Aircraft manufacturers all over the world invest lots of time and money in developing successful aircraft which correspond with all of the requirements for which they were designed and manufactured. An aircraft’s character and capabilities allow it a certain range of activities which it can perform. Each aircraft has characterizations that distinguish it from other aircraft. The differences between one aircraft and another can be in a variety of parameters, the most significant of which are type and size of the plane’s body, type and number of engines, the craft’s avionics panel, and others. These parameters create more differences, such as in the aircraft’s speed, flight level, weight carrying capability and maximum flying range.
Many remote sensor and geographical mapping systems require an aircraft as a platform for carrying them. Characterization of the aircraft for such flights is done based on the requirements of the system which needs flying. After the characterization stage, comes the stage of integrating the system with the aircraft. Often, a modification in the configuration of the aircraft is needed in order to fly the system. This modification can be tiny or huge, but any modification in the configuration of an aircraft that is not in the original production range of the manufacturer will require a procedure of configuration modification to integrate the system requiring flying with the craft. When modifying the configuration of an aircraft, an examination has to take place of the effects of this modification on the flying of the aircraft as it was defined by the manufacturer, and at the same time – implementation of the airborne system and its requirements. Any modification done in the craft is characterized in the modification definition opposite the proof of safety and piloting in view of the modification done. The end goal is safety. For that matter, a system which requires installation outside the aircraft’s fuselage alters the flow of air and wind regime behavior around the craft. This alteration may cause unexpected behaviors, and so in the characterization of installation stage it is necessary to perform proper engineering planning which will define the essence of the modification and its consequences.
A contrasting example is a system that is installed upon the aircraft which does not deviate from the size, weight and volume of a seat with a standard passenger on a plane. In such a case, proving safety and the maintaining of the manufacturer’s standards is very easy to do.
In short, any modification performed in an aircraft from the moment it leaves the manufacturer’s factory requires characterization and proof of the ability to maintain flight safety and the safety of the crew operating the craft, even more so when it is necessary to correspond with the basic requirements of an airborne system installed on the craft.