International Aerospace Standards: an Overview

Standards do not just happen. They have to be planned, written, accepted, and (most important) used; in other words, they have to be sold. The selling process is more difficult for international standards than for standards intended only for domestic use. For the former, many more people have to agree to define the goals and procedures involved than for the latter. The people, companies, societies, associations, and governments involved cannot be coerced. Conflicting interests, technical, commercial, and national, somehow have to be reconciled. This paper discusses the need for international aerospace standards and some of the factors involved in gaining their acceptance. Contents of the paper are outlined in Figure 1.