FAA’s acceptance of nearly 40 ASTM standards provides AIR with technical roadmap to pursue certification for light sport aircraft
TEL AVIV, Israel, July 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — AIR, the leading manufacturer and developer of smart aircraft, today welcomed the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) acceptance of the final set of ASTM consensus standards required to demonstrate compliance for light sport powered-lift aircraft under its Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification (MOSAIC) framework. The acceptance will go into effect on July 24, 2026, and provides AIR with a clear pathway to pursue a special airworthiness certificate for its AIR ONE aircraft.
In total, nearly 40 ASTM standards were created, revised, or repurposed to support compliance for this aircraft category. This represents one of the largest standards efforts the FAA has undertaken since the original Light Aircraft Sport rule was developed between 1994 and 2004. AIR’s certification team played a central role in this effort, and worked alongside the FAA, industry partners, and international civil aviation authorities to help shape the standards that are now in place.
“This is a major turning point for AIR and for the entire light sport aircraft category,” said Rani Plaut, CEO, AIR. “We now have the technical framework to advance AIR ONE toward certification and are now focused on getting our aircraft in the hands of customers.”
MOSAIC replaces many of the FAA’s older design limitations with performance-based requirements, opening the door to capabilities that weren’t previously permitted for light sport aircraft. AIR ONE was engineered around these same principles, including:
- Electric propulsion with built-in redundancy, spreading critical systems across multiple motors, propellers, and batteries
- Vertical takeoff and landing capability, allowing operation from a wider range of locations than traditional runway-dependent aircraft
- Fly-By-Intent flight control, a simplified control system designed to reduce pilot workload
- Multiple layers of redundant safety systems, including an airframe parachute
- A two-seat configuration with a 1-hour flight time, cruise speeds up to 115 kts, and payload capacity of up to 550 lbs
With these consensus standards now in place, AIR will focus on demonstrating AIR ONE’s compliance with accepted standards, which is the next step toward certification and delivery to more than 4,000 customers currently on the wait list.
ABOUT AIR
AIR is the leading manufacturer and developer of smart aircraft, advancing the future of simple, advanced, and safe transportation. AIR combines engineering, certification, and operational expertise to redefine air mobility through its advanced dual-use eVTOL aircraft being certified for private ownership and autonomous cargo platforms for defense and critical logistics missions. Powered by a proprietary approach to aircraft design, patented innovations in hardware and software, and application of proven practices from the automotive industry, AIR is transforming electric aviation from vision into scalable reality.
For more information, please visit: https://www.airev.aero/
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SOURCE AIR
