Accepted Consensus Standards for Light-Sport Category Aircraft: Airplane, Glider, Powered Lift, and Gyroplane
Key claim: The FAA accepts specified ASTM International consensus standards (F3815-26a, F3836-26, F3840-26, F3841-26 and underlying functional standards) as means of compliance for special airworthiness certificates for light-sport airplanes, gliders, powered-lift/multicopters, and gyroplanes.
Abstract
(Rule · Transportation Department, Federal Aviation Administration) This document announces the availability of ASTM International (ASTM) consensus standards for use as an FAA-accepted means of compliance (MOC) to support issuance of special airworthiness certificates for the categories of light-sport category aircraft and light-sport category kit-built aircraft described herein. The FAA accepts the following ASTM standards (with changes identified in this document): F3815-26a, “Standard Specification for Integration for Light Sport Airplane,” F3836-26, “Standard Specification for Integration for Light Sport Glider,” F3840-26,\1\ “Standard Specification for Integration for Light Sport Powered-Lift and Multicopter,” and F3841-26, “Standard Specification for Integration for Light Sport Gyroplane”. FAA’s acceptance of these ASTM integration standards as an MOC includes FAA’s acceptance of the underlying ASTM functional standards as set forth Tables 1-8 herein. The FAA will maintain a listing of FAA accepted MOCs for light-sport category aircraft on the FAA’s Light-Sport Category Aircraft web page at https:/ /www.faa.gov/aircraft/gen_av/light_sport. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Why this matters
Formal FAA acceptance of ASTM consensus standards gives manufacturers of light-sport airplanes, gliders, powered-lift/multicopters, and gyroplanes a defined path to special airworthiness certification without bespoke FAA design rules. This operationalizes the modernized light-sport category (MOSAIC-era) framework across all four aircraft types and clarifies which standard revisions are currently acceptable for compliance demonstrations.