Aug. 24, 2020 - Lombard, IL - Elite Electronic Engineering, Inc., has been officially accepted as a Third-Party Certification Body for all types of airport lighting equipment under the FAA AC 150/5345-53D Airport Lighting Equipment Certification Program (ALECP), company officials announced today.
Elite is only the second laboratory to achieve this recognition from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The designation gives airport lighting manufacturers a new partner to meet their qualification testing and certification requirements.
“Our expansive qualification testing capabilities and product certification expertise make Elite the ideal partner for airport lighting equipment manufacturers,” says Brad DeGrave, Elite’s FAA Program Administrator.
After several years of effort to fulfill the strict requirements set by the FAA, the Elite FAA Airport Lighting Certification team can now assist manufacturers to complete testing and certification quickly and deliver high-quality products to airports around the country.
“Our background as a testing laboratory and certification body with diverse capabilities uniquely positioned us for ALECP,” says DeGrave. “We see this as an opportunity to deliver our brand of responsive customer service, flexible scheduling, and trusted expertise to airport lighting manufacturers and help them reach more customers in the U.S. and internationally through certification. We also recognize the great responsibility entrusted to us by the FAA to ensure that dependable, compliant visual aids are available to airport operators around the country.”
Expertise in several technical disciplines is required to qualify all aspects of airport lighting equipment, as specified in the FAA Advisory Circular (AC) 150/5345 Series. With more than 80 total staff, Elite has highly experienced engineers in EMC/EMI, Electrical, Environmental Stress, Mechanical, and Photometric Testing. Elite has been a leading independent testing laboratory since 1954 and continuously accredited to ISO 17025 since 1986 for EMC/EMI and Electrical Testing, since 2001 for Environmental Stress and Mechanical Testing, and since 2018 for Photometric Testing.
But certification is more than qualification testing, DeGrave says. Ongoing compliance with the requirements of FAA AC 150/5345-53D is necessary to maintain certification and it is the Third-Party Certification Body’s role to audit manufacturers’ quality management systems and production processes annually.
Elite’s FAA certification program is ISO 17065 accredited and the company has 20 years of experience as a third-party certification body. DeGrave says Elite leveraged that experience to design an efficient, customer-focused certification program that recognizes the considerable effort required by manufacturers to design, test, certify, and continuously comply with ALECP requirements.
DeGrave says Elite’s goal is to be your trusted partner throughout the certification process. “Behind our extensive capabilities and credentials, we are a small company focused on building lasting relationships with our customers.”
Contact Elite to learn more about adding your products to the FAA Certified Equipment and Manufacturers List (FAA AC 150/5345-53D Addendum.)
To learn more about Elite’s FAA Airport Lighting Certification program, click here: Elite FAA Airport Lighting Certification.
2022 Charlotte Douglas International Airport Report of Achievement
Giving back to the community is central to what Charlotte Douglas International Airport and its operator, the City of Charlotte Aviation Department, is about, and last year was no different.
Throughout 2022, while recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, we continued our efforts to have a positive impact on the Charlotte community. Of particular note, we spent the year sharing stories of how Connections Don't Just Happen at the Terminal - from creating homeownership and employment opportunities to supporting economic growth through small-business development and offering outreach programs to help residents understand the Airport better.
This whitepaper highlights the construction projects, initiatives, programs and events that validate Charlotte Douglas as a premier airport.
Download the whitepaper: 2022 Charlotte Douglas International Airport Report of Achievement.