RTCA is a private, not-for-profit association founded in 1935 as the Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics, now referred to simply as “RTCA”. We are the premier Public-Private Partnership venue for developing consensus among diverse, competing interests on critical aviation modernization issues in an increasingly global enterprise.

Lead the development of enduring, consensus-based technical performance standards which are vital to the work of our members and protect the safety and security of the global aviation ecosystem.

RTCA has provided the foundation for virtually every modern technical advance in aviation. Our products serve as the basis for government certification of equipment used by the tens of thousands of aircraft flying daily through the world’s airspace. A Standards Development Organization (SDO), RTCA works with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to develop comprehensive, industry-vetted and endorsed standards that can be used as means of compliance with FAA regulations. Our deliberations are open to the public and our products are developed by aviation community volunteers functioning in a consensus-based, collaborative, peer-reviewed environment. See our Path to Certification Page for more information on our most popular documents.