ASTM Addresses Vertiports and Vertistops

ASTM International—formerly the American Society for Testing and Materials—is an international standards organization that develops and publishes voluntary consensus technical standards for a wide range of materials, products, systems, and services. The organization has coined some 12,575 standards recognized across global industry, government, military, and academic sectors.

In advance of the rapid rise and imminent certification of numerous Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) technologies and vehicles, ASTM’s unmanned aircraft systems committee has developed a new standard supporting the designs of civil vertiports—large stations comprising multiple takeoff and landing facilities as well as aircraft maintenance and electrical charging sites, and vertistops—smaller stations with only one helipad used exclusively for passenger pickup and drop-off.

The newly published standard—dubbed F3423—provides scalable specifications to guide states and municipalities in the development of their respective AAM infrastructures.

ASTM International Fellow Jonathan Daniels asserts: “Everyone involved in the development and implementation of AAM transportation and its supporting infrastructure will find this standard extremely helpful.”

ASTM International member Rex Alexander adds: “The challenge in developing this standard was in balancing safety with practicality. Without empirical aircraft performance data to rely on, the team’s goal was to develop a practical standard as a starting point that is not only safety centric but provides municipalities with a common-sense path forward.”

The scope of the new F3423 standard is stated thus:

“This specification defines the requirements for the planning, design, and establishment of vertiports intended to service vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft. These aircraft include, but are not limited to, standard category aircraft, optionally piloted aircraft, and unmanned aircraft. Aircraft not covered by this specification include VTOL aircraft less than 55-pounds [25-kilograms]. In developing these standards, identified types of eVTOL aircraft, for example, Multi-Rotor, Lift & Cruise, Vectored Thrust, Tilt Wing, Tilt Rotor, etc., were considered. Ultimately it is up to the authorities having jurisdiction (AHJ) as to how and to what extent these standards are applied. Vertiports may provide commercial or private services in support of the operation of eVTOL aircraft including, but not limited to, some or all of occupant and cargo transport, air medical, flight instruction, aerial work, aircraft rental, fueling, charging of energy storage devices, battery exchange, hangaring, and maintenance services.”

ASTM adds the following caveat:

“This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.”

A3423 refers to and extolls the alleged virtues of several nobly intentioned United Nations Sustainable Development Goals—such as affordable and clean energy, work and economic growth, reduced inequalities, sustainable cities and communities, and climate action.

FMI: www.astm.org