General Dynamics, Gulfstream Aerospace’s parent company, said yesterday that the certification of its upcoming Gulfstream G700 business jet could be pushed to next year as the FAA brings unforeseen requirements to the process.
The certification process now has a first-time requirement that General Dynamics’ chairman and CEO Phebe Novakovic said was not part of the company’s original flight test plan or prior development.
The FAA is requiring a line-by-line examination of the aircraft software.
Novakovic gave no reasoning for the sudden addition to the certification process, saying it was “made increasingly rigorous due to industry events unrelated to Gulfstream.”
While no fingers have been publicly pointed towards the reason for the requirements, it is evident that the FAA is being more rigorous in its vetting process in the wake of the two Boeing 737 MAX crashes.
The 737 MAX was grounded in 2019 after two separate crashes that killed 346 people, the cause of both being a malfunctioning sensor within a new flight control system unique to the 737 MAX, known as the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS).
The House Committee released a scathing final report on the Boeing 737 Max, citing serious flaws and missteps in the design, development, and certification of the aircraft, which the committee said was a failure of both Boeing and the FAA.
The aircraft was recertified in November 2020, with Congress passing legislation less than 30 days later that reformed the FAA’s aircraft certification process.
Completing the software validation “is the impediment” to finalizing performance testing by the FAA, ultimately pushing back the first flight of the G800, as well.
While certification for the G700 is still expected in the fourth quarter of this year, Novakovic said the timing is dependent on the FAA and could see the new requirement adding an extra three to six months to the certification process.
Gulfstream, however, said it is prepared for the obstacle and plans to increase deliveries of aircraft currently in production should the G700 not receive certification until 2023.
Novakovic said that the production of the customer G700 is currently underway and the manufacturer is preparing for its entry into service.
Additionally, the G800 is still on track for certification six to nine months after the G700.
The Gulfstream G700’s power source still remains on track, with the Rolls-Royce Pearl 700 looking forward to FAA certification in the coming months.
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