### UNITED STATES OF AMERICA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION RENTON, WASHINGTON 98057-3356

In the matter ofthe petition of 

### Exemption No. 

### 11035

Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation Regulatory Docket No. 

### FAA-2014-0223 for an exemption from§§ 25.562 & 25.785(b) ofTitle 14, Code ofFederal Regulations



### GRANT OF EXEMPTION By letter dated April 2, 2014, Mr. Norman J

. Kopesky IT, ODA Site Program Administrator, Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation, W6365 Discovery Drive, Appleton , WI 54914, petitioned for an exemption fi"om the requirements of§§ 25.562 and 25.785(b) ofTitle 14, Code ofFederal Regulations (14 CFR)

. The proposed exemption, ifgranted, would permit a medical-stretcher installation on Gulfstream Models GV , GV-SP, GlV-X, and GVI series airplanes

. 

### The petitioner requests relieffrom the following regulations: Section 25.562 at Amendment 25-64- as included by reference in Type Certificate Data Sheets (TCDS) A12EA for Model GV, GV-SP, and GIV-X airplanes, and TCDS TOOO 15AT for Model GVl airplanes, requires compliance with the structural and occupant-protection requirements of§ 25.562 as adopted by Amendment 25-64. 

### Section 25.785(b), at Amendment 25-88
- requires that each seat, berth, safety belt, harness, and adjacent part ofthe airplane at each station designated as occupiable during takeofl and landing must be designed so that a person making proper use ofthese facilities will not suffer serious injury in an emergency landing as a result ofthe inertia forces specified in 

### §§ 25.561 and 25.562. 

### The petitioner supports their request with the following information: This section quotes, in pertinent part, the petitioner' s information. The complete petition is available at the Department ofTransportation's Federal Docket Management System, on the Internet at http://regulations

.gov, in docket no. FAA-2014-0223. Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation hereby petitions for an exemption from § 25

.562 and part of§ 25.785(b) ofthe Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR) to the extent necessary to permit certification of medical stretchers for transport ofpersons whose medicalcondition dictates such accommodations

. The exemption would be for installing the medical beds/stretchers in the Gulfstream model GV , GV-SP, GIV-X, and GVI airplanes. Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation currently holds the Type Certificates for the Gulfstream model GV, GV-SP, GIV-X, and GVI airplanes. These airplanes are certified under Type Certificate A 12EA, revision 42 and TOOO 15AT, revision 4. The certification basis for these airplane models is: 

### Gulfstream model GV: 14 CFR Part 25 , Amendments 25-1 through 25-81 with the associated special conditions, equivalent levels of safety findings , and exemptions established in Type Certificate Data Sheet A12EA

. 

### Gulfstream model GV-SP: 14 CFR Part 25 , Amendments 25-1 through 25-98 with the associated special conditions, equivalent levels of safety findings , and exemptions established in Type Certificate Data Sheet Al2EA. 

### Gulfstream model GIV-X: 14 CFR Part 25 , Amendments 25-1 through 25-101 with the associated special conditions, equivalent levels of safety findings , and exemptions established in Type Ce1tificate Data Sheet A 12EA. 

### Gulfstream model GVI: 14 CFR Part 25 , Amendments 25-1 through 25-120, 25-122, 25-124, and 25-132 with the associated special conditions, equivalent levels of safety findings , and exemptions established in Type Certificate Data Sheet TOOO 15A

### T. Additionally, Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation develops and owns numerous supplemental type certificates (STCs) for its airplane models and wishes to expand the airplanes ' capability and use by installing medical beds/stretchers. Currently, no medical bed/stretcher installations have been shown to meet the dynamic criteria as identified for Part 25 transport airplanes

. The estimated cost ofdemonstrating compliance of stretcher installations with dynamic test requirements is quite high considering the limited number ofunits for which the cost could be amortized. Since none have been shown to comply with the dynamic test criteria, stretchers cannot currently be used on airplanes whose type certificate bases include the dynamic requirements without a FAA grant ofexemption

. In this case, a person who needs to travel for essential medical care can either charter an airplane with an existing medical bed exemption applied and fitted with stretchers, or fail to receive the needed treatment (the consequences ofwhich may be fatal)

. Another alternative would be flying an alternative route on an aircraft whose certification basis does not require dynamic testing

. This would offer no increase in safety and may not be available

. 

