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, Savannah, GA 31402-2206, petitioned the Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA) on behalf of Gulfstream Aerospace 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 authorization 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 allowed to conduct developmental flight test operations of the Model 

GVI aircraft over Jacksonville (JAX) and Charleston 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 Corporation, supports the request with the following 

information: 

The petitioner seeks to flight test its Model GVI aircraft that has a maximum design dive mach number 

of 0.99M. In discussions with the cognizant FAA aircraft 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 indicated that it would be prudent to perform limited 

supersonic and transonic analyses in areas such as load, stability, and flight controls. 
2

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 within 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 may be construed as agreement with any airworthiness 

certification requirements, flight test plan or analyses 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 aircraft 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 No.

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 exceed 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 
3

3. The four authorized test flights may be conducted 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 the 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 Environment 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 sooner 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