Gulfstream G700 Caught in Crosshairs of Max Fallout
Aircraft certification could be delayed by three to six months due to a new requirement imposed by the FAA after Boeing's debacle.
Gulfstream Aerospace parent company General Dynamics has warned that G700 certification, planned for the fourth quarter, could be delayed by three to six months due to a new requirement by the Federal Aviation Administration. According to General Dynamics chairman and CEO Phebe Novakovic, the FAA has asked Gulfstream to perform a line-by-line validation of the software for the fly-by-wire, ultra-long-range business jet.
The disclosure validates industry fears about higher FAA scrutiny of future aircraft certifications in the wake of the Boeing Max debacle. Novakovic didn’t specifically mention Boeing. Instead, she skirted around the issue by saying the time-consuming, extra requirement “is the result of events independent of us.”
Meanwhile, all G700 structure testing is complete and FAA certification of the aircraft’s Rolls-Royce Pearl 700 engines is expected in the coming months, she noted. Production of customer G700s is also underway and the five flight-test program aircraft have logged 2,800 hours to date, according to Novakovic.