### UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION WASHINGTON, DC 20591

In the matter of the petition of

Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation Docket No. FAA-2010-1057 for a special flight authorization to exceed Mach 1 pursuant to Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 91 Appendix B.



### GRANT OF SPECIAL FLIGHT AUTHORIZATION TO EXCEED MACH 1

By letter dated October 14, 2010, and other email submissions, Mr. Anthony Beck, Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation, P.O. Box 2206, Savanna h, GA 31402-2206, petitioned the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on behalf of Gulfstream Aero space Corporation to allow Gulfstream to operate a civil aircraft that is expected to exceed Mach 1 speeds during flight testing. The requested special flight authorization, if granted, would allow Gulfstream to conduct limited and conditional flight operations that exceed Mach 1. Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations ( 14 CFR) part 91, Subpart I- Operating Noise Limits, prohibits the creation of civil aircraft sonic boom by exceeding Mach 1 in 14 CFR § 91.817. That regulation specifies that Mach 1 may only be exceeded in the United States when done pursuant to a special flight authorizati on described in Appendix B to 14 CFR part 91. The appendix specifies the information that is needed by the Administrator to assess the anticipated effect of the noise on the quality of the human environment that is affected during the requested operation. The petitioner is requesting it be a llowed to conduct developmental flight test operations of the Model GVI aircraft over Jacksonville (JAX) and Charl eston operating areas (OPAREAs) and inland ranges and associated airspace, hereafter referred to as the “JAX Range Complex,” located off the coastal airspace between of South Carolina and Florida.

A notice regarding this petition was published in the Federal Register on October 22, 2010 (75 FR 65397). No comments were received.

The petitioner, Gulfstream Aerospace Corporati on, supports the request with the following

information:

The petitioner seeks to flight test its Model GVI aircraft that has a m aximum design dive mach number of 0.99M. In discussions with the cognizant FAA airc raft certification offices, the FAA indicated that “it would be prudent for Gulfstream to investigate supersonic speeds to ensure that adequate margin exists for aeroelastic stability.” The FAA also i ndicated that it would be prudent to perform limited supersonic and transonic analyses in areas such as load, stability, and flight controls.

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The FAA understands that while the aircraft is not being certificated to exceed Mach 1 in its normal operating range, the petitioner needs to investigate the margin of the operational controls of the airplane for certification purposes. The petitioner submitted data concerning its discussions with FAA certification personnel, and the reasons for its plan to exceed Mach 1 speeds during testing.

The test flights will be conducted entirely in the JAX Range Complex. The JAX Range Complex was established for military operations involving the testing and training of military supersonic aircraft, fleet training, and research, development, testing and evaluation activities. 1 The petitioner has provided supporting environmental documentation that airborne sonic boom noise would have no significant impact on human noise. This analysis is contained in “Record of Decision for Jacksonville Range Complex Training” reported by the Department of the Navy.

The FAA finds the request by the petitioner is well with in the intent of Appendix B to 14 CFR part 91. Authority to exceed Mach 1 during the testing of the GVI is limited to the conditions and limitations stated in this special flight authorization.

Nothing in this special flight authorization ma y be construed as agreement with any airworthiness certification requirements, flight test plan or an alyses to be conducted at transonic or supersonic speeds. This authorization is limited to those provisions of the noise operating rules of 14 CFR § 91.817 that require prior authorization for a civil ai rcraft to exceed Mach 1 in the United States. No other certification requirements, express or implied, are affected by this authorization.

This special flight authorization to exceed Mach 1 for supersonic flight operations is subject to the following conditions and limitations:

1. This authorization applies only to the Gulfstream Model GVI flight test aircraft with registration

and serial numbers as follows:

Registration No. Serial N 

### o.

N650GA 6001

N652GD 6002

N653GD 6003

N650GD 6004

N655GD 6005

2. This authorization is valid for a total of four test flight series using any of the aircraft specified in the table above. The purpose of these flights is to address envelope expansion for maximum design dive mach number operations that could ex ceed Mach 1 thus becoming a supersonic flight operation.

1 “Record of Decision for Jacksonville Range Complex Training” reported by the Department of the Navy June 20, 2009, page 20. Link - https://portal.navfac.navy.mil/portal/page/portal/navfac/navfac_ww_pp/navfac_hq_pp/navfac_environmental/do cuments/08%20jun%2009%20signed%20jax%20rod%20final.pdf

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3. The four authorized test flights may be c onducted between February 4, 2011 and July 5, 2011.

4. This authorization requires the permitted flight test operations take place only offshore in the “JAX Range Complex” as prescribed in the Special Use Airspace regulations of 14 CFR part 73; that airspace is under the control of the US Navy Fleet Area Control and Surveillance Facility in Jacksonville, Florida.

5. Given that the proposed flight operations do not support noise certification, no acoustical signal measurements are required during these test flights.

6. This authorization provides relief only from th e noise operational requirements for civil aircraft described in 14 CFR part 91, § 91.817 and Appendix B.

7. This authorization may be amended or suspended at any time if the Administrator finds that such action is necessary to protect the environment.

8. If there is a need to extend the time limits of this authorization, the petitioner must request the extension by letter to the FAA, Office of Envi ronment and Energy and to the docket for this matter, 30 days before this special flight authorization expires.

This authorization to exceed Mach 1 terminates the s ooner of the date when the four authorized test flights of the Gulfstream Model GVI aircraft are completed, or July 5, 2011 unless sooner superseded

or revoked.

Issued in Washington, DC on February 4, 2011.

/s/

Carl Burleson Director for Environment and Energy