to trends. Ignoring them can leave organizations falling behind their competition and forced to catch up on the new industry standards.

One extremely prominent aerospace systems engineering trend in 2024 is additive manufacturing.

Another huge trend is electric propulsion. This trend is already well-known in the automotive industry, but it is also true for the aerospace industry. Not only does this shift in propulsion offer a quiet craft with reduced emissions, but it also comes with reduced costs.

Word is that there are over 200 electrically-propelled aircraft currently in development with the potential to revolutionize the aerospace sector and bring new job possibilities to aerospace systems engineers.

These are just a few of the trends and challenges facing the aerospace systems engineering field.

Most experts in this area divide aerospace systems engineering into four phases:

• Project Definition and Planning Phase
• Requirements Definition and Engineering Specifications Phase
• Concept Generalization and Evaluation Phase
• Product Design Phase

One of the most challenging aspects of aerospace engineering is designing for extreme conditions, such as high altitudes, low temperatures, high speeds, and harsh environments.

Another key challenge faced by aerospace systems engineers is excelling in the critical nature of the work they do. Aerospace systems engineers are responsible for ensuring that the aircraft is safe for flying, keeping the crew and passengers safe.

Consequently, stress can be a factor so those in aerospace systems engineering need to understand proven methods for managing stress.

Modern aerospace systems are becoming increasingly complex and interconnected, while still being expected to meet stringent performance, reliability, and safety requirements. Examples include commercial aircraft, UAVs, transportation systems, and supply chains.

Our culture relies on these systems for common everyday tasks, in addition to missions of national and global importance.

Many analysts believe that for the aerospace systems engineer, designing such complex systems requires a holistic approach, starting from conceptual design through mission design, operations analysis, and sustainment.

It’s a process supported by multi-disciplinary and collaborative research, implementing rigorous systems engineering principles and analytical methods.

Aerospace Systems Engineering Training Course by Tonex

Aerospace systems engineering training covers the fundamentals of systems engineering and their applications in aerospace systems, emphasizing commercial and military systems. We will provide you with a practical knowledge of all components, technical and managerial, included in systems engineering as used in aerospace systems of variable complexity.

This hands-on training will focus on the challenging parts in systems development including requirements definition, integration, distribution of requirements, risk management, verification and validation. We also will discuss the techniques and methods used on commercial systems, INCOSE, FAA/RTCA, European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), ESA, DoD and NASA programs.

Learn About:

• Systems engineering practices.
• Terms and methods
• System life cycles used by INCOSE, FAA/RTCA, European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), ESA, DoD and NASA
• Requirements generation
• Trade studies
• Architectural practices
• Functional allocation
• Verification/validation methods
• Requirements Determination
• Risk management
• Evaluating specialty engineering contributions
• Importance of integrated product and process teams

Aerospace systems engineering training is delivered in the form of hands-on training that includes labs, group activities, real-world case-studies, and hands-on workshops.

Audience

Aerospace systems engineering training is a 3-day course designed for:

• Systems engineers
• Aerospace engineers
• Space program managers
• Military and commercial avionics project managers
• Space, military, and commercial product managers

Learning Objectives

Upon the completion of Aerospace systems engineering training, the attendees are able to:

• Understand the fundamentals of systems engineering applied to aerospace industry
• List aerospace industry programs and standards
• Describe avionics and aircraft systems
• Define aerospace systems engineering processes
• Describe the aerospace-associated programs life-cycle process
• Identify aerospace systems components
• Identify and provide systems requirements and management
• Design the aerospace system
• Integrate their aerospace specialty into systems engineering
• Model aerospace system architecture
• Apply verification and validation techniques
• Apply the models and methods fit aerospace systems
• Manage technical data
• Manage and mitigate technical risks
• Conducting crosscutting techniques
• Manage and support required logistics
• Understand data acquisition and control systems

Course Outline

Overview of Aerospace Systems Engineering

• Systems engineering
• Systems engineering components
• System of systems engineering
• Systems engineering objectives.
• INCOSE Systems engineering disciplines.
• Aerospace systems
• NASA space systems
• DoD System of Systems (SoS)
• DoD MIL-STD applied to aerospace.
• FAA and DO and European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA)
• standards.
• ARP-4754 and system aspects of certification, ARP-4761, DO-178C and DO-254
• Overview of FAA/EASA Programs and Joint Certification Program Validation
• Joint Certification Program and Validation
• Overview of MIL-STD-810G and DO-160G.
• MIL-STD-810G, MIL-STD-461F, and RTCA DO-160 Testing and qualification programs
• Environmental simulation and EMC testing

