The Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand has concluded its review of the first stage of involvement (SOI 1) for Boston, Massachusetts-headquartered developer of autonomous, fixed wing flight technology Merlin, and has approved the Plan for Software Aspects of Certification (PSAC). This milestone significantly reduces risk and puts the Merlin Pilot system on a viable path to validation and certification.

In the CAANZ system this is the first civil certification of software; the CAANZ's four step certification process ensures safety-critical software achieves in-air operability. The Merlin Pilot's CAANZ supplemental type certificate (STC) is on a concurrent validation pathway with the FAA under the Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement. After meticulous evaluation, Merlin is the only take off to touchdown advanced automation system to date to achieve SOI 1, which greenlights the development of its flight control software and lays the groundwork for the Merlin Pilot to be the first advanced automation system validated by the FAA. This comes just one year after Merlin's initial PSCP was accepted in Q1 2022, underscoring the company's certification and regulatory cadence.

“We have been working hand-in-hand with the CAANZ, and achieving the SOI 1 regulatory milestone allows us to rapidly, safely and effectively integrate the Merlin Pilot into our skies, transforming the way goods and people move around the world. SOI 1 is the critical step of this process, and we're proud to be the first to accomplish this stage of certification progress,” says Merlin co-founder and CEO Matthew George. “We will continue to undergo rigorous evaluations by the CAANZ, ensuring that we're following the plans set forth in SOI 1, and we're excited to responsibly bring the Merlin Pilot to certification. We're confident that with each SOI we achieve we will set a strong foundation for FAA validation of the CAANZ's certification processes, delegations and organisational approval system.”

Alongside these certification milestones, Merlin is maturing its regulatory and policy teams, most recently with the hire of Travis Mason as chief policy and regulatory officer. Going forward, Merlin will undergo further testing to evaluate the viability and safety of its software. Following a final, successful evaluation from the CAANZ, Merlin's software will be considered DO-178C compliant. The DO-178C or Software Considerations in Airborne Systems and Equipment Certification is the primary document by which global certification authorities approve all commercial software-based aerospace systems.

“Safety is our primary objective, and we've worked closely with the CAANZ to ensure this initial stage of involvement was conducted swiftly and thoroughly,” says CEO Shaun Johnson. “As the first advanced automation flight technology to achieve this level of approval, we're thrilled to progress our software development work and get the Merlin Pilot into operational service.”