Nearly There on GV JAA Validation

Gulfstream Aerospace is in sight of achieving European JAA validation of the Gulfstream V, senior VP marketing Jim Holcombe said here yesterday.

"When we launched the JAA effort our understanding was that GV validation would take place fairly quickly, using data from the FAA certification program. The JAA then changed the rules. It's been a long road, but we can finally see the light," Holcombe said.

Two sets of tests remain, and these will be completed in September and November, leading to JAA validation in the first quarter of 2002.

JAA validation of the GV has not only been protracted, but costly. Gulfstream estimates that its effort to get the JAA nod has cost around $20 million. It believes, however, that once the GV is finally JAA-approved, the forthcoming GV-SP's path to validation by the European authorities will be much smoother.