Though he steadfastly defended the certification of the Eclipse 500, FAA associate administrator Nicholas Sabatini nevertheless promised Congress the agency will improve its certification program for very light jets. The agency acknowledged that its procedures for certifying the Eclipse twinjet have shown themselves to be “inadequate to address the advanced concepts introduced on this aircraft.” The Congressional committee and the Inspector General of the Department of Transportation criticized the FAA’s decision to certify the Eclipse 500 under traditional, light general aviation aircraft standards, rather than tougher standards in place for larger turbofan-powered aircraft.
FAA Promises to Improve Certification Process
