Written by an FAA consultant DER and an electronics hardware design engineer, this practical guide to the use of RTCA/DO-254 in the development of airborne electronic hardware for safety critical airborne applications describes how to optimize engineering processes and practices to harmonize with DO-254. It also discusses common pitfalls encountered by practitioners of DO-254, explains how to write requirements that will minimize the cost and effort of electronic design and verification, and promotes embracing DO-254 as the best path to high-quality airborne electronic hardware.