This presentation by Steve Chisholm was a keynote presentation at the 2017 NAFEMS World Congress in Stockholm Sweden.

Passenger safety is by far the most important consideration in the development and operation of commercial aircraft. How does Boeing ensure that the structure and systems on its aircraft meet regulatory requirements? A rigorous building block approach verifies and validates analysis by tests, from the component to the assembly level. Best practices in tasks such as material characterization, finite element modelling and simulation methods are documented, standardized and applied to produce high quality predictive assessments. These assessments positively impact design and enable well-planned and informed smart testing. Smart testing through simulation maximizes the benefit of necessary tests, augments understanding of performance within and beyond the envelope of test data and minimizes unplanned tests in attaining certification.