[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 156 (Friday, August 15, 2025)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 39313-39314]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-15630]
[[Page 39313]]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
14 CFR Part 25
[Docket No. FAA-2025-1624; Special Conditions No. 25-883-SC]
Special Conditions: Jet Aviation AG, Gulfstream Aerospace
Corporation Model GVI Airplane; Installation of Therapeutic Oxygen
System
AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.
ACTION: Final special conditions; request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: These special conditions are issued for the Gulfstream
Aerospace Corporation (Gulfstream) Model GVI airplane. This airplane,
as modified by Jet Aviation AG, will have a novel or unusual design
feature when compared to the state of technology envisioned in the
airworthiness standards for transport-category airplanes. This design
feature is an oxygen distribution system that provides a shared source
of oxygen between the flightcrew and passengers to provide supplemental
and therapeutic oxygen. The applicable airworthiness regulations do not
contain adequate or appropriate safety standards for this design
feature. These special conditions contain the additional safety
standards that the Administrator considers necessary to establish a
level of safety equivalent to that established by the existing
airworthiness standards.
DATES: This action is effective on Jet Aviation AG on August 15, 2025.
Send comments on or before September 29, 2025.
ADDRESSES: Send comments identified by Docket No. FAA-2025-1624 using
any of the following methods:
Federal eRegulations Portal: Go to www.regulations.gov and
follow the online instructions for sending your comments
electronically.
Mail: Send comments to Docket Operations, M-30, U.S.
Department of Transportation (DOT), 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Room
W12-140, West Building Ground Floor, Washington, DC, 20590-0001.
Hand Delivery or Courier: Take comments to Docket
Operations in Room W12-140 of the West Building Ground Floor at 1200
New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday
through Friday, except Federal holidays.
Fax: Fax comments to Docket Operations at 202-493-2251.
Docket: Background documents or comments received may be read at
www.regulations.gov at any time. Follow the online instructions for
accessing the docket or go to Docket Operations in Room W12-140 of the
West Building Ground Floor at 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington,
DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal
holidays.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Robert Hettman, FAA-Aircraft
Certification Policy and Standards Division, AIR-623, Technical Policy
Branch Policy and Standards Division, Aircraft Certification Service,
Federal Aviation Administration, 2200 South 216th Street, Des Moines,
Washington 98198; telephone 206-231-3171; email [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The substance of these special conditions
has been published in the Federal Register for public comment in
several prior instances with no substantive comments received.
Therefore, the FAA finds, pursuant to 14 CFR 11.38(b), that new
comments are unlikely, and notice and comment prior to this publication
are unnecessary.
Privacy
Except for Confidential Business Information (CBI) as described in
the following paragraph, and other information as described in title
14, Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) 11.35, the FAA will post all
comments received without change to www.regulations.gov, including any
personal information you provide. The FAA will also post a report
summarizing each substantive verbal contact received about these
special conditions.
Confidential Business Information
Confidential Business Information (CBI) is commercial or financial
information that is both customarily and actually treated as private by
its owner. Under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. 552),
CBI is exempt from public disclosure. If your comments responsive to
these special conditions contain commercial or financial information
that is customarily treated as private, that you actually treat as
private, and that is relevant or responsive to these special
conditions, it is important that you clearly designate the submitted
comments as CBI. Please mark each page of your submission containing
CBI as ``PROPIN.'' The FAA will treat such marked submissions as
confidential under the FOIA, and the indicated comments will not be
placed in the public docket of these proposed special conditions. Send
submissions containing CBI to the individual listed in the For Further
Information Contact section above. Comments the FAA receives, which are
not specifically designated as CBI, will be placed in the public docket
for these proposed special conditions.
Comments Invited
The FAA invites interested people to take part in this rulemaking
by sending written comments, data, or views. The most helpful comments
reference a specific portion of the special conditions, explain the
reason for any recommended change, and include supporting data.
The FAA will consider all comments received by the closing date for
comments. The FAA may change these special conditions based on the
comments received.
Background
On July 9, 2024, Jet Aviation AG applied for a supplemental type
certificate for the installation of therapeutic oxygen systems on the
Model GVI airplane. The Gulfstream Model GVI airplane, currently
approved under Type Certificate No. T00015AT, is a twin-engine
transport-category, business jet, with a maximum seating for 19
passengers, and a maximum take-off weight of 99,600 pounds.
Type Certification Basis
Under the provisions of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations (14
CFR) 21.101, Jet Aviation AG must show that the changes to the
Gulfstream Model GVI airplane, as changed, continues to meet the
applicable provisions of the regulations listed in Type Certificate No.
