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10/26/04 – EAA LEADS ASTM COMMITTEE MEETINGS IN SEBRING
EAA staff members are among industry, government, and consumer representatives gathered here this week to continue work on special and experimental light-sport aircraft (SLSA, ELSA) consensus standards in cooperation with ASTM International. Representing EAA are Earl Lawrence, vice president of industry and regulatory affairs, and ASTM committee chairman; Mary Jones, EAA Sport Pilot & Light-Sport Aircraft magazine editor; and Dan Johnson, light-sport aircraft marketing consultant. The use of the consensus process to establish LSA standards was mandated by the final sport pilot/light-sport aircraft (SP/LSA) rule.
The ASTM main and sub-committee meetings are being held on Tuesday and Wednesday at the Chateau Elan on the Sebring Airport, preceding this week’s inaugural U.S. Sport Aviation Expo (Thursday through Sunday, October 28-31).
These pre-event meetings are focused on bringing the previously completed standards up to date with the changes that appeared in the FAA’s SP/LSA final rule published in the Federal Register this past summer. Sub-committees meeting this week include:
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James Tubbs of Engine Components, Inc., addresses the ASTM LSA committee during the discussion of independent audits.
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- Airplane
- Powered parachute
- Weight-shift
- Flex-wing (hang glider)
- Engines, propellers, and other “crosscutting” issues (including task groups)
In addition, members expect new standards to be introduced on crosscutting issues, and discussion on independent audits of standards compliance.
On Monday afternoon, FAA representatives made some initial presentations to the group. Larry Werth, newly named the Light-Sport Aircraft Program Manager for FAA’s Small Aircraft Directorate, which will oversee final FAA acceptance of the LSA consensus standards, discussed the Notice of Availability (NOA) process that will make the standards available for public use.
EAA will provide updates on the ASTM meetings and on the U.S. Sport Aviation Expo throughout the coming week on the EAA and Sport Pilot websites.
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