The European Organisation for Civil Aviation Equipment (EUROCAE) is an international organisation that deals exclusively with

aviation Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' include fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air aircraft such as h ...

standardisation, for both airborne and ground systems and equipment. It was created in 1963 in

Lucerne Lucerne ( ) or Luzern ()Other languages: ; ; ; . is a city in central Switzerland, in the Languages of Switzerland, German-speaking portion of the country. Lucerne is the capital of the canton of Lucerne and part of the Lucerne (district), di ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

by a decision of the

European Civil Aviation Conference The European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) or Conférence Européenne de l'Aviation Civile (CEAC) is an intergovernmental organization which was established by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the Council of Europe. It i ...

as a European forum focusing on electronic equipment for air transport. The organisation's offices are based in Saint-Denis,

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

near Paris.

History and operations

EUROCAE has now been operating for more than 60 years as a

non-profit organisation A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

whose membership comprises aviation stakeholders made up of regulators, manufacturers, services providers, users (such as airlines and airports) and academia. The membership is not limited to the European region. From the outset, EUROCAE has developed performance specifications and other documents exclusively dedicated to the aviation community. EUROCAE documents are widely referenced by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) as Guidance Material and by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) as means of compliance to European Technical Standard Orders (ETSOs) and other regulatory documents. To achieve the desired global harmonisation of aviation standards, EUROCAE has a close cooperation with RTCA, Inc. and

SAE International SAE International is a global professional association and standards organization based in Warrendale, Pennsylvania, United States. Formerly the Society of Automotive Engineers, the organization adopted its current name in 2006 to reflect bot ...

. About 50% of the EUROCAE Working Groups (WG) work jointly with RTCA, and another 10% with SAE. The joint development of standards and the subsequent reference of those standards by EASA and the FAA as Acceptable Means of Compliance allows for a globally harmonised implementation of specific applications or systems based on the state of the art technology. This includes aircraft but also satellites. EUROCAE documents are also produced in the context of the applicable ICAO standards and are coherent with existing

ARINC Aeronautical Radio, Incorporated (ARINC), established in 1929, was a major provider of transport communications and systems engineering solutions for eight industries: aviation, airports, defense, government, healthcare, networks, security, and ...

specifications to ensure global interoperability.

Organisation

EUROCAE has currently more than 450 members, according to its own statements. EUROCAE documents (ED) are developed by the Working Groups (WG) composed of voluntary experts from the member organisations of EUROCAE and – in case of joint activities - RTCA and SAE. Before publication EDs undergo a rigorous internal and external scrutiny process (Open Consultation) to ensure the high quality of the approved standards. Since its creation EUROCAE has published more than 250 EDs. The EUROCAE governance is led by the Council, which is composed of senior staff from full members of the Association who are elected by the annual General Assembly. A Technical Advisory Committee consisting of technical experts in various aviation domains advises the Council in technical decisions. The day-to-day work of the organisation is carried out by the EUROCAE Secretariat, a collective term for the Secretary General, Programme Managers and administrative staff.

References

External links

EUROCAE
Avionics International aviation organizations Safety organizations Business organizations based in Europe {{Aviation-org-stub