ASTM International's general aviation aircraft committee (F44) is currently developing a standard, designated WK89561, to guide endurance testing of flight control systems for small airplanes.

The standard will establish guidelines on when testing should be conducted, and various other factors like pass/fail criteria, environmental conditions, and more.

?Flight control system endurance tests are used to evaluate proper function after repeated cycles under load (and resulting wear) that could be expected to occur in service,? notes ASTM International member David Fairback. ?These tests provide confidence that safety-critical features that could potentially degrade due to wear will continue to function throughout their expected life.?

Fairback further welcomes anyone with experience in small airplane flight control system endurance testing to contribute to WK89561.

ASTM welcomes participation in the development of its standards. Become a member at www.astm.org/JOIN.