Approach Category
James Albright (a former G450 driver)
Updated: 2019-01-17
Approach categories seem to cause a lot of confusion in the corporate pilot world for some reason. The rules are pretty simple and are linked below. The confusion in the Gulfstream world was caused by magical two-sided plastic placards in the cockpit which pilots used to move at will from one category to another. The FAA ended all that with an emphatic statement that pilots could not do that, in fact only mechanics could do it with log book write ups. (The placards now only have one side, they are either installed or they aren't.)
In the G450, if you have ASC 007C installed, you are a Category C aircraft with a 58,500 lb landing weight limit, otherwise you are Category D with a 66,000 lb landing weight limit. Making the switch is more complicated than many of us in the Gulfstream world once thought.
Here then is a summary of the issue as it relates to the G450 and how to move from one category to another, and from one landing weight limitation to another.
Everything here is from the references shown below, with a few comments in an alternate color.
Regulatory
According to 14 CFR 97.3 and ICAO Doc 8168 PANS-OPS Vol 1, §4, ¶1.3.3, the G450's category can be C or D, depending on its maximum landing weight:
Max Landing Weight (Category C): 58,500
Max Landing Weight (Category D): 66,000
Gulfstream Notes
G550
The G550 is almost always a Category C aircraft since it circles at VREF+5 with 39° flaps and that speed is almost always below 141 knots. (You would have to be close to max landing weight and well above sea level to exceed 141 knots.)
G450
The G450 also circles at VREF+5 with 39° flaps but it still sometimes ends up above 141 knots. ASC 007 reduces the aircraft's maximum landing weight, thereby reducing the aircraft's approach category, as detailed below.
Remember, the pilot can always raise the category.
G450 Specifics - ASC 007C
Here is what ASC 007C says on Category C:
And about moving back to Category D:
Bottom Line? If you have ASC 007C installed, you are flying a Category C airplane with a 58,500 landing limit. You can change either of those facts thusly:
If you find yourself needing to circle faster than 140 knots you as a pilot deem yourself to be flying at Category D minimums.
If you want to land heavier:
An authorized mechanic must remove the placard and AFM supplement from the aircraft.
The mechanic must then make a logbook entry stating the ASC had been removed.
At this point the aircraft returns to Approach Category D, and there is nothing you as a pilot can do to return it to Approach Category C.
References:
14 CFR 97, Title 14: Aeronautics and Space, Standard Instrument Procedures, Federal Aviation Administration, Department of Transportation
Gulfstream G450 Aircraft Service Change 007C, Maximum Landing Gross Weight, 58,500 pounds, Category C, Provisions, October 26, 2011
Gulfstream G450 Airplane Flight Manual, Revision 35, April 18, 2013
Gulfstream G450 Maintenance Manual, Revision 18, Dec 12, 2013
Gulfstream G450 Operating Manual Supplement, G-450-OMS-02, Extended Operations (ETOPS) Guide, Revision 2, April 2, 2009
Gulfstream G450 Performance Handbook, GAC-AC-G450-OPS-0003, Revision 20, November 30, 2011
Gulfstream G450 Quick Reference Handbook, GAC-AC-G450-OPS-0003, Revision 34, 18 April 2013
Gulfstream G450 Weight and Balance Manual, Revision 3, March 2008
ICAO Doc 8168 - Aircraft Operations - Vol I - Flight Procedures, Procedures for Air Navigation Services, International Civil Aviation Organization, 2006