ASTM F38 meeting in Atlanta 11/13-14

[fitenfyr]

Atlanta Hyatt on Monday 8am till around 4pm and Tuesday until noon.
Anyone that has an interest in what is going on with regard to commercial use of R/C aircraft is welcome to attend.
Well anyone is welcome, but you will probably be bored if you are not into commercial use. :D


If you are in the Atlanta area and wish to attend send me an e-mail or PM and I will fill you in on where and when.

One of the topics that will probably be addressed is a draft airworthiness standard I am writing regarding "off the shelf" use of R/C aircraft in a commercial manner.
This is going to be a key document for the future and I would like as much input as possible.
I cannont publish the draft because it is now property of the ASTM and they don't allow it, but I will certainly share and take any input I can get.

[fitenfyr]

Well a quick update after today's meetings.

There were 4 of us in attendance from this area of operation.
Brett and Tracy Horton, Greg McNair and myself.

We accomplished a lot today with the general session discussing some of the newest bits of information and the results of the meeting with Doug Davis and his team from the FAA.

A lot of good ideas were brought away from that meeting and we started the process of acting on all of them today. Well actually the process started weeks ago, but today was a the first offical meeting.

Dan Schultz from the ASTM explained why some of the more recent members Mike and Mark were not granted "voting" rights.

Mike and Mark if you get with me I can explain exactly what is going on and you BOTH have rights to vote on any topic you wish and be counted.
There will be a presentation placed on the ASTM website in the coming weeks that more clearly explains the standards process with ASTM.

Todays meetings were a general session and then the F38.01 sub-committee on airworthiness.
I was allowed about an hour to present the newest draft Mini-UAS Airworthiness standard and it was a complete sucess.
Whew....
I was a bit concerned that it would be met with lot's of questions and concerns, but it actually was just the opposite.
The document is now on the "fast track" to balloting after a stop off inside a small task group to polish up and format it.
This document could potentially become a standard by the first of the year and will be a big leap forward for us in the standards process and potentially the regulation process also.

I have been told that with a bit of disclaimers and other such legal mumbo jumbo I will be allowed to post this draft document on here so hang tight.

In addition there will be a guidelines document written that will allow somebody to walk through the self certification process without having to go anywhere.
Yep from the comfort of your lazy boy and the local flying site you too can have a "certified" Mini-UAS according to the ASTM standards process.
I should be able to post all three documents in a few weeks.

Tomorrow is F38.02 on Operations and F38.03 on pilot qualifications, both of which should be productive for us.
I will post the summary from tomorrow most likely late tomorrow night or Wednesday.
Now I am off to bed since I have been up for something like 36 hours now with only an hour nap.

[Tonystott]

Sounds great Jason, when are you coming down to Oz to sort CASA out? :)

(Actually, given Australia's penchant for hanging on the coat-tails of USA, the idea of our regs echoinig yours is not silly in the slightest....

[fitenfyr]

It sounds to me like CASA is starting to sort themselves out.
Just from the internet rumblings I have read from you and Dave.
I hope so you guys got the raw end of the deal when those were written.
It was a BIG part of the motivation I had to get involved with this almost 2 years ago.
Wow time flies when you are having "fun". :D :D

[askman]

thanks jason for the update. sounds like we will have regs we can live with.

[fitenfyr]

Well regs are a ways off, but standards are certainly in the near future. :D

Standards are not regulation.
Just hopefull attempts to provide input to regulation. :D