T00015AT or the applicable regulations in effect on the date of
application for the change, except for earlier amendments as agreed
upon by the FAA.
If the Administrator finds that the applicable airworthiness
regulations (e.g., 14 CFR part 25) do not contain adequate or
appropriate safety standards for the Gulfstream Model GVI airplane
because of a novel or unusual design feature, special conditions are
prescribed under the provisions of Sec. 21.16.
Special conditions are initially applicable to the model for which
they are issued. Should the applicant apply for a supplemental type
certificate to modify any other model included on the same type
certificate to incorporate the same novel or unusual design feature,
these special conditions would also apply to the other model under
Sec. 21.101.
In addition to the applicable airworthiness regulations and special
conditions, the Gulfstream Model GVI
[[Page 39314]]
airplane must comply with the exhaust-emission requirements of 14 CFR
part 34, and the noise-certification requirements of 14 CFR part 36.
The FAA issues special conditions, as defined in 14 CFR 11.19, in
accordance with Sec. 11.38, and they become part of the type
certification basis under Sec. 21.101.
Novel or Unusual Design Features
The Gulfstream Model GVI airplane will incorporate the following
novel or unusual design feature:
An oxygen distribution system that provides a shared source of
oxygen between the flightcrew and passengers to provide supplemental
and therapeutic oxygen.
Discussion
There are no specific regulations that address the design and
installation of required passenger or crew oxygen systems that share a
supply source with an optional oxygen system used specifically for
therapeutic applications. Therapeutic oxygen systems have been
previously certified and were generally considered an extension of the
passenger oxygen system for the purpose of defining the applicable
regulations. As a result, existing requirements, such as 14 CFR
25.1309, 25.1441(b) and (c), 25.1451, and 25.1453, in the Gulfstream
GVI airplane's certification basis applicable to this project, provide
some design standards appropriate for oxygen system installations. In
addition, Sec. 25.1445 includes standards for oxygen distribution
systems when oxygen is supplied to crew and passengers. If a common
source of supply is used, Sec. 25.1445(a)(2) requires a means to
separately reserve the minimum supply required by the flight crew.
Section 25.1445 is intended to protect the flightcrew by ensuring
that an adequate supply of oxygen is available to complete a descent
and landing following a loss of cabin pressure. When the regulation was
written, the only passenger oxygen system designs were supplemental
oxygen systems intended to protect passengers from hypoxia in the event
of a decompression. Existing passenger oxygen systems did not include
design features that would allow the flightcrew to control oxygen to
passengers during flight. There are no similar requirements in Sec.
25.1445 when oxygen is supplied from the same source to passengers for
use during a decompression, and for discretionary or first-aid use any
time during the flight. In the design, the crew, passenger, and
therapeutic oxygen systems use the same source of oxygen. These special
conditions contain additional design requirements for the equipment
involved in this dual therapeutic oxygen plus supplemental gaseous
oxygen installation.
These special conditions contain the additional safety standards
that the Administrator considers necessary to establish a level of
safety equivalent to that established by the existing airworthiness
standards.
Applicability
As discussed above, these special conditions are applicable to the
Gulfstream Model GVI airplane. Should Jet Aviation AG apply at a later
date for a supplemental type certificate to modify any other model
included on Type Certificate No. T00015AT to incorporate the same novel
or unusual design feature, these special conditions would apply to that
model as well.
Conclusion
This action affects only a certain novel or unusual design feature
on one model of airplane. It is not a rule of general applicability and
affects only the applicant who applied to the FAA for approval of these
features on the airplane.
List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 25
Aircraft, Aviation safety, Reporting and recordkeeping
requirements.
Authority Citation
The authority citation for these special conditions is as follows:
Authority: 49 U.S.C. 106(f), 40113, 44701, 44702, and 44704.
The Special Conditions
[ssquf] Accordingly, pursuant to the authority delegated to me by
the Administrator, the following special conditions are issued as part
of the type certification basis for Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation
Model GVI airplanes, as modified by Jet Aviation AG.
The distribution system for the passenger therapeutic oxygen system
must be designed and installed to meet the following requirements:
(1) When oxygen is supplied to passengers for both supplemental and
therapeutic purposes, the distribution system must be designed for
either--
(a) A source of supplemental oxygen for protection following a loss
of cabin pressure, and a separate source for therapeutic purposes; or
(b) A common source of supply with means to separately reserve the
minimum supply required by the passengers for supplemental use
following a loss of cabin pressure.
Issued in in Kansas City, Missouri, on August 13, 2025.
Patrick R. Mullen,
Manager, Technical Policy Branch, Policy and Standards Division,
Aircraft Certification Service.
[FR Doc. 2025-15630 Filed 8-14-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P