### Why granting this request would be in the public interest; how it benefits the public 

### as a whole Gulfstream feels that granting the petition would be in the public interest for the following reasons:
• The exemption would relieve an economic burden for a segment ofthose traveling already dealing with adversity ;

2• The level of safety that would be provided is an acceptable level of safety given the limited usage and exposure ofthe stretcher;

• Compliance with the dynamic test requirements would be difficult at best, and very expensive, while returning a marginal safety benefit. In addition, 14 CFR 25.562 is written specifically for seats and would not be easily applied to medical beds/stretchers. Due to humanitarian considerations, Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation considers the transportation ofpersons needing medical attention by air to be essential and in the pub!ic interest. In many instances, those persons can be transported only on medical beds/stretchers. 

### Waiver of notice and public procedure Gulfstream respectfully requests that action on this petition should not be delayed by publication ofa summary ofour petition and associated comment period. We believe that the nature ofthis exemption does not set a precedent but is consistent with other similar exemptions identified below which were granted for medical beds/stretchers installed in various Gulfstream and Boeing model airplanes. 

### Operation outside the United States This exemption is intended for operation inside and outside the U

.S. as many people travel outside the U.S. because we are a global society seeking business with the world. The Gulfstream aircraft is a global type aircraft. 

### Conclusion Gulfstream believes the aforementioned arguments suppot1 the request for exemption and believes that the proposed exemption is in the public interest, and provides a level of occupant safety consistent with the current Federal Aviation Regulations. 

### Federal Register publication The FAA has determined that good cause exists for waiving the requirement for 

### Federal Register publication for public comment because the request is identical in all material respects to previously granted exemptions ; the exemption, ifgranted, would not set a precedent; and any delay in acting on this petition would be detrimental to Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation. 

### The FAA's analysis For the reasons stated by the petitioner, the FAA agrees that granting this petition is in the public interest. We have considered the cost implications and the overall benefits resulting from the use of a medical stretcher. The FAA agrees that demonstrating compliance with the requirements of § 25.562 would be difficult, ifnot impossible, and applying the existing pass/fail criteria to these installations is questionable

. The need for medically fragile people to receive necessary and potentially life-saving medical attention outweighs the increase in the level of safety gained by requiring medical stretchers to meet dynamic testing requirements

. Also, this exemption would permit the transportation ofmedically fragile people, from countries lacking the medical expertise or equipment to address a certain medical condition, to a country with more advanced medical expertise and facilities.

3The FAA agrees that stretchers for medical use were not considered in the context ofthe dynamic-test requirements of§ 25.562 when that regulation was developed. Occupancy ofother berths during takeoffand landing for ambulatory persons was not considered feasible under the conditions of§ 25.562; and for the purposes ofcompliance, stretchers are considered "berths.'" With respect to the overall level of safety, the FAA notes that full compliance with the requirements of§ 25.561 will be required for the medical stretcher. This is consistent with the standards for all seats prior to the adoption of§ 25.562. Thus, as noted by the petitioner, an alternative to this exemption would be to seek transportation on an airplane that does not require dynamic testing as part ofits certification basis (i

.e., an airplane with an earlier certification basis). While this alternative is a viable option, the FAA does not consider this a desirable approach. Airplanes certificated with 

### § 25.562 included in their certification basis have incorporated many safety advances not found on earlier-model airplanes. It would be counterproductive to restrict this type oftransportation to those earlier models. 

### The FAA's decision In consideration ofthe foregoing, I find that a grant ofexemption is in the public interest. Therefore, pursuant to the authority contained in 49 U.S.C. 40113 and 44701, delegated to me by the Administrator, Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation is granted an exemption from the requirements of 14 CFR 25.562 and 25.785(b) to the extent necessary to allow installation ofa medical stretcher on Gulfstream Models GV, GV-SP, GIV-X, and GVI airplanes. The operatinglimitations section ofthe airplane flight-manual supplement must state that occupancy ofthe stretcher berth is limited to non-ambulatory persons. In addition, the following must be stated on a conspicuously located placard installed adjacent to the stretcher berth: Occupancy is limited to non-ambulatory persons.

Issued in Renton, Washington, on 

## JUL 3 1 2014 

# gff7

**£.CL-~** Jeffrey E. Duven Manager, Transport Airplane Directorate Aircraft Certification Service

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