16 Apr 2026 MOSAIC LSA and Alpine Hiking
Last summer, Adam and I celebrated the 25 years of marriage with an amazing hike of the Tour du Mont Blanc (TMB). While we trained for months in advance, nothing really prepared us for the reality of alpine hiking, especially when “home” for us is the glacier-swept Midwestern plains of the US, a low-lying 230 m above sea level. We arrived in Geneva and took a train to Les Houches, France. Each day started with a hike out of a town, uphill. And up. And up. And up. When you set your sights on certifying a MOSAIC LSA, many mornings will feel like a long uphill climb that lasts and lasts . . . revisiting load calculations and structural analyses, generating and gathering documentation, and getting to the finish line of airworthiness. Unlike our hike of the TMB, which had a definite end date, the MOSAIC LSA can feel a lot more open-ended. The length of the journey is based on many factors: the state of the aircraft design and its documentation, the state of any production and test systems and data, the source of the funding for completing the compliance process, and whether you choose to DIY (do it yourself), or to select a trusted partner for the journey.
Even though we are both problem solvers, Adam and I decided to hire a service to map out our route, book our hotels, and get our baggage transferred from one hotel to the next, so all we had to carry on the trail was a day pack. The trip was lighter, more enjoyable, and we could focus on all that the French, Italian, and Swiss Alps offer: stunning views, prosciutto every day, keeping my knees from collapsing, and seeing my very first marmot.
Similar to the services we hired, Streamline Designs is here to help you navigate experiences you may never have had before when you aren’t particularly interested in “going alone.” Like you, we wanted help navigating terrain (rock scrambling might be worth it, and “is this really a shortcut?”), traditions (squat toilets!), and language barriers (bon jour!) along the way. Streamline Designs has helped over 60 manufacturers through the years and we literally wrote the framework and led the standards writing process, which has been a beautiful whirlwind especially for the past 6 months. We know the certification routes inside and out, just like the alpine hike company we hired knows the TMB. We know the brand new slate of 40+ LSA standards out of ASTM committee F37 and can help you navigate those peaks and valleys.
Maybe you want a comprehensive guide service to take you step by step, showing you the local customs, but dealing with the everyday messes. Some alpine services pack lunch for you and carry it! You still do the hike, they make it as easy as possible. We have helped companies in this same way by leading their certification process and training them to be sure they know how to sustain airworthiness, quality, and continued operational safety. Just like carrying your lunch on the trail, Streamline Designs can even help generate compliant documents that don’t exist yet. We make it as easy as possible.
Or maybe you want to achieve and declare MOSAIC compliance mostly on your own, like we did with the TMB. We can make sure you have a certification map in-hand but book the metaphorical “luggage transfers” of the process for you so you can travel light. Streamline Designs can customize the level of service you want for your MOSAIC LSA experience, just like we did for our anniversary adventure.
Some afternoons on the trail were spent descending, often rapidly and (mostly) in control. Some days we walked beside raging alpine streams. On days 2 and 4, in particular, I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to finish, for fear that my knees were taking permanent damage. Around day 5 Adam got a nasty blister. Thankfully we had what we needed to keep going, along with a shared understanding of success. There will be days on your MOSAIC LSA journey when you don’t know if you will make it either. You may find that key documentation doesn’t exist, a redesign of a major system is needed, or that the quality system you thought was in place at your main supplier doesn’t actually exist and certainly isn’t compliant. But regardless of the setback, consistent and sustainable movement was the key to finishing our hike. In the same way, consistent, sustainable movement is the key to getting your MOSAIC Light Sport Aircraft to market.
Some people hike the Tour du Mont Blanc without trekking poles, without a clear and mapped route, without moleskin or a first aid kit, and without luggage transfer . . . but many fail. I don’t think we would have finished the trail in the time allotted without help. We want you to finish your journey: getting to market. Take a few minutes to tell us more about yourself and what success in this market means to you. Consider Streamline Designs as a potential partner to equip you for any part of your MOSAIC LSA journey.
–Marcie
PS: For more info MOSAIC LSA readiness, let us know more about your project by filling out this form.
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