The group of folks, mostly volunteers, who have written the ASTM standards used to “certify” Light-Sport Aircraft celebrated their 10th anniversary in Atlanta at the end of October.
The people who did, do, and will labor to make these industry-devised standards are woefully under appreciated yet they have achieved so much in a short 10 years that they’ve spawned an offspring and an fascinating one it is at that.
The LSA bunch goes by the moniker F37, one of ASTM’s many committee working on standards for industries of every description. Now, the standards body has established a new group called F44.
The irony? These are the people who make what we know as Part 23 or Type Certified aircraft. In an FAA initiative with the slogan, “Half the [certification] Cost; Twice the Safety,” the aviation agency will turn over the prescriptive part of certification rules to a standards body… and this is because the method has worked so well for LSA.
I find it intriguing and somehow satisfying to hear government will let industry lead and I hope the industry and agency find their goal of cutting the cost of new airplanes while keeping them safe to fly.
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