The ASTM International committee on unmanned aircraft systems (F38) will meet Nov. 13-15 at Virginia Tech University to develop safety and performance standards for drones.

“As the capacity and the demand for drone operations has grown, the need for industry standards has become increasingly critical,” said Mark Blanks, the director of the Virginia Tech Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership. 

The two-day meeting will include discussion on a variety of proposed and existing standards for drone applications including:

• Package delivery systems,
• Operations over people,
• Remote identification,
• Safely bounding complex systems,
• U.S. Federal Aviation Administration priorities,
• Fuel cells, and more. 

“ASTM brings a broad group of stakeholders to the table to work through solutions for the complex issues the industry is confronting, enabling real progress by creating an effective forum for those detailed conversations,” said Blanks, who noted that Virginia Tech leads sites for two major federal drone-integration programs.  

Blanks also chairs an F38 subcommittee tasked with developing standards for unmanned aircraft flight operations, including foundational challenges such as flights over people, remote identification, and unmanned traffic management.

Industry stakeholders interested in attending the meeting can find more information here. 

ASTM International recently announced a partnership with Praxis Aerospace Concepts International aimed at meeting the need to evaluate the growing number of training programs for drone operators, maintenance technicians, instructors, and others. To learn more about this partnership, click here. 

In addition, the new issue of ASTM International’s Standardization News magazine includes articles on drone operations and maintenance, and autonomy.  

About ASTM International

Committed to serving global societal needs, ASTM International positively impacts public health and safety, consumer confidence, and overall quality of life. We integrate consensus standards – developed with our international membership of volunteer technical experts – and innovative services to improve lives… Helping our world work better. 

About the Virginia Tech Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership

The Virginia Tech Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership (MAAP) advances the drone industry by connecting critical challenges with operational capability and solutions inspired by world-class research, working closely with regulating authorities and industry partners on groundbreaking operations that inform evidence-based policies and standards. MAAP leads an FAA-designated test site for unmanned aircraft systems and manages Virginia's team in the federal UAS Integration Pilot Program.

Media Inquiries: Dan Bergels, tel +1.610.832.9602; dbergels@astm.org
Committee Contact: Mary Mikolajewski, tel +1.610.832.9678; mmikolajewski@astm.org 

Release #10671