Demonstration of a Procedure-Based Approach to Develop a Concept of Operations for Optionally Piloted Vehicles

This paper introduces a development process for compiling Concept of Operations (ConOps)documents focusing on modifying existing aircraft and gives an illustrative example based on an Optionally Piloted Vehicle (OPV) concept. In previous publications, we developed and published a methodology initially intended for developing OPVs and a ConOps development process for Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS). In the current publication, the procedure-based approach is adapted to fit the requirements of modifying existing aircraft in accordance with aviation standards. The process is further extended to obtain fundamental contingency and emergency procedures for new functions as part of a preliminary ConOps. Therefore, to prevent errors that could negatively impact flight safety due to unintended system behavior, we integrate already existing procedures and functions (such as those outlined in the Aircraft Flight Manual and Aircraft Maintenance Manual) into our process. The process aids in assuring traceability, conformity, and integration with existing aviation guidelines (Society of Automotive EngineersARP4754A standard) while increasing flexibility. We demonstrate the process with example procedures for an OPV concept based on a Diamond DA42 M-NG twin-engine general aviation aircraft.