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Technical Committees / Committee F37 / Overviews
Committee F37 on Light Sport Aircraft
Staff Manager: Christine De Jong 610-832-9736
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GENERAL OVERVIEW
Committee F37 meets twice a year, usually in May and October, with 55 members attending two to three days of technical meetings. The Committee, with a membership of approximately 200, currently has jurisdiction over more than 24 standards published in the Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Volume 15.11. F37 has seven technical subcommittees that maintain these standards. Information on this subcommittee structure and F37’s portfolio of approved standards and Work Items under development is available from the List of Subcommittees, Standards, and Work Items. The Committee addresses issues related to design, performance, quality acceptance tests, and safety monitoring for recreational aircraft. This includes the two categories of aircraft created by the Certification of Aircraft and Airmen for the Operation of Light Sport Aircraft NPRM (Notice of Public Rule Making): (1) special light-sport aircraft – used for personal flight and flight training, or (2) rental and experimental light-sport kit aircraft – any level of kit from zero to 95 percent pre-built.
ACTIVITIES, PRODUCTS, AND SERVICES
The technical subcommittees of F37 collectively encompass seven primary areas, where each subcommittee covers a different type of recreational aircraft: gliders, airplanes, powered parachutes, weight shift, gyroplanes, and lighter than air. In addition, Subcommittee F37.70 on Cross Cutting addresses issues pertinent to all types of recreational aircraft.
Within each of the subcommittees, standards have been developed covering the design and performance, quality assurance, and airworthiness of the aircraft. The standards also include guidance for the type of information to be provided with the aircraft. Within the cross cutting subcommittee, issues such as ballistic chutes, fixed-pitch propellers, and reciprocating spark ignition engines have been addressed. In all, the work of the Committee has resulted in more than 24 standards available as separates or in a compilation dedicated to recreational aircraft.
F37 meetings have become a venue for airing technical discussions for the recreational aircraft industry. The two days of technical meetings are usually enhanced by presentations from the FAA, organizations supporting sport-aviation promotional initiatives, and other educational forums.
PARTICIPATING AS A MEMBER ON THE COMMITTEE
ASTM International opens its doors to all technical experts with an interest in the standardization process. As a member of ASTM Committee F37, you will be exposed to the robust resources and member benefits included below that have helped make ASTM a worldwide standards development leader for more than a century:
- Network with industry professionals worldwide
- Receive one free volume of the Annual Book of ASTM Standards (in print or CD)
- Use Internet-based Standards Development Forums and E-Balloting
- Receive discounts on all ASTM publications
- Keep up to date through a free subscription to ASTM’s monthly magazine - Standardization News
- Benefit from reduced fees for attendance at ASTM symposia and technical workshops
- And more
Members can participate from anywhere because of ASTM’s customized web-based systems. The best way to contribute as a member is to (1) participate in task group activities that are of interest, both virtually and in person, and (2) vote on ballots and provide feedback and recommendations. To participate in standards activities, start by identifying Work Items of interest by reviewing the List of Subcommittees, Standards, and Work Items on the F37 home page. Contact task group leaders for those areas of interest by reviewing the Work Item summary pages and securing contact information available through the on-line roster in the member area. To make the most of your voting and participation, be sure to stipulate which specific subcommittees you wish to participate in when you join. You will then receive notices of ballots that open within these groups.
In order to continue to promote standards objectives for this fast-paced industry, F37 uses ASTM’s interactive media. This approach includes our web-based Interactive Forums, a document review and development system always available for capturing comments and maturing documents. In addition, the Committee conducts virtual meetings in conjunction with conference calls to accelerate document development and increase participation from its global membership in a real-time format.
STAKEHOLDERS
The Committee is composed of producers, regulators, associations, and enthusiasts. Producers are generally those individuals or companies that manufacture products that supply the sport aviation industry, and the aircraft manufacturers themselves. Regulators include representatives from government agencies – either the Popular Flying Association in the United Kingdom, the Civil Aviation Authority of Australia or Canada, or the United States’ Federal Aviation Administration. These stakeholders are important to the forum as they are often key user of standards, representing entities to which the industry looks for guidance and for information on product acceptance. The groups use F37 documents as technical references in regulation. Enthusiast refers to sport and other pilots, kit-builders, and the like. Finally, the collective support of organizations such as the Experimental Aviation Administration, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association, General Aviation Manufacturers Association, Aero Sports Connection, Small Aircraft Manufacturers Association, and others help to bring the many diverse interests to the F37 table by acting as a conduit to convey information back to their respective memberships.
RELATIONSHIP WITH INDUSTRY, GOVERNMENT, AND REGULATION
The standards of Committee F37 are used as the basis for regulation or certifications in many countries, including Australia, Columbia, Chile, South Africa and the US – dozens other may soon follow. They are critical to safe design, manufacture, and flight of sport aircraft. Regulations will often reference ASTM International standards as acceptable methods of test, material specifications, and/or operational guidance required for regulatory compliance. Particularly in the case of recreational aircraft, a manufacturer’s declaration of conforming to standards recognized by the regulating agency can accelerate the acceptance and use of their product because it is presumed to conform to the law/regulation that references the standard. If a manufacturer states that a product has been manufactured in accordance with standards cited in regulation, when in fact the product does not conform, then the result is often serious legal penalties.
F37 standards may also be used for engineering design, where companies rely on the standards for material specifications and performance requirements to be met by their aircraft. The standards facilitate communication with suppliers for the purposes of material procurement or product requirements. Independent laboratories and universities use the documents for standard protocols, and manufacturers are able to rely on them for protection in product legal cases.
LIAISON AND OTHER LINKS
F37 maintains liaison with many other agencies and organizations to ensure balanced input to this portfolio of globally applied standards. The groups include the following.
Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA): www.aopa.org
Aero Sports Connection (ASC): www.aerosports.org
Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Australia: www.casa.gov.au
Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA): www.eaa.org
General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA): www.gama.aero
Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association (LAMA): www.lama.bz
Popular Flying Association (PFA): www.pfa.org.uk
Small Aircraft Manufacturers Association (SAMA): 703-415-3001 (no web site)
Transport Canada: www.tc.gc.ca
U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)/Light Sport Aircraft: www.faa.gov/aircraft/rec/light_sport
U.S. Ultralight Association (USUA): www.usua.org
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