SAE creates standards for all kinds of automotives, including airplanes.
The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) was originally formed in 1905, in response to a growing need for the standardization of engineering practices, as well as the exchange of ideas, between those in the automobile industry. While SAE originally stood for "Society of Automobile Engineers," the organization quickly grew to include engineers from other area, including the tractor and airplane industries, and the middle initial in SAE was changed to "Automotive," a term invented by an SAE member. Today SAE sets standards the engineering and manufacture of all kinds of automotive devices, from jet engines to motorcycle headlamps. Although the SAE is not a governing body, these standards can be used as regulations by specific manufacturers.
Aerospace
Due to the fact that airplanes typically contain more complicated components than land vehicles, SAE contains more standards and regulations for the engineering, testing and repair of devices within the aerospace industry than any other industry. SAE has thousands of aerospace standards that cover nearly every aspect of airplane engineering, including chassis, fuels, cockpits, cabins, propulsion, avionics and ergonomics. Most standards involve specific and individual parts, components and materials. Some specific standards include "Procedure for the Calculation of Aircraft Emissions," "Crashworthy Landing Gear Design," "Electronic Engine Control Specifications and Standards" and "Identification Marking Methods."
Noncommercial Land Vehicles
The second largest category of SAE standards covers noncommercial land vehicles---most often automobiles, but also motorcycles, snowmobiles and other noncommercial land vehi--les. Standards in this category also cover all kinds of specific categories, including interiors, durability, electronics and body design. Examples of some actual standards include "Recommended Practice for Identification of Standardized Truck and Tractor Electrical Circuits," "Laboratory Speed Test Procedure for Light Truck Tires," "Uniform Reference and Dimensional Guidelines for Collision Repair" and "Hydraulic Motor Test Procedures."
Commercial Land Vehicles
One of the smallest category of standards published by SAE, there are still a few hundred, involving commercial vehicles, like buses, tractor-trailers, street-sweepers and logging equipment. These standards cover similar categories as the noncommercial land vehicle standards. However, many of them also involve the additional safety and knowledge required when manufacturing and operating the larger and more specialized commercial vehicles. Some specific standards include "Windshield Wiper Systems--Trucks, Buses, And Multipurpose Vehicles," "Kingpin Wear Limits--Commercial Trailers and Semitrailers" and "Heavy-Duty Electrical Connector Performance Standard."
Watercraft
By far the smallest set of standards created by SAE, the watercraft standards are actually mixed in with the land vehicles on the SAE web site. Also most of these involve personal watercraft. However, there are random standards for other watercraft. Some specific SAE watercraft standards include "Off Throttle Steering Capabilities of Personal Watercraft," "Ship Systems and Equipment--Threaded Fasteners--Inspection, Test, and Installation Requirements" and "Top Speed Measurement of Personal Watercraft."
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