Aviation International News
January 2017
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The G600, under the watchful eye of the first production G500 flying chase, lands on its first flight.
Part 23 rule ushers in ‘new era’ by Kerry Lynch
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GULFSTREAM
milestone for us and our customers, who have guided the vision for this aircraft from the beginning,” said Gulfstream president Mark Burns. “We look forward to delivering this aircraft to them
After a decade in the making, the U.S. FAA issued its comprehensive rewrite of Part 23 last month, setting in motion an entirely new approach to certifying small airplanes and products. FAA Administrator Michael Huerta, flanked by the heads of three general aviation manufacturers, announced the release of the new rule during a press conference at the U.S. Department of Transportation in Washington, D.C., saying it will “usher in a new era of safety and a new era of innovation in general aviation in the U.S.” The rule, which takes effect in eight months, moves the FAA away from its long history of establishing detailed prescriptive standards for new products to a performance-based approach under which the agency establishes the performance objectives for new products and gives the manufacturer flexibility on how it meets those objectives. “There’s a simple idea at the heart of our new airworthiness standards: we don’t want to tell manufacturers how to build things,” Huerta said. “Instead of requiring certain technologies or designs, we’re defining the performance objectives we want to achieve.”
Gulfstream G600 takes flight, ahead of original schedule by Charles Alcock The Gulfstream G600 logged its first flight on December 17, beginning a flight-test program that is set to lead to type certification and first deliveries next year. The OEM has delivered two other G600s to the flight-test center, and they are expected to fly soon, after being fitted with test equipment. The first test aircraft took off from Gulfstream’s headquarters at Savannah-Hilton Head International Airport at 1:50 p.m. and flew for 2 hours and 53 minutes. Experimental test pilots Scott Martin and Todd Abler, accompanied by flight-test engineer Nathaniel Rutland, flew the aircraft. The first G600 is now being used for envelope expansion and flutter testing. Gulfstream expects the G600’s flight-test program to follow a pattern similar to that of its smaller G500
sister ship, with which it shares a high degree of commonality. Gulfstream has completed 57,000 hours of ground laboratory testing for the two new models. “Launching the G600’s flight-test program is a
FAA OKs ‘no natural vision’ landings by Matt Thurber The FAA issued a final rule last month outlining new processes that will allow pilots flying airplanes equipped with enhanced flight vision systems (EFVS) to fly certain IFR approaches all the way to landing “in lieu of natural vision” from the previously allowed elevation of 100 feet above touchdown zone. The rule gives EFVS-equipped airplanes greatly improved utility. Current rules allow descent to 100 feet on some approaches when using a head-up display (HUD) and enhanced vision system (EVS, generally infrared imaging). Under the new rule, which becomes effective March 13, pilots flying with EFVS will be able to continue those approaches to landing using
only the images displayed by the EVS on the HUD. The new rules are quite flexible and don’t specify that a HUD is even required for the pilot flying. This is to pave the way for future technologies that might not be HUD-based, such as wearable displays or other methods for delivering flight symbology and EVS imagery to the pilot flying, who must still be able to look forward through the windshield. The rule does require, in aircraft with more than one pilot, that the pilot monitoring have a display showing EFVS imagery, but this does not have to be a HUD. “The FAA is not adopting the requirement for the pilot-monitoring display to be Continues on page 56 u
Pilot Report Falcon 8X AIN senior editor Matt Thurber was immediately comfortable in the cockpit of Dassault’s largest and longest range business jet, which he declared impressively easy to fly. page 42
Special Report Cockpit Avionics: Coming Mandates ADS-B out will be required in the U.S. starting Jan. 1, 2020, and now is the time for operators to make plans to equip or risk being grounded. page 52
Security NBAA ready for D.C. turnover Ensuring business aviation access to Reagan National Airport remains high on NBAA’s agenda as it prepares to work with the incoming Trump administration. page 6
NEWS MAKERS 2 0 1 6
AIN editors look back on the news that shaped the past 12 months and make some predictions about what 2017 holds for the industry. As expected, manufacturers of both business aircraft and airliners brought some programs to the finish line as they look to the future. The regulatory environment continues to undergo significant change as airworthiness authorities seek harmonization among nations. Page 20