Analysis of influence of legal requirements on the design of electronic ignition system for aviation piston engine

The article is a review of European aviation regulations with respect to their impact on the design of a new electronic ignition system for aircraft engines. The analysis covers the EASA decision on certification specifications as well as recommended means of compliance and related standards on testing and designing electronic subassemblies and their programming. The analysis focuses on the following aspects: design requirements (system configuration), functional requirements (principles of operation), safety (fault tolerance), material requirements (with regard to corrosion and fire resistance of electronic components) and scope of tests for particular component. The analysis is illustrated by a case of a research and development project to design and implement an ignition system for a piston engine. The engine with its new ignition system was to be offered commercially as a product of a Polish aircraft engine manufacturer. The article is a review of European aviation regulations with respect to their impact on the design of a new electronic ignition system for aircraft engines. The analysis covers the EASA decision on certification specifications and their programming. It is illustrated by a case of a particular engine re-engineering project.