System Lifecycle Process

• Researching
• The V diagram
• The project lifecycle process flow
• Preliminary analysis
• Definition
• Development
• Operations and maintenance
• The budget cycle

Aerospace Systems Engineering Management Concerns

• Coordinating balanced goals, work products, and organizations
• The aerospace Systems Engineering Management Plan (SEMP)
• The aerospace SEMP impact
• The aerospace SEMP content
• The aerospace SEMP development
• The Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) vs. Product Breakdown Structure (PWBS)
• WBS and PBS roles
• WBS and PBS development tools
• Common mistakes of WBS and PBS
• Scheduling and scheduling impact
• System schedule info and visual styles
• Setting up a system schedule
• Reporting methods
• Resource leveling
• Budgeting and resource management
• Risk management
• Various types of risks
• Risk determination methods
• Risk assessment methods
• Risk reduction methods
• Configuration Management
• Baseline development
• Configuration management strategies
• Managing information
• Reviews, audits, and control
• Objectives
• Overall rules
• Main control accesses
• Temporary review
• Reporting the state and evaluation
• Cost and schedule control measurement indices
• Engineering performance evaluation
• Aerospace systems engineering process metrics

Systems Assessment and Modeling Concerns in Aerospace

• The trade study development
• Regulating the trade study
• Models and tools
• Selecting the selection rule
• Defining and modeling the budget
• Life Cycle expenses and other expenses evaluation
• Monitoring life-cycle costs
• Cost approximation
• Defining and modeling the effectiveness
• Measuring the system effectiveness methods
• NASA system effectiveness evaluation
• Accessibility and logistics supportability modeling
• Probabilistic management of cost and effectiveness
• Origins of uncertainty in models
• Modeling methods for managing uncertainty

Integrating Aerospace Engineering into the Systems Engineering Process

• Aerospace engineering role
• Reliability
• Role of the reliability
• Building consistent space-based systems
• Reliability assessment tools and methods
• Quality assurance
• Role of the quality assurance engineer
• Quality assurance tools and methods
• Maintainability
• Responsibility of the maintainability engineer
• The system maintenance notion and maintenance plan
• Designing maintainable space-based systems
• Maintainability evaluation tools and methods
• The avionics Integrated Logistics Support (ILS)
• ILS components
• Planning for ILS
• ILS tools and methods
• Continuous attainment and life-cycle support
• Verification
• Verification process
• Verification planning
• Qualification verification
• Acceptance verification
• Deployment verification
• Functional and disposal verification
• Production
• Production engineer responsibilities
• Tools and methods
• Publicly accepted
• Environmental impacts
• Nuclear safety launch authorization
• Planetary protection

Functional Assessment Methods

• Functional methods
• N² diagrams
• Timeline analysis

Functional Analysis

• Boeing B-777: fly-by-wire flight control systems
• Electrical flight control systems
• Navigation and tracking Systems
• Flight management systems
• Synthetic vision
• Communication systems
• Satellite systems
• Data buses
• Sensor systems

Layers in Systems Engineering Project Success

• Product Success
• Project Management Success
• Project Execution on Schedule and Budget
• Scope
• Meet Quality Requirements
• Satisfy Quality Expectations
• Meet Safety Requirements
• Meet Non-Functional Requirements
• Meet Organizational Needs
• Achieved Desired Outcomes
• Engineering Ethics

Layers in Engineering Project Failures

• Dysfunctional and Ineffective Decision Making
• Misaligned Goals
• Communications Problems
• Corporate Culture
• Lack of Situational Awareness
• Cognitive Biases
• Political issues
• Lack of Trust or Openness

Tonex Case Study Sample: International Space Station (ISS)

• Some background
• ISS systems engineering elements
• ISS systems engineering principals
• ISS systems engineering accomplishments
• ISS systems engineering challenges and failures
• ISS systems engineering configuration management
• ISS systems engineering quality assurance and maintenance
• ISS software, communications. mechanical, electrical and electromechanical system design and engineering

Case Study Lessons Learned 

This proposal describes the development of a course focused on case studies that investigate engineering design successes and failures both internal and external to NASA.

TONEX’s case study course includes  industrially-derived case studies showing  success engineering, failures, failure analysis, and  forensic engineering focusing on:

1. Design Failures
2. Organizational and Planning Failures
3. Leadership and Governance Failures
4. Judgment Failures
5. Underestimation and Analysis Failures
6. Quality Failures
7. Risk Failures
8. Skills, Knowledge and Competency Failures
9. Edgemont, Teamwork and Communications Failures
10. Strategy Failures