Autonomous flight developer Merlin said Monday it has received a Part 146 Aircraft Design Organization certificate from the Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand, giving qualified company engineers authority to approve certain aircraft design changes. The company previously had to route those approvals through outside design organizations.
Part 146 Authority
Under New Zealand’s Part 146 rules, certificated aircraft design organizations can develop approved designs and employ qualified personnel who hold delegations to approve design changes. The CAA says the framework establishes requirements for design organizations and for delegating approval authority. The scope of Merlin’s delegated work will be agreed upon separately with the CAA for each certification project.
“We’re building one autonomy stack that goes on many aircraft, which means the cost of certifying the next one matters more than the cost of certifying the first,” Merlin CEO Matt George said in the company’s announcement. “Owning the capability to deliver design approval is how that curve bends. It’s a meaningful capability, not a side benefit.”
Autonomy Certification
The designation follows another certification milestone announced by Merlin earlier this month. The company reached Stage of Involvement 3 for the Flight Control Computer and Automated Communication System that are part of its Merlin Pilot autonomous flight system. That certification work is being led by the New Zealand CAA in coordination with the FAA under the countries’ Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement.
Merlin is developing the Merlin Pilot system for installation across multiple aircraft types rather than for a single airframe. According to the company, the Part 146 certificate applies to Merlin as an engineering organization instead of an individual aircraft program. New Zealand’s CAA says a Part 146 design organization may develop designs authorized by the ratings on its certificate, while individual design approvals remain subject to the privileges and limitations established under the rules.
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