Aircraft
G550 will require evac crewmember
Gulfstream, which has been engaged in a dispute with the FAA over whether its new Gulfstream 550 could be certified with the traditional four elliptical wi

Gulfstream, which has been engaged in a dispute with the FAA over whether its new Gulfstream 550 could be certified with the traditional four elliptical window emergency exits, has now apparently satisfied the agency’s concerns in the form of a requirement for “an evacuation crewmember” on all flights carrying 10 or more passengers.

The ultra-long-range business jet received provisional certification on December 11, subjecting the derivative aircraft to a number of limitations that were expected to be removed before the start of green deliveries this month. According to Gulfstream, the matter of the emergency exits was not related to those limitations. Rather, said a spokesman, “The resolution was an Equivalent Safety Finding, granted by the FAA prior to the issuance of the PTC [primary type certificate], in compliance with the latest regulatory amendments.”