Drones are in the news and where technology is leading, standards are sure to follow. Sometimes called small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS), Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) or Remote Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS), these new devices are rapidly expanding into non-military applications. With the sudden growth of the industry, many questions arise. While some issues still remain outside the domain of standardization, there are already standards being issued by ASTM that address engineering issues of design, production, and maintenance. In today’s blog, I’ll give you a rundown of the new ASTM standards on drones that have just been issued.
Here’s the list of 7 new drone standards that were issued this month (February, 2014):
ASTM F2908, 2014 Edition, Standard Specification for Aircraft Flight Manual (AFM) for a Small Unmanned Aircraft System (sUAS)
This specification is designed to provide guidance on developing an Aircraft Flight Manual for drones that will meet the needs of a particular jurisdiction’s aviation authority. This type of manual might also contain operator information, such as maintenance instructions.
ASTM F2909, 2014 Edition, Standard Practice for Maintenance and Continued Airworthiness of Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS)
As stated in the title, this standard practice covers the basic requirements for maintenance of drones to assure the airworthiness of the devices over time.
ASTM F2910, 2014 Edition, Standard Specification for Design and Construction of a Small Unmanned Aircraft System (sUAS)
In any system like this, a baseline for design, construction, and the test methods used to verify the same are essential. This specification addresses those issues.
ASTM F2911, 2014 Edition, Standard Practice for Design and Production/Building of Multiple Copies of Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS)
This is a standard used in developing production lines for these drones. So you’ll use ASTM F2910 to set up your product parameters and the ASTM F2911 to verify that you can produce the devices on your assembly line to meet those parameters. It might be called an acceptance standard, since it will help you determine if you can meet the requirements when making multiple copies of your device in a production setting.
ASTM F3002, 2014 Edition, Standard Specification for Design of the Command and Control System for Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS)
This specification supports the licencing of sUAS operators for commercial or public use.
ASTM F3003, 2014 Edition, Standard Specification for Quality Assurance of a Small Unmanned Aircraft System (sUAS)
This covers quality assurance during the design, manufacture and production of a drone. Here you’ll find the minimum safety requirements you’ll need to design into and meet throughout your production processes.
ASTM F3005, 2014 Edition, Standard Specification for Batteries for Use in Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS)
Of course, drones are usually dependent on batteries as the power source. In this specification, you’ll get information to help you choose batteries that are fitting for the application.
It is likely that we’ll see additional standardization in this field, as well as increased regulatory activity as the early tests of drones by the FAA are completed. Even now, ASTM is working on certification standards for drone pilots, position, altitude and airspeed reporting requirements, and so on. Further, FAA input regarding the standards above will surely mean that there will be updates in the near future.
And while these new standards for small drones are being issued by ASTM, standards for large drones (over 55 pounds) are being prepared by RTCA. Apparently, it will be some time before those documents are ready for release.
For standards from ASTM, RTCA and others (current and obsolete), you’ll be able to get your copies from Document Center Inc. You can order using our webstore at www.document-center.com. Or you can contact our staff via phone (650-591-7600), fax (650-591-7617) or email (info@document-center.com). We have been providing customers with standards and support services to maintain standards collections since 1982. Make us your Standards Experts!
