ASTM UAV Committee Approves New Flight Authority Guide, Launches Work on Proposed Recovery System Standard

Subcommittee F38.01 on Airworthiness, part of ASTM International Committee F38 on Unmanned Air Vehicle Systems, has approved a new standard for flight authority and is currently working on a proposed standard that covers UAS recovery systems. Subcommittee F38.01 welcomes participation in its ongoing standards development activities.

ASTM F2690 - Flight Authority
Gerry Marsters, president, AeroVations Inc., and an F38 committee member, says that the new standard, F2690, Guide for Suggested Procedures for Applying for a Flight Authority for an Unmanned Aircraft System: Part I and Part II, will serve as an entry point into the complex world of aviation regulation.

According to Marsters, developers and operators of unmanned aircraft systems can use F2690 to find additional regulatory material that is sometimes easily overlooked and to help determine potential costs that will be associated with securing permission to operate a new design. "The primary users will be small developers who create new designs but who lack extensive aerospace design experience or experience in working with aviation regulations," says Marsters.

Marsters encourages users to comment to the committee on the new standard. Initial revisions will be considered from these comments to ensure that the standard remains relevant and useful.

WK15881 - Recovery Systems
All interested parties are invited to participate in the development of a proposed new ASTM International standard, WK15881, Specification for Design and Performance of UAS Recovery Systems. WK15881 is under the jurisdiction of Subcommittee F38.01 on Airworthiness, part of ASTM International Committee F38 on Unmanned Air Vehicle Systems.

The proposed standard will provide a specification for design, manufacturing and testing of recovery systems for unmanned aircraft. Committee F38 has developed a standard for launchers (F2585, Specification for Design and Performance of Pneumatic-Hydraulic Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Launch System), but currently no standards exist for recovery systems. The proposed standard will provide a complement to F2585, as well as work toward completing a suite of standards for the overall airworthiness and operation of unmanned air vehicle systems.

ASTM International standards are available for purchase from Customer Service (phone: 610-832-9585; service@astm.org) or at www.astm.org.

For technical Information, contact (F2690) Gerald Marsters, AeroVations Inc., Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (phone: 613-837-9326; marsters@celeris.ca); (WK15881) Richard Caban, Engineered Arresting Systems Co., Aston, Pa. (phone : 610-494-8000; rcaban@exco.zodiac.com). Committee F38 meets May 17-19, 2009, during the May committee week in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. For ASTM meeting or membership information, contact Daniel Schultz, ASTM International (phone: 610-832-9716; dschultz@astm.org).

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